A Grant for Counseling Services for Gay and Lesbian People with Low Self-Acceptance Due to Harmful Exposure to Fundamentalist Christianity By Ann Russo California State University School of Social Work May 2012

Grant Purpose for Gay and Lesbian Community To address Stigmatization from Fundamentalist Christianity on – Mental Health – Emotional Health – Physical Health – Spiritual Health – Sexual Health – Social Policy Goals To educate and build community in order to promote – Self-acceptance – General Well-Being – Change Negative Attitudes Regarding the Gay and Lesbian Population

National Association of Social Workers requires that social workers affirm various sexual orientations Social Workers will inevitably work with gay and lesbian people in – Hospice – Schools – Department of Mental Health – Hospitals – Adoption Agency – Child Protective Services – Any Service Agency Social Work Relevance

CROSS CULTURE RELEVANCE Gay and Lesbian People come from all different cultures, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, value systems, and religious backgrounds.

Methods Target population – Gay and Lesbian People Strategies used to identify and select a funding source – Google Search and Organization Databases that have contributed to gay non-profits Identify the funding source selected – LGBT Funder’s website and The David Bohnett Foundation Projected budget range and categories – Salaries and Benefits $145,722 – Direct Program Costs $67,010 – Indirect Program Costs $20,000 – In-kind Program Costs $24,000 – Total Annual Cost $256,732

Methods Continued Projected budget range and categories – Revenue (anticipated) – Individual Counseling $25,000 – Retreat Payments $20,000 – Donations $5,000 – Anticipated Total Revenue $50,000 Anticipated total including revenue and in- kind expenses $206,732

Grant Proposal The proposed SA program involves a holistic approach through education, support groups, community engagement, friendship building, and individual support. The program is intended to create higher levels of self- acceptance among the gay and lesbian population. Thus, the program may positively affect the health and general well-being of gay and lesbian people. PROPOSED PROGRAMS Group Support Session Individual Support Session Educational Classes Events Retreats On-Line Resources/Presence

Program Evaluation Confidential pre- and post-test self-report surveys will be completed by each participant in all group programs. Participants at the bi-annual retreats will also complete a confidential pre- and post-test self-report survey Individual therapy will be evaluated via an online questionnaire completed at the office prior to the first therapy session and at the last therapy session. Events will be evaluated through interviews of at least volunteer attendees. Quantitative researchers contracted to develop and perform data analysis for each questionnaire and survey for all programs Evaluation results for all program, retreats, and events will be utilized to improve the SA Program and to garner future funding.

Implications for Social Work Social workers operate from an ecological perspective; thus individuals, groups, communities, and policies are entities relevant to social work practice. Because of their focus on social justice, social workers often work with disadvantaged populations. Being able to generate funding to enable work with these populations is therefore vital to social work practice. To provide best- practice services to clients and communities, social workers must remain up-to-date with current research and evidence- based practice. Social workers can develop programs comprised of scientifically-tested elements to benefit the populations with which they work. Program development is an important part of both social work practice and grant writing. The ability to identify potential funding sources, design a program, and write a compelling grant is thus relevant to social work policy and practice.

References David Bohnett Foundation. (1998). David Bohnett Foundation Programs: LGBT community. Retrieved from Diaz, R. M., Ayala, G., & Bein, E. (2004). Sexual risk as an outcome of social oppression: Data from a probability sample of Latino gay men in three U.S. Cities. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10, Felson, J. (2011). The effect of religious background on sexual orientation. Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion, 7(4), Finlay, B., & Walther, C. S. (2003). The relation of religious affiliation, service attendance, and other factors to homophobic attitudes among university students. Review of Religious Research, 44, 370 – 393. Franklor, A. (2002). Retreat Finder: Retreats and retreat centers, retreat property for sale and employment opportunities. Retrieved from er.com/ National Association of Social Workers. (2003). Lesbian gay and bisexual Issues. Social work speaks: National Association of Social Workers policy statements (6th ed., pp ). Washington, DC: NASW Press. Public Religion Research Institute. (2010). Two-thirds see connections between messages coming from America's places of worship and higher rates of suicide among gay and lesbian youth. Retrieved from Ray, N. (2006). National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: Building LGBT political power from the ground up. Retrieved from Shackelford, T. K., & Besser, A. (2007). Predicting attitudes toward homosexuality: Insights from personality psychology. Individual Differences Research, 5, Wilkinson, W. (2004). Religiosity, authoritarianism, and homophobia: A multidimensional approach. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 14(1),