Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 15:43:07 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAAD RECEIVES $50,000 GRANT FROM THE GILL FOUNDATION MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Jennifer Einhorn Director of Communications phone: (212) 807-1700 x14 e-mail: einhorn@glaad.org GLAAD RECEIVES $50,000 GRANT FROM THE GILL FOUNDATION NATIONAL LESBIAN AND GAY MEDIA ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION AWARDED FUNDING TO SUPPORT VITAL WORK NEW YORK, NY, FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 1998-The Gill Foundation, a Colorado-based philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting organizations within the lesbian and gay community, has awarded the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) a grant in the amount of $50,000 to abet its ongoing work in the next year. GLAAD has six offices and nearly twenty staff members across the country. GLAAD makes itself available as a resource to media professionals in the news and entertainment industries by providing commentary, consultation and support; to corporations and professional organizations through its Sexual Orientation in the Workplace seminars; to community activists and organizations through its skills-building trainings; and to the public through its mobilization campaigns and educational outreach. Established in 1994 by Tim Gill, the openly gay founder of Quark Inc., a major software company, the Gill Foundation has distributed millions of dollars to accomplished organizations in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In addition, the foundation has-through its OutGiving Project-mobilized individuals to raise additional funding for community organizations, and has assisted them in making the most efficient use of their contributions. "GLAAD is extremely proud to be recognized by the Gill Foundation as a leading player in the lesbian and gay rights movement," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "This funding will significantly assist us in our efforts to expand our role as a resource to media professionals. In addition, this grant will enable us to extend our proactive work within our own community. We are enormously appreciative of the Gill Foundation's generosity." GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay media advocacy organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representations of individuals and events in the media as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. -30-