The annual Mardi Gras Festival has kicked off in Sydney! There will be brilliantly sparkly, creative, and jaw-dropping celebrations, of course, but there are plenty of other ways that you can celebrate and support the LGBTQIA+ community, during the festival and all year round.

Below, we’ve pulled together a list of organisations and places (some local, some international for our stateside mates) you can donate your money or time or both to. Oh oh oh! And if you’re looking for other ways to celebrate right now, head here for some entertainment recommendations and here for business recommendations.

But, first, where to donate!

Mardi Gras (AUS)

Missing the Mardi Gras parade this year but still want to show your support for the event? The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras are accepting donations for a few different programs including Connecting Communities, Mardi Gras Grants, and the 40th Foundation Circle. You can also become a volunteer for next year’s event if you’d like to get involved. Donate here.

Black Rainbow (AUS)

A 100% Indigenous owned and operated organisation dedicated to helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBQTI+SB people. Through a range of vital community projects and initiatives, Black Rainbow provides invaluable support for the health and wellbeing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBQTI+SB people. At the moment, they operate via donations, so if you’re in a position to help you can read more and donate here.

The Trevor Project (US)

The wonderful humans over at The Trevor Project offer free 24/7 support to LGBTQ 
young people, year round. Described as “the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ”, The Trevor Project is always looking for volunteers to help them by becoming a crisis support councellor or with a financial donation to help them carry on with their important work. Donate here!

Pride Foundation Australia (AUS)

PFA is a national philanthropic foundation which aims to advance equity for the most disadvantaged LGBTQIA+ Australians and support for LGBTQIA creative arts. They work to fund projects that address the systemic disadvantage of the LGBTQIA+ community, and if you want to help them continue to do so, they offer a range of ways to do so: host a fundraiser, volunteer to assist their brilliant team, or make a financial donation. You can read all about that right here.

The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (US)

An organisation dedicated to protecting and defending the rights of black transgender people. The Marsha P. Johnson Insistitue are able to do this through “organizing, advocating, creating an intentional community to heal, developing transformative leadership, and promoting our collective power”. You can donate and support their important work here.