When It Takes a Village, It Takes a Village: PFund Foundation’s Approach to Community Support

Members of the PFund Foundation out and about in the community.
PFund Foundation members out in the community. Photo courtesy of Aaron Zimmerman

In a society where many are challenged on their beliefs, vision and purpose, it can be extremely difficult to navigate through those waters. But it is known that the best sailors are those who have conquered not only the rain but also the unpredictability of the tides. Sailors are those who have strong self-efficacy and aren’t afraid to lead and support others toward their end goals. Lavender Magazine had the unique opportunity to sit down with a village that is full of community-sailors. Meet the PFund Foundation.

The PFund Foundation is a philanthropy initiative that focuses its efforts on supporting the LGBTQ+ community through grants, scholarships, and a variety of other funds. Aaron Zimmerman, executive director of the PFund Foundation, gave insight from his experience as a former development director and how it positioned him to continue to carry the organization: “I have an opportunity to help steer the ship and work with the community to figure out what our priorities are and where we need to fund and how we need to fund.”

The emphasis on the village shouldn’t be overlooked. The PFund Foundation is LGBTQ+-community-led and is also funded by the community. Zimmerman mentioned that for there to be a revolution, it needs to be funded. A special revolution led by this organization has brought in over a million dollars in donations at the state legislative level. This speaks to the strength of the PFund Foundation’s influence in the community and how well it connects with people. He also pointed out, “What keeps us relevant and important to the community is the way in which we give away money.”

There is a special process in how the PFund Foundation allocates funds along with submitting an application. What makes it special is that applicants must be in the neighboring areas of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota or South Dakota or of the First Nations. These upper Midwest areas are trailblazers with sights set towards the lighthouse of opportunities for those in need of community support for Scholarship Funds, the PRISM Fund, the Equity Fund, the Readiness and Resilience Fund, the Bisexual+ Fund, and the Event Sponsorship.

PFund Foundation Small Business owner Grantee Sayge Carroll of Mudluck Pottery posing for a photo with Lt Gov. Flanagan.
PFund Foundation Small Business Grantee Sayge Carroll (Mudluck Pottery) with Lt Gov. Flanagan at Pride Leaders Roundtable. Photo courtesy of Aaron Zimmerman

The Moxie Awards is also another special avenue in how the PFund Foundation makes selections of awardees. This event gives the community insight into how their donations are going to meaningful causes and highlights how the community’s donations have made a huge impact. Awardees are invited back to speak on their journey and how they have been successful with the help and aid of the village.

The life work of the PFund Foundation is inspiring as well as impactful as they have redefined how Mountains can be moved. For example, in the 2022-23 PRISM Fund Pilot Program Progress Report, it is stated that there were over 15 general operating grants that totaled $125,000 to the Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, or First Nations rural areas serving queer organizations. PRISM stands for Promoting Rural Interconnections for Sexual Minorities.

All this to say, there is a mission to keep the Upper Midwest LGBTQ+ rural areas in network and fellowship. Zimmerman spoke on the importance of closing the gap in communities through interacting with donors. He says that “speaking in front of the community, one of the best tactics that people who are anti-LGBTQ; whether they’re homophobic or transphobic, have some other ulterior motive. The strategy that they use to keep us down, to prevent us from living full, authentic, fabulous lives is isolation.” He closed by expressing that there is an instinct to be persistent to overcome those barriers through the PFund Foundation.

Although beliefs may be challenged, vision may seem blurred, and purpose skewed — the PFund Foundation intentionally sees the marginalized. They actively listen to the voiceless and give unrelenting hope to the hope-seeking. Not all superheroes wear capes, but in this case, the cape of affirmation and cloak of assurance is the calm to many storms that LGBTQ+ in the Upper Midwest often face.

The PFund Foundation relies heavily on community donations and in turn has actively changed the lives of individuals and businesses. If you would like to donate or support the ground-breaking movement, please visit the website listed below to learn more!

www.pfundfoundation.org

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