Over the past 12 years, Garden of Peace, Inc. has stood as a sanctuary and a catalyst for change, centering the lives and voices of Black trans and queer individuals and families.
Through art, leadership development, and healing spaces, we have crafted programs that directly address systemic inequities, empower marginalized communities, and celebrate the magic of our existence.
Our work has transformed lives across all 50 states and reached every livable continent. From offering emergency housing through our Relocation Fund to equipping individuals with passports in response to urgent fears, Garden of Peace consistently steps up where traditional systems fall short. Our *Black Trans Masc Fund* provides culturally competent financial support, recycling community care to those most in need. Programs like Afro Futures Day Camp, the QTPOC Elder Series, and Trans Voices honor our past while shaping a future of resilience, creativity, and connection.
Through art, leadership development, and healing spaces, we have crafted programs that directly address systemic inequities, empower marginalized communities, and celebrate the magic of our existence.
Our work has transformed lives across all 50 states and reached every livable continent. From offering emergency housing through our Relocation Fund to equipping individuals with passports in response to urgent fears, Garden of Peace consistently steps up where traditional systems fall short. Our *Black Trans Masc Fund* provides culturally competent financial support, recycling community care to those most in need. Programs like Afro Futures Day Camp, the QTPOC Elder Series, and Trans Voices honor our past while shaping a future of resilience, creativity, and connection.
Afro Futures Camp
Afro Futures Camp counselors and campers playing with the parachute
|
The Afro Futures Camp is an out-of-school camp designed to provide safe spaces for children, ages 4-12, to intentionally meditate, create, learn, and play. The Afro Futures Camp is a daytime and overnight camp program where children respond to and memorialize their environment and experiences and reclaim space through creating public art and community engagement.
This camp supports and affirms trans and queer parents (and caretakers), trans and queer youth, and their families. Garden of Peace recognizes that a supportive family and community network have the potential to be the most effective safety net for trans youth. |
Artist Residencies
Kineen Maafa, Resident Artist, performing at TransVoices
|
Our artist residencies are designed to support transformative artists who work at the intersection of art, healing, and liberation. Artists who use healing practices to articulate liberatory strategies. Artist healers who are intimately aware of the relationship between the personal, the communal, and the global.
Our 2025 artist residencies offer housing for between 1-3 months in Portland, Oregon, a stipend, a materials stipend, studio space, mentorship and support for critical and emerging life needs, such as stable and safe housing. |
Passport Fund
Photo by Andrew Stutesman on Unsplash
|
In response to rising fears following the 2024 US federal election, our Passport Fund helps trans and queer individuals obtain passports quickly and safely. We currently have the capacity to assist 10 individuals, ensuring they can secure vital documentation before January 20. This initiative prioritizes access, security, and peace of mind for our communities.
We anticipate that this need will only increase, and we seek funding to support 150 trans people (and their dependents) in quickly accessing passports through 2025. As the political landscape shifts, we envision partnering with legal experts in navigating gender marker and name changes to support trans people in navigating passport applications as well. |
Pay-It-Forward Fund
We Heal Us Retreat Family Cookout
|
Launched in 2024, the Pay-It-Forward Fund began as a microloan pilot, with a fully forgivable loan that, if and once repaid, is immediately reinvested into the community.
This fund supports trans and queer folks with emergency funds, name changes, and essential resources. Addressing gaps in traditional services, the Pay-it-Forward Fund is typically an ask of under $200 that makes a critical difference in the health, safety and well-being of the recipient. This fund is low barrier and community vetted, and responds as soon as the funds are available. A portion of the pay-it-forward fund is devoted to supporting Black trans masculine individuals. As we looked around, we saw that there were, in fact, insufficient resources that specifically communicated to Black trans masculine folks that there was support for them. About 25% of our Pay-it-Forward fund is dedicated to the Black trans masculine fund. |
Relocation Fund
|
Our Relocation Fund supports trans and queer individuals and families escaping violence or the threat of violence, whether that violence be intimate partner violence or violence from states that are hostile to trans and queer people.
We provide emergency housing, vet hosts, connect individuals and families to local resources and welcome teams, and ensure a smooth transition. When necessary and when resources are available, we provide short-term stays at hotels. Each relocation costs between $1,500–$5,000 and may include essentials like food, transportation, clothing, housing and medical care. We currently manage up to three relocations at a time, fostering safety, stability, and community for those in urgent need. |
QTPOC Elder Series
|
The QTPOC Elder Series is a program designed to honor, uplift, and share the wisdom of queer and trans people of color (QTPOC) elders. It creates an intergenerational space for storytelling, dialogue, and connection, allowing our communities to learn from the lived experiences, resilience, and legacies of their elders. The series often includes interviews, panels, and collaborative activities focused on cultural preservation, healing, and building community across generations.
|
TransVoices
|
TransVoices is a vital and transformative project within Garden of Peace, Inc. that provides a collective healing and supportive space for trans folx throughout the US. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has centered on Black trans masculine individuals from coast to coast.
Over the past 12 years, TransVoices has evolved from writing workshops and monologue performances honoring Trans Day of Remembrance to a comprehensive year-round support system. The project fosters community, empowerment, and healing through bi-weekly virtual sessions and daily group chats - creating a sanctuary for participants to explore their identities, relationships, and what healing can look like in a supportive and restorative community. |