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Thrive Fund

Collage of recipients

About the program

Point of Pride’s Thrive Fund offers small grants to trans folks who can’t afford gender-affirming care and wellness services not covered by our other programs.

It is designed to support needs that are one-time or time-limited, though we also welcome applications for ongoing care. We give priority to requests that fill gaps in existing support systems—especially if the service or item is a prerequisite or closely connected to other gender-affirming care.

If you’re unsure whether your need qualifies, we still encourage you to apply. Our team will review your request and let you know if it falls outside of our funding scope.

You may request up to $2,500. In most cases, funds are paid directly to the provider or retailer. In rare cases where we must pay you directly, you’ll be responsible for reporting it as income to the IRS. (Please see FAQ below.) If you need more than $2,500, we’ll ask you to share the total cost and how you plan to cover the rest.

Examples of the types of care can you apply for

The Thrive Fund can help cover many types of gender-affirming care and related services, including:

  • The purchase of gender-affirming prosthetics or wigs
  • The fees associated with obtaining approval towards gender-affirming care, such as letters from licensed therapists in order to access HRT or surgery
  • The fees associated with getting or updating passports, driver’s licenses, state IDs, birth certificates, and Tribal IDs
  • The cost of hiring professional nursing or caregiving support following gender-affirming surgery
  • The purchase of at-home Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) hair removal devices
  • Waxing services or other non-permanent forms of hair removal
  • Vocal therapy or voice training sessions
  • Medical tattooing
  • Legal services related to healthcare needs, like adoption, marriage, wills, or other legal planning
  • Fertility preservation or reproductive health services, including PrEP, contraception, IUDs, and birth control implants
What this program is NOT designed for

This fund does not cover:

This fund does not cover transportation, housing, or emergency needs, including:

  • Travel or lodging expenses to receive care in another state or country
  • Permanent relocation to a state or country where care is legal or more accessible
  • Basic living expenses such as rent, utilities, clothing, and groceries
  • Crisis or emergency funding

This fund does not reimburse for needs or services you’ve already paid for.

Requirements

We have very few requirements in an effort to be as inclusive as possible:

  • You identify as transgender (FTM, MTF, non-binary, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, and all other non-cis identities.)
  • You have financial need that prevents you from affording your care.
  • Your request must be for an upcoming need that is not covered by one of Point of Pride’s other dedicated programs (surgery, HRT, permanent hair removal services, and gender-affirming garments.)
  • Your request is not for transportation, housing, or emergency needs.
  • For most types of support, you must be 18 or older or have permission from a parent or guardian. (The application form will let you know if this applies to your request.)

If you do not meet these requirements, we encourage you to please take a moment and complete this feedback survey. This is a new and growing program, and your input will help us improve and expand it to better serve our community in the future.

Self-assessment

This program is intended to help trans folks who otherwise can not afford gender-affirming care and wellness needs. We ask that you consider your access to healthcare before applying for this grant. Here are some questions to consider:

  • Are you able to pay for your care out of pocket?
  • Are you employed and able to save some money towards the care you need?
  • Are you a citizen or documented immigrant?
  • Do you consider yourself healthy and able-bodied (i.e., not living with a chronic or long-standing illness)?
  • Do you identify as white, or do you experience white/light-skinned privilege?
  • Has your access to trans-inclusive healthcare remained stable, even as laws and policies have changed?

If you answered YES to these questions, you may consider making space for our trans siblings who mostly answered NO. (Even if you answer YES to most or all of these questions, you are still eligible to apply.)

Info sessions

Point of Pride staff will host live "Before You Apply" info sessions to walk potential applicants through our requirements and processes, and answer questions. These are completely optional to attend and will not impact your application positively or negatively.

Register for an upcoming info session:

Or, you can watch a previously recorded session on YouTube.

More about privacy & security

Your privacy and security are our top priorities. Your personal information will be hidden from other participants. Your video and microphone will be disabled. You won't have access to view or interact with other attendees. Instead, you can communicate only with staff via private chat. 

The webinar will include automatically generated captions with Zoom's built-in real-time translation. Live ASL interpretation will also be provided in select sessions.

If you're unable to attend or prefer watching a video recording, you can watch a recorded session on YouTube.

Application process

Applications are accepted August 1–August 31.

Applications are only considered during the time you apply, and are not rolled over to our next period. Therefore, you are welcome to submit an application once each application period. All applications must be submitted online.

  1. Carefully read this page, especially our Frequently Asked Questions section.
  2. Review our Instruction Packet, which walks you through each question of the application form.
  3. Submit your application via the form below.

What to expect

Once the application period ends, our Board of Directors and team of Community Grantmaking Fellows (trained volunteers) evaluate each and every application received. This process is necessarily difficult and time-intensive, so thank you for your patience!

Throughout this process, Point of Pride will never ask you for your banking information, account/routing numbers, PINs, or other extremely sensitive identity or financial details. Read our safety statement

More about our timeline
  • If our reviewers determine they need additional information, you will be contacted via email only 8-12 weeks following the application deadline.
  • If you are selected as a recipient, you will be contacted via email only 8-12 weeks following the application deadline. The full details of your award will be explained in your recipient agreement. For retail purchases, you will have a window of 6 months to utilize your grant funding. For services, you will have 18 months to utilize your grant funding.
  • If you are not selected as a recipient, we will notify you via email only, and you are welcome to apply again for our next application cycle. (Your application is not stored and will not roll over. Review our Privacy Policy.)

For even more detail, this resource serves to provide complete context and clarity around our financial assistance programs, and why we have certain requirements or parameters in place.

