Proud Trust

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

The Proud Trust’s vision is to end stigma and fear of stigma through working directly with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT+) young people as well as influencing wider society, so that all LGBT+ people will be proud of who they are, and integrated across communities where they live, learn, work, play and pray.

Centrally based at Manchester’s LGBT+ Centre, Proud Trust operates across the Northwest, delivering 22 youth groups and peer support for more than 1,100 young people every year. It also provides space at the Centre for up to 25 volunteer-led adult support groups such as Rainbow Noir for Black and Asian LGBT+ people. In addition, the Centre provides a base to deliver two Proud Trust national initiatives: The Rainbow Flag Award (an LGBT+ inclusion programme working with 277 schools, funded by the Department for Education), and the National Trans Youth Network (which includes 37 member organisations). 

‘THE PROUD PLACE’ PROJECT

The LGBT+ Centre, the first publicly funded LGBT+ centre in Europe, is iconic for Manchester’s LGBT+ community. However, having served the charity well for a number of years, it was creaking at the seams as demand outstripped the size of the space, and the high usage has taken its toll on the fabric of the building.

The Proud Trust estimated that it could triple the number of LGBT+ groups and people that the centre could support with a new building. At the time of application £882,500 had been raised towards the £1.6 million project. We awarded a grant of £100,000 to help the charity close the funding gap.

The rebuild plans consisted of a new three-story building on the existing site with a café and roof garden, named ‘The Proud Place’ when it opened in 2022. Situated in the centre of the city, the energy-efficient three-story building is a golden beacon as a safe, accessible third space in Manchester. 

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