Dee Rees' Pariah (2011) is a coming of age story centering a 17 year old Black girl understanding her sexual identity, while dealing with family and friendship challenges. The film will be shown July 27th at 8pm EST (click here to add yourself to the calendar invite).

August’s Selection will be Patrik Ian-Polk's Blackbird (2014). Fill out this form to receive more information on future movie nights.

The fourth feedback session of the year will be held on Saturday, August 1st. If you would like to receive feedback or support other writers at thee feedback session fill out this form. You can also share this with any other Black and Queer writers even if they do not attend the co-work sessions.

Casting Call

HomeGrown Visions Arts Collaborative seeks three actors for their virtual closed workshop of Maz Hedgehog's EURYDICE HAD BEEN LOVED.

The virtual workshop will be held on Zoom July 11th from 10-4pm EST. Actors will be provided with $50 honorarium and meal stipend.

Roles:

We will host live auditions on Thursday, July 2nd 5-6pm EST and Monday, July 6th 5-6:30pm EST. If you are unable to make the auditions you can submit a self-tape with your selected sides by July 6th 9pm EST. For more info and to schedule your audition fill out this form.

Gratitude for Chirp

Thank you to everyone who attended our staged readings of Chirp both in person and via live stream. Huge thanks to the folks who sponsored tickets for Black Queer and Trans folks. It is still not too late to provide feedback for our playwright NOVA CYPRESS BLACK. If you missed it or liked it, manifest a full production for us in the near future.

Black August Book Exploration

HomeGrown Visions Arts Collaborative invites you to observe Black August with us. Black August is a time for to honor and pay tribute to the resilience, strength and perseverance of OUR community.

Over the course of August, HomeGrown Visions Arts Collaborative will be hosting a weekly hybrid book club focused on A Black Queer History of the United States by C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost.

Each week, the attendees at BLOOM: A Black Trans Gathering will collectively facilitate a hybrid book exploration focusing on two chapters. We invite Black trans and queer people around the world to join this weekly book exploration via Zoom.

Please fill out this form if you are interested.

The Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists

The Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists is an annual $10,000 grant awarded to provide critical support to Black trans women whose work has often been under-recognized in the visual art field. In order to further recognize finalists for their artistic achievements, Queer|Art is pleased to announce that the grant will also provide a $1,250 award to four distinguished finalists. Winning artists and finalists will receive additional professional development resources and further guidance to bolster their creative development in the field.

Applications are due by July 2, 2026

250 Years of Resistance: Brian Jones and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor in Conversation 🆕

Take a break from the bizarre and depressing spectacle of Donald Trump presiding over celebrations of the U.S. state’s 250th birthday to join Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Brian Jones for a conversation about the inspiring history and extraordinary capacity of ordinary people to resist and organize for a better world. Livestreamed tickets are available from $0-25

Trans Safety Emergency Fund 🆕

Everyone who’s not cisgender can apply. They prioritize needs directly linked to emergency situations such as (but not limited to): Basic Living Costs (Food, household items, clothing, public transport etc.) Monthly Bills(Electricity, Gas, Internet, Rent/Mortgage, Water, etc.) Crucial Medical Bills (Hormones, Medical Recovery, Health Casualties, Therapy, etc.) Safety (Self-Defence Courses, Relocation to safer environments)

Applications are open for the first three days of every month.

Applications close July 3rd noon EST.

Accessible Virtual Pride 2026
Accessible Virtual Pride 2026 is a fully online gathering 🏳️‍🌈 created by and for disabled queer and trans people, accomplices, and access-minded organizers. They center access from the start and multiple ways to participate. Let's celebrate us!

We Were Meant to Be Here: Disability Justice and the Trans Agenda for Liberation

Free online webinar exploring the intersection of Disability Justice and Trans identity. The discussion will highlight the impacts of ableism, anti-Black racism, misogyny and transphobia and center disabled trans people leadership, strategies, and tactics on how to combat these ongoing existing systemic oppressions.

Monday, July 6th 4-5pm EST

Mobilize Power Fund 🆕

A rapid response fund that resources gender justice organizations to adapt or pivot their work when met with unanticipated, time-sensitive opportunities or threats to their movement building work and organizing conditions. Grants are $10-20k

Applications are due July 7th 2pm EST

Seeds of Liberation Grant Writing Workshop 🆕

July 5 + 19: Research & Prep
Learn how to find the right funding opportunities, understand different types of grants, determine eligibility, navigate fiscal sponsorship, and prepare the essential materials needed to become grant-ready.

