The LGBT&S Alliance Fund, a special project from the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, hit a half-million in cumulative giving this year to Tucson-area LGBT projects.

A total of $42,000 went to projects in Southern Arizona last month. The grants were given at a ceremony mid-January and the the recipients were chosen as part of a competitive process to identify programs that are ground-breaking and help "underserved youth and the community to promote the integration of LGBT issues within the straight world," according to a press release.

The grants were given in two rounds. The first is the Queer Youth Initiative to organizations "designing new services to reach unserved LGBT young eople and to address nagging, unaddressed problems in the community. Funds went to:

Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault for its Safe Streets Arizona program "providing safety and prevention resources to LGBTQ youth encountering public harassment."

Casa Libre en la Solana for its Made for Flight project "bringing recognition to transgender people who have been murdered over the years."

UA's Office of LBGTQ Affairs for it Safe Zone training program "in which campus allies are trained in providing supportive environments for LGBTQ students."

Wingspan for Rainbow CONECT and Rainbow on the Road "which provide safe people and places throughout Southern Arizona, and a 'warm line' for LGBTQ youth to speak to a peer about their fears, issues and concerns."

Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation for Project ALLY (Life Links for Youth) Gatekeeper training that includes suicide prevention training.

The regular grants went to community organizations with expanded services for the LGBT community:

Wingspan's EON Youth Lounge for its program to promote youth leadership.

Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation for its health education program for homeless and near-homeless youth.

Tucson Jewish Community Center for its Fabulous Faygeleh LGBT Film Series of the Tucson International Jewish Film Festival.

University of Arizona Institute for LGBT Studies to help underwrite its Miranda Joseph public lecture series.

Wingspan's Southern Arizona Gender Alliance for its nationally recognized program for transgender people.

Habitat for Humanity Tucson to support its Rainbow Build II, an LGBT community project to build a home for a low-income family.

NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre for its project, "There is No Dance From Which They Are Absent," celebrating LGBT experiences.