The Legacy Fund of the Columbus Foundation:

• Makes strategic investments in the form of grants to help new and existing
  organizations become financially sustainable and achieve programmatic excellence;

• Provides technical support to develop strong LGBTQIA community leadership and
  strengthen community institutions; and

• Seeks to ensure through permanent, planned gifts, that the LGBTQIA community can
  face any challenges that confront it—now and for generations to come.

In 2025, to mark our 25th anniversary, the Legacy Fund made a major grant to the Columbus Metropolitan Library and Ohio Humanities to launch the Illuminate Project, capturing central Ohio's LGBTQIA+ history to record our legacy and inspire our future. The project currently includes a digital collection, traveling exhibit, fellowship program and historical marker program.

Share your stories and/or materials with the Illuminate Project:

• Loan items for digitization. We are seeking photographs, newspapers/newsletters, documents and other materials to add to the collection.

• Upload your own items to the digital collection. Use the My Upload feature to add your items directly to the digital collection.

• Record an oral history. Reach out to the project team at history@columbuslibrary.org to set up an appointment.

What else can you do?

View the exhibit. Explore the online exhibit or view it in person. The traveling exhibit consists of nine pop-up panels and can be configured in several different layouts. Fill out this form to express your interest in hosting at your business, school or organization.

Discover a historical marker. Two new Ohio Historical Markers, one on the Ohio LGBTQ+ News Media and the other on the Pater Noster House, are in production with support from the Legacy Fund. View other historical markers by the Ohio History Connection.

To learn more about us, click here. To learn more about how you can contribute to the Legacy Fund, click here.