The Music City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence proudly announced their inaugural season of grant making today, publishing the details of both a general grants program and a targeted LGBTQIF youth fund. “This is the culmination of nearly a year of effort,” founding member Sister Right Sarong, commented. “Although we’ve been making charitable contributions for some time, we’ve also been at work creating this more structured grant making process.”
“The community has been incredibly generous to us and the organizations and projects we’ve supported,” remarked Abbess Sister Evita Zane. “This new way of fulfilling of our mission will let us help newer and smaller organizations whose innovative efforts often aren’t supported by big-time funders like foundations and governments.”
Sister Faegala Tina Pfischzoot is passionate about the youth fund. The Sisters have produced two H8’s a Drag extravaganzas featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race celebrities and local performers which highlighted concerns about bullying and homophobia. “I want the impact of what began as my novice project to go beyond the powerful, heartfelt statements made by our talented and courageous performers,” she said, noting that “proceeds help to provide critically needed services for Middle Tennessee’s LGBTQIF youth.”
The Music City Sisters are Nashville’s chapter or “house” of a worldwide order of 21st century queer nuns dedicated to the promulgation of universal joy and the expiation of stigmatic guilt. The Sisters have become familiar figures on the Middle Tennessee scene as they have supported other groups’ fundraising efforts, engaged in condom distribution, advocated for human rights, and produced their own popular annual events including H8’s A Drag and Alphabet Art, A Juried Exhibition of Queer Artists, the latter taking place September 8 through October 5.
“Recognizing our community’s diversity is important to us and we love its many faces and identities,” said Sister Eunice B. Kidden. “We’ll be promoting tolerance, inclusion, wellness, and education through these grants.” Proposals for general grants as high as $1,500 and LGBTQIF youth grants up to $500 will be considered. Complete information is available on the MCS website or by emailing grants@musiccitysisters.org.