Three Chicago LGBTQ+ organizations—ALMA Chicago, Brave Space Alliance and Gerber/Hart Library & Archives—will be featured during Ariana Grande’s three-night stop at the United Center, with a portion of ticket sales benefiting the local nonprofits.
Before Grande takes the stage Aug. 3, 5 and 6, each organization’s logo will be displayed on screens throughout the arena, introducing their work to thousands of concertgoers.
“Across three nights, thousands of people will encounter ALMA—many for the first time,” said Manuel Hernández-Nuñez, the organization’s executive director. “They will see a Latine-led LGBTQ+ organization that has served Chicago for more than 35 years and is working statewide to protect our communities and build their power.”
ALMA was founded in 1989 at the height of the AIDS epidemic and has since grown into one of the city’s leading organizations serving Latino LGBTQ+ people. Its programs include a leadership institute for queer Latino people, an arts-as-advocacy fellowship, and referrals for affirming youth and family services.
Brave Space Alliance is a Black- and trans-led LGBTQ+ center on Chicago’s South Side. The organization provides housing, food assistance, HIV prevention services, workforce development, mutual aid and gender-affirming resources while advocating for Black and transgender communities.
Gerber/Hart Library & Archives preserves and shares the history of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ communities through books, archival collections, exhibitions and public programming. Its collections document decades of LGBTQ+ activism, culture and community life in Chicago and beyond.
Grande’s Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, which launched in June, selected the three Chicago organizations for the tour spotlight. The foundation focuses on supporting small organizations serving vulnerable communities, particularly those protecting trans and LGBTQ+ rights or expanding access to mental health care.
Other organizations supported by the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation have included the Trans Youth Empowerment Project, Transgender Law Center, Lambda Legal and the Defending Our Neighbors Fund, which supports organizations providing legal representation and bond assistance to immigrants facing detention and deportation.
For ALMA Chicago, the recognition comes as the organization raises critical funds to sustain its work amid a drop in philanthropic support. Through its ALMA Legacy Fund, the organization is nearing its goal of raising $50,000.
“Having the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation recognize ALMA and invest in our work is incredibly meaningful because visibility creates possibility,” Hernández-Nuñez said. “Every person who discovers ALMA is another person who can find community, become an advocate, or help ensure that someone else knows they belong. That’s how movements grow.”