Lighthouse Foundation Reveals How Four of Chicago’s Largest Healthcare and Housing-Related Organizations Are Serving Black LGBTQ+ Workers and Board Members
From left to right: John Peller, AIDS Foundation Chicago President/CEO, Jamie Frazier, Lighthouse Foundation of Chicagoland Executive Director, Katie Metos, Howard Brown Health Vice President of External Relations, Dona McCullough, MA, MBA, Howard Brown Health Chief Human Resources Officer, Michael Herman, Chicago House CEO
Chicago, IL – Lighthouse Foundation of Chicagoland (LF) announced the inaugural Black Queer Equity Index (BQEI) grades Saturday for AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Center on Halsted, Chicago House, and Howard Brown Health – four of the largest healthcare service and housing providers for LGBTQ+ people in Chicago. The BQEI graded organizations on how well their systems and policies fostered thriving for the Black LGBTQ+ employees and board members. Overall grades for the organizations were:
AIDS Foundation of Chicago - B
Center on Halsted - B
Chicago House - D
Howard Brown Health - F
Grades were determined by evaluating the organizations across 12 Equity Indicators that emerged from extensive research and community input. The 12 Equity Indicators span five key categories:
Resource Allocation
Giving Voice and Power
Professional Development
Systemic Action
Data Collection
These grades comprehensively show organizations' commitment to serving Black LGBTQ+ employees and board members.
"We [...] recognize that attaining equity is deliberative, slow, consistent, collaborative; bathed and baptized in the lived experience of the marginalized," Jamie Frazier, LF Executive Director, said, "The BQEI grades are not just a reflection of current practices but a roadmap towards a more equitable future for Black LGBTQ+ individuals. Lighthouse Foundation creates elegant solutions to complex problems.
The data revealed several trends and areas for improvement. While organizations demonstrated strengths in resource allocation and providing platforms for Black LGBTQ+ voices, there were gaps in areas such as formal mentorship programs, inclusive benefit definitions, and intersectional data collection.
"Our overarching goal is clear: to reach more Black LGBTQ+ Chicagoans and tangibly improve their lives," added Frazier. "By fortifying our existing initiatives, pioneering new programs, and championing accountability through the BQEI, we are confident about the future of our work."
The BQEI is not just an annual report card but a collaboratively created set of interventions, reflecting the voices and experiences of Black LGBTQ+ individuals within the community and nonprofit spaces. The inaugural grades were announced at a Happy Hour that concluded LF’s 2nd annual Workforce Development Conference – a conference for Black, LGBTQ+ people featuring all Black, LGBTQ+ session presenters. The Workforce Development Conference is one of the many interventions birthed from the research of the BQEI.
The BQEI grades and detailed breakdown are available for public viewing at lightfoundchi.org/bqei. Lighthouse Foundation invites organizations, philanthropic entities, elected officials, government funding entities, additional stakeholders, and the public to engage in meaningful conversations and actions toward building more inclusive and empowering spaces.
Lighthouse Foundation will offer consultations to surveyed organizations to provide in-depth feedback and suggestions for future progress. Lighthouse Foundation will survey a new cohort of organizations, grade the inaugural cohort in early 2025, and publicly release updated grades. For media inquiries or additional information, please contact:
Hannah Pewee
Manager of Communications
communications@lightfoundchi.org
About Lighthouse Foundation:
Lighthouse Foundation of Chicagoland is a Black LGBTQ+-led, multiracial social justice organization that advances justice for Black LGBTQ+ people across Chicagoland through empowerment, education, and entertainment.
