With so much unbridled hate and hostile sheer ignorance aimed at the trans community …… especially youth ….. it so uplifting to be able to share some good news for a change. It comes courtesy of Point of Pride, a trans-led nonprofit that provides financial aid and direct health services to transgender youth and adults.  They have just announced they have opened applications for its Thrive Fund, which helps trans people with expenses not covered by the organization’s other programs.

Established just 2 years ago, the Thrive Fund helps cover expenses beyond the nonprofit’s existing services, which range from free chest binders and femme shapewear to financial assistance for transition-related surgery, hormone therapy, and electrolysis.

Thrive Fund grants can cover non-medical transition-related expenses, including legal fees for name and gender marker changes, fertility preservation, vocal therapy, and medical tattooing used to restore skin pigmentation or conceal scars from gender-affirming surgery. Applicants may request up to $2,500 at a time

“For many trans people, gender transition encompasses far more than hormone replacement therapies or surgeries, [and] the cost of transition can add up,” Point of Pride said in a press release announcing the application period. “The Institute for Research on Poverty found that 29.4% of trans people experience poverty, making many of these non-medical transition needs difficult to afford or access at all.

“For example, a trans person interested in fertility preservation may pay up to $15,000 to freeze eggs or $1,000 to freeze sperm. Medical tattooing, which is often not covered by insurance, can cost anywhere from $300 to $3,000, depending on the size of the area that needs to be covered. The Thrive Fund is one of the first funds of its kind, available from a national organization, to address these and other needs.”

Since its inception, Point of Pride says it has awarded $6.3 million in financial aid to more than 30,000 trans people worldwide and in all 50 states. Since 2024, the Thrive Fund alone has awarded more than $116,000 to 104 recipients.