More safer spaces. More support. More celebration.
MK Community Foundation is today calling on the community to help raise vital funds for projects and organisations that centre equity, inclusion, visibility, safety, and wellbeing for the LGBTQ+ community in Milton Keynes. Prioritising groups led by and for LGBTQ+ communities – particularly those supporting people who face multiple forms of marginalisation – the new Rainbow Fund will provide grants to local community groups, voluntary organisations, and charities.
Its vision is a city alive with joy and expression: queer-led book clubs, theatre projects, spaces to talk and heal. More support for young people finding their voice, for neurodivergent and refugee communities, and for mental and sexual health. A future where every story matters, and everyone is free to thrive.
The fund launched with its ‘Our City, Our Story’ campaign, celebrating the history of LGBTQ+ movements in Milton Keynes. From the Campaign for Homosexual Equality group in the 1970s, to the vibrancy of MK Pride celebrations of today, each decade has carved a new chapter in the city’s journey. This campaign invites the community to ask: what does the next generation need to write theirs?
MK Community Foundation is match-funding the first £25,000 of donations to help kickstart the fund – a show of its belief in a fairer, safer, more inclusive future.
“This fund is about celebrating and supporting the richness of our LGBTQ+ communities here in Milton Keynes,” said Ian Revell, CEO of MK Community Foundation. “We’ve seen the care and creativity that already exists, and we hope this fund helps it grow, so more people can thrive in our city and feel safe to be themselves.”
The Rainbow Fund builds on MK Community Foundation’s long-standing support for LGBTQ+ projects, from funding transgender awareness training for care home staff with Q:alliance, to supporting BSL interpreters and Braille materials that make MK Pride accessible for all.
If you’re a local business, MK Community Foundation welcomes your interest in supporting the fund and is excited to work closely with your CSR leads to make the fund come to life for your employees and the community.
Find out more: mkrainbowfund.co.uk