July 12 + 26: Proposal Writing
Translate your community work into a compelling grant proposal. We’ll cover how to write authentic narratives, communicate community needs, describe impact, present demographic data ethically, and develop proposals rooted in lived experience, not institutional jargon.

This beginner-friendly series is grounded in abolitionist values and community organizing, making grant writing more accessible, transparent, and practical for those working in grassroots organizations and individuals doing movement work.

A limited number of no-cost tickets for each day. If the ticket price is out of reach, please reach out to the organizers.

Every Sunday in July 11am-1pm EST Zoom

COVID Safe Art Collective

A space for rest, creative practice, and socializing. For pro-mask, immunocompromised, and disabled adults.

Sundays 5:30-7:30 EST

Holding Joy Through the Chaos: A Writing Practice for Black Communities – Virtual 🆕

A virtual healing circle facilitated by BEAM (Black Emotional + Mental Health Collective). A monthly, online support group and emotional skills building space for Black folks looking to learn and connect. This month’s session will be held on Wednesday, July 8th 6-7:30pm EST. Comp tickets for “community members who frankly just ain't got it but are ready and willing to be in the space with others.”

Lampblack Direct Aid 🆕

Every other Wednesday Lampblack will select a Black poet, storyteller, or essayist in need, $100. Selections are made on an anonymous, random basis.

Queer and Caribbean: Holding Both In The Therapy Room and Beyond 🆕

Free online webinar exploring what it means to be both Queer and Caribbean, facilitated by Charika White, a queer-identified Jamaican therapist. Discussion will include: The intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and Caribbean culture, How history and cultural norms have shaped silence, What culturally affirming care really looks like and Creating space for healing without leaving parts of yourself behind

Tuesday, July 14th 7pm EST

The Salt Lick Incubator’s Artist Project Grant 🆕

Artist project grants, range from $5,000 to $15,000. Grants are given to artists for projects such as producing a song or album, creating a music video, developing social media assets, pressing vinyl, touring, or enhancing branding and marketing strategies.

Applications are due July 15th 11:59pm PST

Block and Build: Rapid Response Grant

The Block and Build Rapid Response and Defense Fund provides immediate, flexible resources to frontline organizations in the Southeast as they face rising authoritarian threats and incidents of hate or violence. This fund supports organizations in responding quickly to crises in ways that center the voices and leadership of directly impacted individuals. The fund prioritizes:

The fund will offer small monthly grants of $500 – $3,000. The rolling deadline is the 15th of every month.

Emergent Fund

Emergent Fund is a rolling, monthly rapid response and emergent organizing grant for movement and frontline communities responding to urgent and specific unanticipated crises or opportunities to build power.

GRANT DEADLINE: EVERY 3RD THURSDAY EACH MONTH (July 16th) AT 5:00 P.M. PST / 8:00 P.M. EST.

Rural Performance Production Lab 🆕

The Rural Performance / Production Lab (RPPL) is a creative production process and residency program which supports the development of new art rooted in southern and rural living, history, places, and bodies. Pronounced “ripple”, the intent is for artist voices to act as catalysts for broad community change. RPPL artists receive either direct funding or a configuration of an on-site residency with direct funding, mentorship and support from a dedicated team of advisors through the completion of the artists’ residency time. Awards range from $2500 – $15,000.

This opportunity is for artists living in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. RPPL provides a limited number of full residencies, which provide three consecutive weeks of housing and retreat space for the artist to dream and manifest their work. Additionally, some artists that apply may be offered the opportunity to come for a week. Each RPPL residency covers travel and food costs, as well as fresh seasonal produce from the Sipp Culture Community Farm.

Applications are due by July 17th.

Call For Submissions: Trans & Disabled Grief & Rage Anthology

Soft Publishing is looking for art and writing that explores the emotions of GRIEF and RAGE as it relates to being Disabled/Neurodivergent and Trans*. Send your poems, essays, short stories, comics, photography, visual art, or hybrid work that speaks to what GRIEF and RAGE means to you as a Trans* and Disabled creative.

Submissions are due July 19, 2026 at 11:59 PT.

National Fund for Women Microgrants 🆕

Quick and easy application to provide a little extra support women-identified folk. July’s microgrants:

Applications close on July 22nd.

