Why OutHistory Needs Your Support!
Dear OutHistory User:
OutHistory is a ground-breaking, one-of-a-kind resource for scholars, activists, students and anyone who cares about the history of sexuality and gender. The site is pioneering in making reliable scholarship on LGBT history accessible through the web to a larger and more varied audience than has ever been reached by academic publications. The site solicits new scholarly work and republishes out-of-print work from major contributors to the field of LGBT history. OutHistory is also innovative in inviting contributions from community members who have documents, data and source citations relevant to LGBT history.
On October 21, 2008, OutHistory officially launched to a packed, enthusiastic crowd at the LGBT Community Center in New York City. This launch was the culmination of two years of work building OutHistory’s foundation. Only now can the site begin to fulfill its intended purpose. But, sadly, the end of April 2009, will mark the end of our generous start-up grant from Arcus Foundation. We have made fundraising inquiries to individual donors, sent grant applications to foundations, and fostered numerous networking connections with a broad range of LGBT and historical institutions. Yet disappointingly, we have not yet secured funding for 2009. We are now in emergency fundraising mode. So, we are asking you, the site’s users, to make a donation to save OutHistory.
At the most basic level, OutHistory needs 2009 funding to pay for server space and tech support. We need to pay the Project Coordinator to continue her valuable work on the site. We need funds for office space at CLAGS, and for CLAGS’ Development Director to continue writing grant proposals and researching the foundations, corporations, government agencies, and individuals who might fund us in the future.
OutHistory needs only a minimum of $20,000 to stay afloat in 2009. We understand that everyone’s budget is stretched thin in these difficult economic times, so a contribution of any amount would be greatly appreciated. If 2000 people give $10, if 1000 give $20, or if 40 give $500, OutHistory will go on making history. Remember: OutHistory is your history.
