colin higgins foundation

Name

colin higgins foundation

Legal name

Colin Higgins Foundation

Website

https://colinhiggins.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation / LGBTQ+ Youth Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• LGBTQ+ youth grants
• Youth filmmaker grants
• Nonprofit foundation
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Youth courage awards

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Colin Higgins Foundation is a charitable nonprofit foundation that disburses cash grants to LGBTQ+ youth filmmakers ($15,000 Youth Filmmaker Grants, awarded since 2022) and previously to LGBTQ+ youth activists ($10,000–$15,000 Youth Courage Awards, established 2000). Grants are distributed in partnership with major U.S. LGBTQ+ film festivals (Frameline, Outfest), which screen the recipients' films and host them during the festival run. The Foundation also funds a documentary about its founder and historically has provided general support grants to LGBTQ+ youth-serving nonprofits.

Product overview

The Colin Higgins Foundation is a charitable grant-making organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth through two primary programs: the Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Grant (providing $15,000 grants to young LGBTQ+ filmmakers in partnership with film festivals like Frameline and Outfest since 2022) and the Youth Courage Awards (established in 2000, awarding $10,000-$15,000 grants to LGBTQ+ youth activists demonstrating courage against discrimination). The Foundation also produces the documentary 'Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins' about its founder's legacy. Since 1988, the Foundation has awarded over 660 grants totaling over $6 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Grant An annual grant program awarding $15,000 to emerging LGBTQ+ youth filmmakers (self-identified, age 25 or younger, U.S. residents) to support their film projects and career development; recipients' films are screened at partner festivals (Frameline, Outfest) and filmmakers are hosted during the festival run.
• Youth Courage Awards Annual recognition and grant program (established in 2000) honoring LGBTQ+ youth activists who demonstrate profound courage in the face of hardship, intolerance, and bigotry related to sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin; awardees receive grants of $10,000–$15,000.
• Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins A documentary film about the life and films of founder Colin Higgins, directed and edited by Nicholas Eliopoulos, funded by the Foundation for over 31 years and screened at the NuArt Theater in Santa Monica (qualifying it for two years on the Motion Picture Academy website).

Quantifiable outcome

• 660+ grants awarded totaling over $6 million since 1988
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Frameline (San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership began in 2023 with the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the longest-running and largest LGBTQ+ film exhibition event in the world. The Foundation awards three filmmakers with $15,000 grants annually through this partnership. Recipients' films are screened during the festival and filmmakers are hosted for the Festival's run. In 2026, three films were selected receiving a total of $45,000.
• OutfestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership launched in 2022 with Outfest Los Angeles, the largest film festival in LA and the most widely-recognized LGBTQ+ film festival in the world. Three filmmakers were selected as 'Colin Higgins Youth Filmmaker Grant' recipients and received $15,000 grants each. Winners' short films were showcased during the Outfest film festival.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Point Foundation: Point Foundation is the largest LGBTQ+ scholarship-granting nonprofit in the U.S., providing financial support and mentorship to LGBTQ+ students. Like the Colin Higgins Foundation, it combines direct grants to LGBTQ+ individuals with broader community programming and is the most directly comparable peer in the LGBTQ+ grantmaking space.
• Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice: Astraea is a philanthropic foundation that funds LGBTQI-led organizations globally through grantmaking. It is a direct peer in terms of being a dedicated grantmaker serving LGBTQ+ communities, with a complementary (international) geographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Arcus Foundation: Arcus Foundation is one of the largest private foundations exclusively focused on LGBTQ+ human rights and conservation. While it operates at a much larger scale with a global footprint, it shares the Colin Higgins Foundation's mission of funding LGBTQ+ causes through grantmaking and serves as a benchmark for institutional LGBTQ+ philanthropy.
• Gill Foundation: Gill Foundation is a major U.S. private foundation funding LGBTQ+ organizations, advocacy, and movement-building through grantmaking. It overlaps with the Colin Higgins Foundation on mission (LGBTQ+ grantmaking) but operates at a substantially larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Tides Foundation: Tides Foundation is a large philanthropic partner and fiscal sponsor that administered the Colin Higgins Foundation for nearly 30 years before the 2021 separation. It is comparable as a philanthropic infrastructure provider and grantmaking entity operating in the same ecosystem.
• Sundance Institute: Sundance Institute is a major nonprofit that supports independent filmmakers through grants, labs, and the Sundance Film Festival. It is comparable as a film-focused grantmaking organization, though at much greater scale and with a much broader artistic scope.

Others

• GLSEN: GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) is a leading LGBTQ+ education advocacy organization and a former Colin Higgins Foundation grantee. It is comparable as a downstream beneficiary in the same LGBTQ+ youth funding ecosystem but operates as a direct service/advocacy organization rather than a grantmaker.
• The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project operates the only national crisis-intervention Lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth and received early seed funding from the Colin Higgins Foundation. It is comparable as a downstream beneficiary of LGBTQ+ youth philanthropy and shares the same target demographic.
• Frameline: Frameline (San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival) is the longest-running and largest LGBTQ+ film exhibition event in the world and a current core partner of the Colin Higgins Foundation. It is comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant that helps distribute and showcase the Foundation's grantees.
• Outfest: Outfest Los Angeles is the largest film festival in LA and the most widely-recognized LGBTQ+ film festival in the world. It was a core partner of the Colin Higgins Foundation from 2022 before the Foundation shifted to Frameline in 2023, making it a recent comparable distribution partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ColinHigginsFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-colin-higgins-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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