Funding Forward 2025

Hosted By: Funders for LGBTQ Issues
Location: Houston, Texas
Duration: March 31 – April 3, 2025

Funders for LGBTQ Issues hosted its annual members convening, Funding Forward, in Houston, Texas in April 2025. Held at the Marriott Marquis Houston, the event welcomed 350 attendees over three-and-a-half days. We managed the collaborative RFP process in partnership with our client and their community. Together, we designed and produced four main stage plenary sessions, 21 concurrent breakouts, and 10 networking sessions.

We also produced evening programming, including a welcome cocktail reception and formal dinner, the event’s first annual film festival, and drag and burlesque cabaret featuring local BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, and disabled performers. This cabaret was a standout moment of pride for the entire planning team: it came together through our own trusted relationships, as well as extensive research and engagement into Texas’ cabaret community.

With anti-LGBTQ targeting on the rise, we hired Sequeerity, a queer-owned security firm, to serve as a culturally-relevant onsite safety team in addition to the existing venue security team. Together with our client, we developed a detailed safety plan, including individualized support protocols for undocumented attendees. The plan was successfully activated during a scare, and ultimately ensured every guest’s safety.

Access highlights:

• Provided live captioning throughout all mainstage programming.

• Co-developed in-depth, culturally grounded safety protocols, coordinated across Funders for LGBTQ Issues staff, venue security, hired Sequeerity team, and CTL’s team. 

• Maintained highly monitored entry points and proactive plans for extreme weather, active shooter threats, and identity-based harassment.

• Collaborated with venue staff on detailed menu planning to meet extensive dietary needs, including severe allergies.