May 2, 2011

Dear NYAC Family,

It is with heavy hearts that we write to you today.  After 18 years of working to build the leadership and wellness of LGBTQ youth nationwide, we regret to inform you that the National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) will be closing our doors and ceasing operation on May 13th, 2011.

This is a very difficult decision and was not made lightly.  The organization has been experiencing financial hardship for years, and in the last six months the Board and staff have been working diligently to rebuild relationships with foundations, allied organizations and our key stakeholders - alumni, grassroots LGBTQ-serving organizations, and LGBTQ youth themselves. In October of 2010, Amita Swadhin became NYAC’s Board Chair and ushered in a new cadre of youth organizers, media makers, fundraisers and nonprofit managers to lead the organization in the Board of Directors.

We are proud of the valiant efforts executed to turn NYAC around since then.  Highlights include:

• Together, our staff and Board met with, reconnected to and/or facilitated for numerous key partner organizations and projects, including BAGLY, LYRIC, FIERCE!, Gender JUST, Put This On The Map, Youth Pride Center, GSA Network, COLAGE, The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Hetrick-Martin Institute, The Trevor Project, and more. 

• We brought Asha Leong, a NYAC alumna, on board as our Interim Executive Director. 

• We met with or spoke to eleven foundations well-known for supporting LGBTQ work.

• We furthered our national policy advocacy and coalition building work, joining the Generational Alliance, and continuing our work with the New Beginning Initiative, National Policy Roundtable, and National Coalition for LGBT Health.

The recession created an extremely tough economic time for all non-profits and this new team reached out for support from individual donors, foundations and other supporters to find the necessary funds to keep NYAC running. Despite our best attempts, the reality is that 80% of NYAC’s budget is funded by a single federal grant.  Although we have one or two prospects for new foundation support, these are by no means guaranteed and would not amount to enough to close our deficit.  The situation is, in a word, unsustainable.  If you would like to know more about our efforts, please contact NYAC directly. 

That said, we hope you will join us in taking a moment of silence, not just for NYAC, but for what NYAC has meant to our movement’s past, and for what it could have meant for our future.

Though NYAC’s doors are closing, those of us who work directly with LGBTQ youth know too well that the need for queer, trans and questioning youth leadership in social justice movements is more crucial now than ever. As NYAC exits the national stage, many questions remain:

• Who will advocate with LGBTQ youth voices at local, regional and national tables to influence the policies and programs that affect them? 

• What will national conversations for queer, trans and questioning young people look like as they build their movement?

• Where is the space for current and future generations of LGBTQ youth to exercise direct leadership in our movements?

You are an amazing network of strong LGBTQ youth leaders and allies, and together, we have the potential to continue building the leadership and wellness of queer, trans, and questioning youth nationwide.  We are so grateful for your outpouring of support over the years and hope that you will continue to support the work that emerges in NYAC’s absence.  

In Solidarity,

The Board and Staff of NYAC