The Brooks Fund 2014 Annual Report

2014 annual report • thebrooksfund.org

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THE BROOKS FUND MISSION The Brooks Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is dedicated to encouraging the inclusion, acceptance and recognition of Middle Tennessee’s gay and lesbian citizens by supporting nonprofit programs in Middle Tennessee which enhance their quality of life and builds bridges between all segments of the community.

[THE BROOKS FUND[

of The Communit y Foundation of Middle Tennessee

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Twitter.com/TheBrooksFund

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A LOOK AT THE LIFE OF H. FRANKLIN BROOKS

o matter one’s age, race, religion or beliefs, H. Franklin Brooks wanted everyone to feel included. Thanks to his genuine interest in all people, Brooks endeared himself to people of all walks of life. He could sit down at a four-year-old child’s level and listen as intently and with as much engagement as he would with a colleague or student. That was what made him beloved.

For 25 years, Franklin Brooks was one of the most treasured figures on Vanderbilt University’s campus. As an associate professor in the Department of French and Italian, he was repeatedly recognized in the classroom — as much for his creative teaching technique — as for his natural friendliness and personal integrity.

Brooks was instrumental in leading the dialogue that eventually helped include gays and lesbians in Vanderbilt’s anti-harassment policy in the late 1980s. He was also the faculty sponsor for the first gay and lesbian students’ organization on campus.

After Brooks’ passing in 1994, a group of his friends wanted to honor him and continue his forthright championing of human rights, and so The H. Franklin Brooks Philanthropic Fund was created at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Brooks’ tireless work to promote equality for gays and lesbians and diversity among the community as a whole is a legacy that lives on through The Brooks Fund.

THE POWER OF ENDOWMENT: THE BROOKS FUND ... FOREVER

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s an endowment of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, The Brooks Fund will be a funding source for GLBT issues in Middle Tennessee. Forever. It operates much like that retirement account your financial planner encouraged you to open— the money is invested and when it is time to make a distribution, only a small percentage is paid out so that the account and the distributions continue to grow.

The Brooks Fund infused larger amounts of money into the community early on as a member of The National Lesbian and Gay Community Partnership, but when it began paying out five percent of the Fund in 2003, there was $3,650 available for grantmaking. In 2014, there will be $16,700 available for grantmaking. We’re thrilled to have so much more to share with nonprofits serving GLBT youth, families, and others. Forever.

ith the help of our generous donors, supporters and volunteers, The Brooks Fund is able to distribute grants to Middle Tennessee organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the GLBT community. Since 1997, the endowment has provided over $207,600 to a variety of

nonprofit organizations to support health and safety programs, youth counseling and mentoring, sensitivity and diversity programs, and the fine arts.

The Brooks Fund annually accepts grant applications from Middle Tennessee

nonprofits supporting the GLBT community, through The Community Foundation’s discretionary grant process.

For more information, visit CFMT.org or call The Community Foundation at 615-321-4939.

“Jewish Family Service turned a difficult situation into a pleasant, great process.” — Paula Foster JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE

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hen Nashville residents Jessica Hoke and Paula Foster decided they wanted to start growing their family, they turned to Jewish Family Service of Nashville and Middle Tennessee to help the couple with second-parent adoption services.

After Jessica had their first child, Wesley Grace, Jewish Family Service conducted the family’s home study and guided them

through the finalization of the procedures.

After the birth of their second child, Hannah, they again turned to Jewish Family Service to form essential legal ties to the children they are parenting together.

Jewish Family Service has been providing adoption services for over 35 years to

the Nashville and the Middle Tennessee community, and is well known for its welcoming stance toward gay and lesbian perspective adoptive individuals and couples. Along with adoption home studies, The Brooks Fund grantee also coordinates placement and post-placement services for the gay and lesbian community.

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REINFORCING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH GRANTS

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MT LAMBDA

ounded in 1988, MT Lambda strives to provide a safe and secure place for everyone with an emphasis on the LGBT+ community at Middle Tennessee State University. As the group prepared for their 25th year of service, long-time group advisor Dr. William Langston posed a question to MT Lambda’s president Joshua Rigsby – “What do you want to do to leave a mark?”

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After months of thought and planning, the LGBT+ College Conference was born. The inaugural event, taking place on MTSU’s campus from April 10-12, 2014, will bring together dozens of Tennessee Board of Regents and University of Tennessee System institutions and Middle Tennessee community organizations. The Brooks Fund’s grant to this effort was the first financial contribution to the effort.

It will cover a variety of subjects from community building to political strategy, and will empower students from various institutions across the state to use their individual student organizations as a mechanism for positive change geared towards awareness, inclusion, and diversity.

“The grant from The Brooks Fund and The Community Foundation was the first tangible support we received and it helped solidify to us and the community that this is a worthwhile project.” — Joshua Rigsby

// PAST GRANT RECIPIENTS// 2012

2010

2008

2006

Jewish Family Service of Nashville and Middle Tennessee

Nashville Film Festival

Abintra Montessori School

Nashville Film Festival

Nashville in Harmony

Nashville Film Festival

Tennessee Equality Project Foundation

Oasis Center

2011 Jewish Family Service of Nashville and Middle Tennessee Nashville in Harmony Oasis Center

2009 Abintra Montessori School Nashville in Harmony

Nashville in Harmony OutCentral, Inc.

