Seeing Rainbows, first trans-led nonprofit in the Berkshires, receives first grant award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2024
Media Contact: maayan nuri héd | nuri@seeingrainbows.org
Announcing
Seeing Rainbows, first trans-led nonprofit in the Berkshires, receives first grant award
[PITTSFIELD, MA] The new 100% trans-led and operated Berkshire arts nonprofit, Seeing Rainbows, has received its first ever grant as it approaches the two month anniversary of its founding. The $1,000 Seed Grant, from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, also known as the Grassroots Fund, is earmarked to support Seeing Rainbows’ Berkshire Trans Hikes program. The Grassroots Fund recognized the alignment of Seeing Rainbows with their guiding practices: Rooted Innovation, Shifting Power in Decision-Making, Equity in Participation, and Centering a Just Transition. In addition to funding, the two organizations hope to continue to build a relationship in alignment for building social, economic, and environmental justice in our region.
Founding co-director, maayan nuri héd (name intentionally lowercase) says of the grant, “We feel so seen by Grassroots Fund in awarding us this Seed Grant. We’re so new, and this program is at the core of our emergent mission. The grant from Grassroots Fund will help us make these hikes more sustainable for our community by allowing us to compensate hike facilitators, rideshare drivers, and to cover basic supplies like water, sunscreen, and bug repellant. The grant from Grassroots Fund will allow us to cover the costs of about a month and half worth of hikes, and we’re hoping this is the beginning of opening floodgates that will lead to broader support of this and other Seeing Rainbows programming.”
In less than two months, Seeing Rainbows, whose mission is to “build sustainable and supportive trans community by producing and presenting liberating art, performances, installations and other experiences” by and for trans people and other marginalized audiences has launched with a growing roster of no less than five active programs. To date, since its inception just before Pride Month this year, Seeing Rainbows has hosted two “salon” events, both at The Foundry in West Stockbridge, to be followed by additional monthly events in peregrinations around the region.
“We’ve been fortunate for the support and attendance of cis allies in addition to our local trans community, both in presence and in funds,” says Ephraim Alexander Schwartz, founding co-director.
The next two salons will be on Tuesday, August 13 at 6:00pm, hosted in partnership with Berkshire Natural Resources Council at their Housatonic Flats property in Great Barrington. The following salon will visit Berkshire Art Center’s home site at Citizens hall in Interlaken, Stockbridge on Sunday, September 8 at 1:30pm. Salons are open events intended to build community between the trans community Seeing Rainbows serves, and the cis allies that are hoped to support its work.
In addition, Seeing Rainbows is hosting a closed, trans and nonbinary-only, monthly art workshop in further partnership with Berkshire Art Center. This recurring event takes place at BAC’s Brothership Building location in Pittsfield on the fourth Friday of each month. The next Trans Art Workshop will be Friday, July 26 at 6:00pm.
Offering a mix of “closed” (meaning open to trans- and non-binary audiences only) and “open” activities that welcome cis allies to be in community with Seeing Rainbows trans audiences helps to foster a sense of safety and belonging within the trans community, enabling more opportunities for interaction and understanding with the broader community.
To align with its mission of offering liberating experiences, all of Seeing Rainbows’ programming is offered on a pay-what-you-can / no-one-turned-away-for-lack-of-funds (PWYC/NOTAFLOF). “Much of our community, due to discrimination or disability, or other reasons, is on public assistance or has limited income,” explains Ms. Héd, “and we cannot demand that they pay for, what we feel are, vital experiences and opportunities for human connection. It’s our hope that donors, and the broader community will be generous in supporting our efforts.”
More information on all of Seeing Rainbows’ programming and partnerships can be found on their website at seeingrainbows.org. Questions may be directed to the entire staff at info@seeingrainbows.com.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRES:
maayan nuri héd | nuri@seeingrainbows.org
About the New England Grassroots Environment Fund
The Grassroots Fund is dedicated to co-creating healthy and sustainable communities throughout New England. They empower individuals, groups and organizations working across a broad range of environmental and social justice issues by helping them identify, select and access the specific tools, resources and connections they need to challenge existing systems and develop lasting solutions to the complex problems affecting their communities. To learn more visit www.grassrootsfund.org.
About Seeing Rainbows
Seeing Rainbows is a 100% trans-led and -operated collaborative arts nonprofit working to build sustainable and supportive trans community by producing and presenting liberating art, performances, installations and other experiences by and for queer / trans / Jewish / BIPOC / disabled / fat / other marginalized persons, on unceded Mohican lands in the Berkshires and beyond, in community with cis allies and rooted in principles of community and presence.
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