Notes

  • Privacy and safety: We know many applicants feel vulnerable in sharing their experiences, and we take this very seriously. Anything you share with us in your written responses will be kept strictly confidential and private. Recipients will have the opportunity to publicly share their stories in the way that feels safest and most affirming for them, as well as hide identifying information if preferred.
  • Language: Our application is not an English test. We will not consider grammar/spelling or writing ability when reviewing your responses. Above all, please give us detailed, thorough responses so we understand your unique situation. We hope to provide full translation support in the future.
  • Accessibility: We understand that some applicants may want or need extra support in completing their application. You may list someone else on the application as your liaison, translator, or support person. This person will be CC'd on all email notifications regarding your application status. (Access can be revoked at any time by the applicant by contacting Point of Pride.)
  • Equity: Our organization prioritizes equity as one of our guiding principles. Your application will be assessed on the responses you provide and in accordance with this guiding principle. Point of Pride does not discriminate based on age, race, ethnicity, gender, or any other identity

FAQ

"Can I apply if I have health insurance?"
Yes. Please note this information in your application. Note that we do not have any requirements like that you need to have attempted coverage in the past, you need to have received a denial letter, or anything like that. We recognize there are many scenarios in which you may have inclusive healthcare coverage and still cannot use your insurance.
"Can I snail-mail you my application?"
No, we can not accept any materials sent through the mail. All documents must be uploaded via our online form.
"Can I send you a letter of recommendation?"
No, letters of recommendation are not accepted at this time.
"Can I submit an application on behalf of someone else?"

We recognize there may be barriers that prevent someone from submitting an application on their own without help. You may submit an application on behalf of someone else only if you are working directly with the applicant and clearly reference their involvement in completing the application. (For example, if you are providing technological support, language translation, or other assistance on behalf of the applicant, please note your role and that the applicant is still the primary author of their responses.) However, you may not submit an application without the applicant's involvement. (For example, applying for a loved one without their knowledge.) While we understand the desire to surprise someone with a grant, our process builds on the fundamental idea that trans people are our own best advocates: we want to ensure that this belief is reflected throughout the application process.

"Is there an age requirement?"

It depends. If you’re under 18, you’ll need to list a parent or legal guardian as your support person on the application. Depending on the type of care you're requesting, we may need additional information and/or signed consent from your guardian to comply with state and federal laws. In some cases, however, you may not be eligible for certain types of care based on your age or legal requirements.

"How can I submit a high-quality application?"

We strongly encourage you to review our Instruction Packet, which walks you through each question of the application with tips. Ultimately, our reviewers are looking for thorough responses that answer each question with specific examples and detailed explanations. 

"Can you help me find a provider?"

Unfortunately, no. Our team does not have the expertise or ability to provide referrals or recommendations for providers. Every person's healthcare goals and priorities are unique, so selecting a provider becomes a highly individualized decision. Therefore, you will ultimately be the best judge of who your provider should be. We recommend that you reach out to local LGBTQ+ centers and trans support groups, as well as your current healthcare providers and/or insurance company (if applicable), for recommendations to help you as you research.

"If Point of Pride needs to pay me directly (as opposed to a retailer or provider), what tax or income implications does this mean for me?"

In extremely rare cases, we may need to send funds directly to you instead of paying a provider or retailer on your behalf. If you receive $600 or more from us in a calendar year, we are legally required to report it to the IRS and issue you a 1099 form. This may be considered taxable income, depending on your personal situation and local laws. We always recommend speaking with a tax advisor or accountant to understand how this might affect you. 

Your safety and trust are extremely important to us. Please know that we will never ask you to send us money. To protect yourself and avoid a scam, we invite you to please read our safety statement. 

"Is ____ an eligible healthcare need?"

Yes, so long as it is not for surgery, HRT, permanent hair removal services, free chest binders, and free femme shapewear garments. For those types of care, we require you to please apply through our respective programs. As a reminder, the Thrive Fund prioritizes purchases or services that happen one time or have clearly defined start and end dates, though you may still apply if you are seeking ongoing services.

"Can I apply if I live outside the United States?"

It depends. If you live outside the U.S., you may still be eligible—but the types of products or services we can support may be limited. The application form will flag any parts of your request that might not qualify. If you’re unsure, we still encourage you to apply—our team will review your submission and follow up if needed.

"When will I receive a response about my application?"

You will receive an email from an "@pointofpride.org" account in 8-12 weeks following the end of the application period. (Please check your spam folder and the quota limit on your inbox to make sure it hasn’t been filtered or bounced back. You may need to search for email accounts that end in “@pointofpride.org” or update your settings to allow emails from “@pointofpride.org” accounts.)

"When are recipients selected?"

Typically, recipients are selected within 4-12 weeks of the application cycle ending. Our non-profit is primarily volunteer-operated, so sometimes it can take longer as we process the high volume of applications. We appreciate your patience!

"Can I submit more than one application per period?"

No, we can only accept one application per person, for one specific need, during each funding cycle.

We understand that many of us have multiple healthcare needs at the same time. If you're not selected for funding, you're welcome to apply again in the future. If you are selected, you’re also welcome to apply again in a later cycle, as long as it’s for a different need.

"I am a provider or retailer. Can I submit an application so I can provide services or goods for free to the community?"

Unfortunately, no. At this time, Point of Pride only awards financial assistance to individuals seeking aid for themselves.

"Can I apply for assistance if I live in a state with restrictions on gender-affirming care?"
You are welcome to apply for our programs regardless of the status of gender-affirming care laws in your state. Note that Point of Pride complies with all state and federal laws, which may impact our ability to award you with a grant. If you have questions about gender-affirming care in your area, please check your local and state regulations for the most up-to-date information.

Apply

Applications are currently closed. The next cycle is expected to open later this year; please stay tuned for updates.

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Meet past recipients

Over $58,500 in financial assistance awarded to 47 recipients.