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We're seeking funding to expand staffing to increase the quality & scale of our current programs, which we've sustained since founding.

As of 2022, our annual budget is $106,618, with $65,792 dedicated to 2.0 FTE staff funding. This is currently spread out across 1 full-time staff (Luka, Executive Director) and 2 part-time staff (Amanda, Digital Communications Manager; Sindy, Peer Support Organizer).

We recently received a $60,000 general operating support grant from The Abbey Fund. We’d like to fundraise $10,000 from our community to increase our staff salaries and benefits to $134,800, which will allow us to scale up Amanda and Avi’s roles to both full-time, with all staff paid at a salaried rate of $20.00/hour, $41,600/year (before taxes), with health insurance.

SQSH’s work now is extra timely and urgent, given the mixed grassroots feedback in response to 988’s launch; the research calling for healing justice approaches (Bosley, Harrington, Morris, Le Dantec, 2022); and the urgency of recent anti-trans legislation in Missouri and nationwide.

Given provider shortages and burnout among mental health professionals amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, SQSH’s community-led healing programs represent a powerful resource and innovative model that deserves timely investment now.

Robust funding would allow us to make bold, strategic plans that strengthen the basis of our programs for years to come, instead of maintaining the status quo.

• For our Training & Education programs, we'd be able to revamp our existing curricula by re-examining the root causes of gender- and sexuality-based oppression through critical scholarship; conducting stakeholder and community interviews; and building processes for sustainability (fee-for-service schedule, evaluation tools, train-the-trainer workshops) that allow this program to thrive for years.

• For our SQSHBook Resource Guide, we'd be able to launch phase 2 (community reviews, vetting, and listing ownership) and phase 3 (conduct linkages to continuum of care and follow-up healing + accountability when queer St. Louisan users experience harm with specific resources).

• For our Call Data Advocacy, we'd be able to build partnerships that form a pipeline for our call data reports; update our Call Log (data collection mechanism); and build a coalition of partners to identify and build consensus around an advocacy agenda for local queer activism.

• For our Peer Support Helpline, we'd be able to expand our hours and caller base, as well as offer in-person peer counseling support at events and times of the year that hit the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard. These include Trans Day of Remembrance, community tragedies, "funerals" for queer loss and family rejection, etc.

We receive funding from a variety of sources:

• Grants from foundations & partners: Peace First, International Trans Fund, Trans Justice Funding Project, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Racial Justice & Healing Fund, St. Louis Community Foundation, Chiron Community Giving Foundation, The Abbey Fund, Siteman Family Foundation, Gephardt Institute, AmFam Institute

• Individual donations from fundraisers and campaigns

• Fee-for-service payments from client & community courses