LGBTQ+ Health Care Providers Face Major Funding Cuts

Local organizations scramble for alternative funding as federal grants slashed

The Trump Administration has cut over $1 billion in research grants nationwide, with LGBTQ+ health care providers bearing a significant impact. Local organizations are now turning to private donors and other funding sources to continue their work.

Local Impact

Boston's Fenway Health, which serves over 30,000 patients annually from 40 states, has lost $2.6 million from 17 canceled federal grants. The 50-year-old organization provides specialized LGBTQ+ health care and conducts important research through its Fenway Institute.

"We are really seeing an unprecedented attack on the LGBTQ community," Dallas Ducar, Executive Vice President at Fenway Health, told NBC10 Boston. The organization now sees increasing numbers of out-of-state patients seeking care as services become less available elsewhere.

Statewide Numbers

Massachusetts has been hit hardest by the cuts, losing more than $1.2 billion in research funding according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

An analysis by the science journal Nature found that nearly one-third of the terminated grants supported HIV/AIDS research, while about a quarter focused on transgender health care.

Looking Forward

With federal funding uncertain, providers like Fenway are diversifying their funding sources through private donations and philanthropic support.

"We don't believe that the federal government will be a reliable source of funding for LGBTQ research or AIDS and HIV research right now," Ducar explained.

The cuts come alongside executive orders affecting transgender care access, raising concerns about the availability of what providers call "life-saving health care" for LGBTQ+ individuals.