Mission
Our mission is to honor the life of Paula Ford-Martin, an advocate and loving mother of gay and transgender youth, by providing scholarship funds and fiscal sponsorship to outstanding young champions for the LGBTQ+ community and their activism.
Ruling year
2020
Founder & Executive Director
Mr. Cas Ford Martin
Main address
6 Grove Street
Haydenville, MA 01039 USA
EIN
85-0999059
NTEE code
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (O12)
Lesbian/Gay Rights (R26)
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (T12)
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
LGBTQ+ youth, especially queer/trans people of color (QTPOC), are not afforded equal opportunities to higher education. Surveys by national associations like GLSEN and GLAAD consistently show that LGBTQ+ individuals are far less likely than their straight/cis peers to survive to their graduation, let alone attend college. According to The Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health (the largest study of its kind to date), 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ youth reported being physically threatened or harmed due to their LGBTQ+ identity. The majority of violent and discriminatory acts occurred in school-related settings, and most were against QTPOC. Even in our home state of Connecticut, queer people are regularly barred from higher education due to systemic homophobia, transphobia, and white supremacy. We are fiercely committed to dismantling this narrative through the empowerment and funding of LGBTQ+ youth and their outstanding allies.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Paula Ford-Martin Memorial Scholarship
The Paula Ford-Martin Memorial Scholarship is an annual $1,000 award for outstanding young LGBTQ+ activists. Established as a Connecticut program in 2020, the Scholarship is now open to applicants from throughout New England.
Paula Ford-Martin was an accomplished writer and editor who passed away on March 25, 2020 after five years with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. She was humble about her endless achievements, but she took most pride in her role as a loving mother of LGBTQ+ children. Paula wrote shortly before she died that her greatest desire is “an LGBTQ+ scholarship to reward those students that have gone above and beyond to bring awareness and equality to their school and community.” This scholarship was established to continue her legacy of love for all LGBTQ+ people and allies.
Queer Youth Assemble
Queer Youth Assemble (QYA) is a youth-led program sponsored by the Paula Ford-Martin Memorial Fund. QYA strives to cultivate cultures of care and empowerment among LGBTQ+ youth throughout New England and the United States through peer-led programs in education, community-building, activism, art, and more. QYA envisions a world in which queer youth of all backgrounds are safe, included, and supported to reach their fullest potentials.
QYA founder, Esmée Silverman, writes: "Our two main goals are to foster youth-led queer movement across the United States through queer youth empowerment, and create regional organizations that will support the queer youth in those areas with local, state, and regional level events/projects. We give young people the tools they need to use their skills and interests to create change in our country."
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Society for Nonprofits 2020
External reviews
Our Sustainable Development Goals
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Paula Ford-Martin Memorial Fund strives to support young champions for the LGBTQ+ community through the provision of scholarship funds. Our goal is to make a safe, affordable, and empowering learning community accessible to all young people, regardless of their background or identity.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
*Connect with our constituents, peer organizations, and potential funders via social media, mail, and events
*Hold regular fundraising events, virtual & in-person; consistent stewardship of donors
*Contact school districts, GSAs, community centers, and every org serving LGBTQ+ youth at the start of the school year to spread awareness and ensure access to our funds
*Accessible, empowering application process: provide robust feedback, mentorship, & resources for accepted and declined students alike
*Active engagement with local schools and organizations serving LGBTQ+ youth, as well as state/national/international nonprofit societies and scholarship associations
*A diverse portfolio of funders: individuals, corporate sponsors, grants, and microdonation platforms
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Paula Ford-Martin Memorial Fund is led by queer and trans young professionals who are deeply invested in their causes and communities. Our capable Board of Directors has widespread social and geographical connections to the areas we intend to serve — especially Massachusetts and Connecticut. Most importantly, Paula’s incredible life and loved ones offer a strong foundation for a multi-generational scholarship fund. Her investment in supporting and uplifting queer youth created a strong, stable network of colleagues and loved ones who will undoubtedly honor Paula’s legacy for many years to come.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In the first 6 months of our fund’s life, we raised more than $15,000. According to our initial fundraising cycle, we will raise another $5,000 by March 17th, 2021. We are currently on track to issue scholarships starting in June 2021, and we aim to annually increase the number of awards issued each year. Upcoming projects include additional scholarship chapters throughout the State of Connecticut, as well as a mentor/mentee program for LGBTQ+ youth.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Paula Ford-Martin Memorial Fund
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Cas Martin
Timothy Hemhauser
Eversource
Mary Ford
Monmouth College Alumni Association
Marlo Kysiak
Elbit Systems of America
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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