“When we fight, we win. We know the battle is far from over and there will be setbacks along the way, but the cause is too important, and the need too great, for us to lose heart.”
Lambda Legal announced today that the federal government has restored more than $6.2 million in grant funding to nine organizations that offer vital health and support services for LGBTQ+ people, including those living with HIV.
The restored funding follows the ruling in early June from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granting a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of three of President Trump’s executive orders that threatened to defund these organizations. The court held in San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in showing that multiple provisions of two anti-DEI executive orders and an anti-transgender executive order are unconstitutional.
“We have confirmed that our plaintiffs – LGBTQ+ organizations providing critical services to their communities – have seen their threatened funding restored,” said Jose Abrigo, Senior Attorney and HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal. “When we fight, we win. We know the battle is far from over and there will be setbacks along the way, but the cause is too important, and the need too great, for us to lose heart.”
The legal win June 9 and the restored funding protect the nine nonprofit organizations across the country from having to shutter programs or silence their advocacy for fear of losing critical federal support while the case proceeds. The ruling ensures organizations such as San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles and New York LGBTQ Centers can continue to operate, advocate, serve people, and save lives without further censorship or threats to their funding.
If implemented, the orders would severely harm nonprofit organizations’ ability to provide critical programs and services, such as HIV treatment and prevention, sexual and reproductive health screenings and services, youth programs, homelessness prevention, mental health, employment, and many others.
In granting the injunction, the court held that Lambda Legal’s plaintiffs and the transgender people they serve will likely succeed in demonstrating that the executive orders violate their rights to equal protection, free speech, and due process, and that the orders likely violate the Separation of Powers.
Filed in February 2025, San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump challenges three executive orders that aim to eliminate diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs and censor references to gender identity or LGBTQ+ populations. The plaintiffs include:
- California: San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Los Angeles LGBT Center, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco Community Health Center
- Arizona: Prisma Community Care
- New York: The NYC LGBT Community Center
- Pennsylvania: Bradbury-Sullivan Community Center
- Maryland: Baltimore Safe Haven
- Wisconsin: FORGE
Lambda Legal will continue to fight against these orders as the lawsuit progresses, ensuring that these organizations—and the communities they serve—remain protected from unlawful government overreach.