Power Blossoms- Birthday Cards for incarcerated Queer and Trans folk. 🆕

Write birthdays card to queer and trans people currently incarcerated in California. All birthday cards submitted through Power Blossoms online system will be printed and mailed by hand in a timely manner so that our LGBTQ family feel celebrated on their birthdays. Power Blossoms covers all costs related to printing and postage. Submit by July 24th

A Blade of Glass- Field of Funds 🆕

$500 for Artist-led Gatherings. Artist-led gatherings for practitioners to bring groups of three or more people together. This could be a stand-alone gathering in person or online to further research, chase curiosities, or simply build connections. Or, this opportunity could support a larger project or event that is already in the works. There is no requirement that the gathering be public, and selected practitioners will have the freedom to use the $500 contribution as they see fit.

Applications are due July 31st at 11:59 EST

Teighlor McGee Grassroots Mini Grants Program

ASAN’s Teighlor McGee Grassroots Mini Grant Program will give out grants of up to $6250 to people or groups. These grants are for self-advocates who are interested in changing the world. Mini grant projects should try to make the world better for people with disabilities. Mini grants are best for people or groups who have past experience doing advocacy.

We are especially interested in project proposals which are led by these groups. Or, that support advocacy for these groups:

Applications close July 31st

Practice: A Rural Anthology 🆕

Backwoods Literary Press third annial anthology celebrating the stories, voices, and creative work rooted in rural life. They welcome writers of all experience levels with a meaningful connection to rural places or communities and encourage submissions from writers in historically underrepresented rural communities, including working-class, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, immigrant, and disabled writers. They accept poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and hybrid work.

Submissions are due by July 31st

Transfix Magazine Fall 2026 Submissions 🆕

Transfix Magazine is a community-based quarterly publication exploring the many facets of transness. The magazine is available for free digital download on a pay-what-you-want basis.

The vision for this magazine is to create a collection of intersectional perspectives that allow readers (and those featured) to feel seen, heard, and validated – to find community. The collection consists of art, writing, photography, and more.

Submissions due August 8 at 11:59 EST

Community-Based Participatory Research Projects 🆕

The Sociological Initiatives Foundation (SIF) is dedicated to the belief that research and action are intrinsically inseparable. They invite concept proposals for community-academic partnerships that link an explicit research design to a concrete social action strategy. Projects should have specifically stated social change goals.

The Foundation prioritizes projects promoting racial justice and fairer and more equitable laws, policies, and practices.

Preference is given to applicants that are:

Funding Amount $20-30k

Applications are due August 14th

Trans Justice Funding Project

For groups of 2 or more people working together towards a shared trans justice goal located in the United States or U.S. Territory. Groups should be run by and for trans people.

Janisha R. Gabriel Movement Protection Fund 🆕

The Janisha R. Gabriel Movement Protection Fund (MPF) flanks frontline movement organizations and leaders facing a wide range of threats — including state repression, vigilante violence and institutional retaliation — as a direct result of their organizing work. MPF moves resources securely, while also investing in longer-term safety infrastructure. MPF affirms that holistic security and collective care are fundamental to sustaining the people and communities leading social justice movements

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The Fund reopens on July 6th.

The next MPF info sessions will be:

Torch Magazine Submissions for Black Women

Torch Magazine is open to submissions from Black women writers. They are looking for Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, or Scripts (plays or screenplays).

Selected submissions will receive $150 and be showcased as a Friday Feature. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis year-round—no deadline!

_{Use this form to share submissions you think we should add.}

We host free weekly co-working sessions. Each session is two hours. This is a tool to strengthen your writing practice with community. Folks are encouraged to come when they can for however long they can. There is no commitment to joining every session.

Summer Sessions will be held June 4th -August 3rd.

Every Sunday 5-7pm EST
2nd and 4th Mondays 9:30am-11:30am EST
1st, 3rd, & 5th Thursdays 6-8pm EST

Use this form to sign up form to sign up for the Summer Sessions.

Please share the link with Black Queer and/or Trans Writers in search of a writing community.

We are officially halfway through 2026. For many of us just being here is a miracle. The goals and resolutions we entered the year with may or may not happen. I hope you are able to measure the “success” of the remaining part of this year through the time and care shared with yourself and loved ones.

Here are some reminders that Black Trans folks are here creating and loving.

Questions, comments, concerns? [email protected]