Credit: AORTA Films  "Documenting Desire"

Hello Friends of Effing,

As the U.S. battles ongoing anti-abortion legislation, we’re reminded that reproductive justice is a critical aspect of sex ed. Now more than ever, the country needs sex educators and sex-positive art to address the gaps in information that everyday people – and unfortunately most legislators! – are suffering from. That’s why we fund not only sex ed, but specifically marginalized communities who are often left out of sex ed entirely.

If you really care about reproductive justice, you should care about transgender rights – which happens to be the title of an amazing fact sheet by National Women’s Law Center. It covers how reproductive justice extends beyond debates about reproductive organs, requiring health care access for all trans people, economic justice for trans women, and an end to violence against trans communities everywhere.

Hello Friends of Effing Foundation,

This month marks one year since SESTA/FOSTA, and sex workers continue to feel the impact. Meanwhile, these “anti-trafficking” bills have not been used to protect or end sexual violence in any recent court cases. This fallout makes it clear that this legislation is working as intended, to create barriers for sex workers to meet clients, screen for safety, and be seen as professionals using valuable skills to make an income.

That said, we’d like to remind you that our Open Call for Submissions from sex-positive artists and educators will be available May 1. That’s just ten days away! 🎉

We focus on supporting #ownvoices: that is, people who are members of disadvantaged groups doing work grounded in their experiences, and we prioritize projects that do not have other options for grant funding or government support. Learn more about Effing Foundation grants in our FAQ and Demographic Goals.

This spring, we’re excited to kick off of our next grant cycle. Now that we’ve met our second fundraising goal – and are busy onboarding the incredible grantees you helped us support – it’s time to help more sex-positive projects flourish.

“We fund projects that provide hope and critique, art and activism, pleasure and grief, and all the things in between or outside,” shares advisory council member Aida Manduley, LCSW.

Our Open Call for Projects survey will be available for two months, from May 1 to July 31. After reviewing all proposals, our advisory council will invite 16 applicants to participate in the final round of selections in the fall.

You can find the full 2019-2020 grant cycle calendar, along with more information about the application process, on our website. To receive e-mail updates, head to https://www.effing.org/join and check "Send me information and updates about applying to your grant program." We can’t wait to learn how you’re creating a sex-positive future.

Papi Femme embraces Ginny Woolf in (W/HOLE).

Happy February!

We’re definitely feeling the love this month. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for your word-of-mouth, donations, and well-wishes that helped us meet our funding goal of $75,000.

Yes, that means all 2019 Effing Foundation grants are now fully funded!

Sending special thanks to the Freeman Foundation for awarding us a grant to support our sex-positive educators and artists.

To learn about the 14 projects we’ve funded this year, visit effing.org. And be sure to follow The Effing Foundation on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates about our grantees’ important work. This week on social, we’ll be recognizing Valentine’s Day by celebrating love in all forms: polyamorous, queer, kinky, monogamous, ace/aromantic – and of course self-love too!

Happy December, friends!

I can hardly believe 2018 is almost over: A year ago we were raising money for our very first pilot grants. We spent the past twelve months helping our grantees do magical things, and then we started the whole process over again!

Honestly, the hardest part of starting a not-for-profit has been the "asking people for money" part, but it's what I've got to do again this month because I want to see a more sex-positive future. We have an outstanding group of grant candidates, and we need your help to get these projects off the ground.

Fund a sex-positive future!

Happy Giving Tuesday!

Today I'm thrilled to announce our 14 amazing grant candidates for this year with sex-positive projects on a wide range of topics, from teaching porn literacy and crafting erotic LARPs to providing support to survivors of sexual assault via podcast. We've just launched our year-end fundraiser to raise $75,000 to make these 14 grants and keep the Foundation moving forward.

Today, 11/27, only, Facebook will match your donation dollar-for-dollar. Please make a gift to support these artists and educators now!

No Facebook? No problem! You can contribute with no fees via PayPal or one of the other methods available on our Donate page.

Happy October, Foundation friends!

There's lots of exciting news to share with you: a new Advisor has joined our council, and we have a new partnership with the Sexplanations Road Tour!

We're thrilled to welcome Cecilia Gentili to our Advisory Council:

Cecilia Gentili (she/her) currently serves as the Managing Director of Policy and Public Affairs at GMHC, the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy. Originally from Argentina, Cecilia found her passion for advocacy and community service when she started working as an intern at the LGBT Community Center in New York City several years ago. From 2012 to 2016, she managed the Transgender Health Program at the Apicha Community Health Center. Cecilia is also a contributor to Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community, and a board member at Transcend Legal and Translatina Network. For fun, she loves performing at storytelling and stand-up comedy events where she talks about her life experiences. Cecilia is very passionate about advocating for her community, especially Latina transgender women who may have a history of sex work, drug use and incarceration.

Cecilia has been making herself right at home, offering all kinds of helpful feedback to this year's grant applicants. I'm so honored to have Cecilia, with her wealth of experience and expertise, join us!

Welcome to September!

This month, our fabulous grantee Dirty Lola of Sex Ed A Go Go is SheVibe's cover feature!

Happy July!

Our newsletter this month is going to be very short: We've got one big announcement, and I wanted to make sure I let you know ASAP.

After awarding $40,000 in pilot grants, today we're launching our first grant cycle which is open to the public!

The first step in our grant process is completing the Open Call for Projects. This is a multi-page online survey where you tell us a bit about who you are and what you'd like to do. Submissions are due by 11:59pm US Eastern time on Wednesday, August 15.

Happy June to you!

I hope things are going well for you all this month! I have to confess that I'm feeling pretty stressed out at the moment -- I'm about to start traveling, some for fun and some to promote the Foundation. (YAY!) But at the same time, we're preparing for the next round of grants, and I'm only going to be home for less than 3 weeks out of the next 8. (EEK!)

This month I wanted to offer you a sneak peek from ( ) ("whole"), the experimental queer erotic film that received one of our pilot grants. The Effing Foundation is officially Executive Producer! (Can I even? Once again: No, I cannot even.)

The ( ) crew has been shooting in Philadelphia this week thanks to your Effing donations! Check out the amazing cast:

From left, performers the Shape, Alice the Wolf, Ginny Woolf, Shay Knox, Parts Authority, Trouble Clef, Erykah Ohms, Evie Snax, Papi Femme, and Special Guest, shooting "Opening Sequence" for AORTA films' ( ). This film is made possible by a grant from the Effing Foundation!