Why OutHistory Needs Your Support!
Dear OutHistory.org User:
As you know, OutHistory is a ground-breaking, one-of-a-kind resource for scholars, activists, students and anyone who cares about the history of sexuality. 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 also invites contributions from community members who have documents, data and source citations relevant to LGBT history.
On October 21st OutHistory officially launched to a packed, enthusiastic crowd at the LGBT Community Center. This launch culminated two years of laying OutHistory’s foundation. It is only now, that the site can begin to fulfill its intended purpose. Sadly, December 2008 marked 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 vast 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. We are asking you, the site’s intended 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, Lauren Gutterman, a graduate student in history at NYU, to continue her valuable work on the site. We need funds for office space at CLAGS, and for CLAGS’ Development Director, Alyssa Nitchun, to continue writing grant proposals and researching the foundations, corporations, and individuals who might fund us in the future. OutHistory only needs $20,000 to stay afloat in 2009. We understand that everyone’s budget is stretched thin in these difficult economic times, but a contribution in any amount would be greatly appreciated. If 2000 people give $10, if 1000 people give $20, or if 20 people give $1,000 OutHistory will go on making history. Remember: OutHistory is your history.