YWCA

2007

2003

Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee Nashville Film Festival

Nashville Children’s Theatre

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“Because of The Brooks Fund’s belief in our work and our mission, we have been able to gain ground on the sustainability of our initial program.” — Pam Sheffer

OASIS CENTER’S JUST US

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very Tuesday from September through May, Pam Sheffer advises high school students through Oasis Center’s Just Us program. During this time, LGBTQI youth are engaged in group discussions and facilitated activities while connecting with opportunities to create positive change in the community.

2002

Oasis Center

Equality Tennessee

PFLAG

Nashville Film Festival

2000

PFLAG Rainbow Community Center YWCA

2001 Community Nashville Nashville CARES

As a Brooks Fund grantee, Just Us provides support and advocacy through relentless outreach to these youth, their families, and community allies; bi-weekly support and educational events; youth leadership and community climate change initiatives; individual support services (offered through Oasis Center; including crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter, education support and more); and more.

1999

1997

Center for LGBT Life in Nashville

Oasis Center

Community Nashville

Community Nashville

GLSEN

GLSEN

Mockingbird Theatre

Nashville CARES

Oasis Center

Oasis Center

PFLAG

PFLAG

Planned Parent Association of Middle Tennessee Unitarian Universalist First Church of Tennessee

1996 Council of Community Services

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WANDERLUST SETS SAIL has become a destination event for Wanderlust people from throughout the community, raising

thousands for the The Brooks Fund’s mission. But as the event approaches its 10th anniversary, The Fund’s advisory board has decided it’s time to say “bon voyage” to the party and throw one last bash as they explore new fundraising avenues.

So save the date – Wanderlust: OH SHIP! is set to sail away FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014, at ANTHEM (125 12th Avenue N., Nashville). As always, the event will feature an on-site travel raffle drawing for a coveted travel voucher worth thousands (which can be used for airlines, hotels and car rentals), a fabulous silent auction, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and vibrant musical entertainment.

Contact Michael McDaniel about sponsorship opportunities at mmc@cfmt.org.

2014 ADVISORY BOARD Leadership Todd Grantham, Chair Amy Parker, Co-Chair Amos Gott, Secretary Scott Ridgway, Past Chair

THE BROOKS FUND HISTORY PROJECT

arly in The Brooks Fund’s history, documenting the life stories of the community’s older GLBT residents became an aspiration. Capturing the stories of those who came of age before the Stonewall riots in 1969 would offer many the opportunity to break free of years of silence about life as a gay or transgendered resident of Middle Tennessee.

These stories would provide perspective to the community; a community that has changed for the better in many ways and yet still has a great distance to go to achieve equality for the GLBT community.

The Brooks Fund History Project began as The Fund was approaching its 15th anniversary under the leadership of Iris Buhl who recruited and galvanized a team with the skills to make this vision a reality. In addition to assembling the team, Iris took it upon herself to raise the money, write most of the interview questions, structure the interviews, find and welcome most of the interviewees, and help edit the finished product. Roger Moore was also intimately involved in writing the questions.

Robyn Smith wrote all the legal releases and contracts. Phil Bell used his expertise to conduct the interviews in a way that kept them focused on being a historical project rather than a political one. And Diedre Duker, an experienced film and video producer, was hired to make it all come together.

Collecting the 28 interviews of gay men, lesbian and transsexual women, same sex couples, and straight observers took a great deal of time and was, in every way, a team effort.

Once the interviews were complete and the archives collected, the painstaking process of ensuring copyright and privacy protections were initiated by several attorneys, all of whom provided pro bono assistance on these critical issues led by Robyn Smith.

Final preparations are underway and, soon, these incredible stories will be available in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Library for public use by researchers, educators, and others interested in knowing of the courage of members of an earlier generation that struggled -- with themselves, their family and community – for acceptance. Additionally, under Deidre Duker’s hand, a documentary (anticipated for a Fall 2014 premiere) is beginning to take shape from the hours of recorded audio and video.

The Brooks Fund History Project is made possible through the vision, resources, and continuing commitment of donors and volunteers.

The Brooks Fund History Project Steering Committee

Iris Buhl, Chair Community Volunteer Phil Bell, Producer John Bridges, Author Deidre Duker, Producer, Writer Roger Moore, Ph.D. Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Vanderbilt University Robyn Smith, Attorney Dan Cornfield, Ph.D. Director, Vanderbilt Institute for Nashville Studies, Consultant

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he Brooks Fund Advisory Board is comprised of community members who share the vision of a more accepting and tolerant community. It includes business leaders, educators, volunteers, nonprofit executives, and professionals who oversee grantmaking, fundraising, strategic planning, education, alliance building, and public awareness.

Members Emily Allen Stephanie Barger Anthony Barton Kyle Bradley Caroline Blackwell

Roger Gore Miguel Otero Pat Patrick Dayne Reed Michelle Rene Jim Schmidt

THE BROOKS FUND of

Randy Silcox Rob Sikorski Shelly Steel Susan Taylor Daniel Tidwell Maryglenn Warnock

Peter Westerholm John Winnett Michael McDaniel, Coordinator

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

3833 Cleghorn Avenue | Nashville, Tennessee 37215 | 615-321-4939 | TheBrooksFund.org | CFMT.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: MICHAEL McDANIEL AT MMC@CFMT.ORG