ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Each month, Atlanta News First donates to an organization doing good in our community as part of our Three Degree Guarantee program.

The amount of money we donate depends on the accuracy of our First Alert Weather Team. Each day that our forecasted high is within three degrees of the actual high, we donate between $800 and $1,150 to a charity.

The donation is then matched by our partners at Coolray. This month, we are highlighting the work of the United Way of Greater Atlanta and its work in the LGBTQIA+ community.

United Way hands out grants to niche nonprofits serving the queer community, such as the Trans Housing Coalition.

Getting grant funding as a small nonprofit isn’t easy.

“[Grants] seem to be getting smaller and smaller every year,” said Mary Wilson, executive director of the Trans Housing Coalition.

Wilson’s nonprofit gets Atlanta’s chronically homeless trans community off the streets and into permanent housing.

“One-in-three trans folks will experience homelessness in their lifetimes,” Wilson said. “It starts very early in youth.”

According to the Williams Institute, someone who is trans is also nearly three times as likely to be homeless as the general population.

The Trans Housing Coalition is a niche nonprofit trying to raise funding. That’s where the United Way of Greater Atlanta steps in.

“There’s never been a time when it’s needed more,” said Trey Parker, the senior director of corporate relations for the United Way of Greater Atlanta.

Directed by the United Way through the Out Georgia Impact Fund and the Out Georgia Business Alliance, the goal is to positively impact the lives of the LGBTQIA+ community.

“What we’re being able to work with is grassroots organizations that are often overlooked by big funders,” Parker said.

The Trans Housing Coalition is one of the 19 nonprofits to receive the grant. In total, the Out Georgia Impact Fund has given out $200,000 in grants since 2021.

“They’ve been the most consistent funder we’ve had,” Wilson said.

The United Way of Greater Atlanta aims to continue growing the fund over time and expanding its reach, as the need is likely to persist.

“We’re here for everyone,” Parker said. “We want everyone in the community to thrive.”