Gender Affirming Care Grants 

Cheer Grant

• Each quarter, 1 grant of $5,000 will be issued. 

This grant is named after Cheer Seattle for their generous donation of $40,000, underwriting the entire first year of GAC Grants. Thank you, Cheer Seattle! 

Joy Grant

• Each quarter, 5 grants of $1,000 will be issued.

If selected to receive a grant, it will take approximately 4 weeks from the date of notification for you to receive the funds. This is an estimate, not a guarantee. 

• Eligibility 

• Financial Need

• Personal Context 

• Feasibility 

To be eligible for a Gender Affirming Care Grant you must

• Identify as trans (including transexual, transgender, nonbinary, two spirit, agender, and all non-cis identities) 

• Be 18yrs or older

• Live in the Greater Seattle Area

• Be actively planning a gender affirming surgery or procedure 

• Be able to receive payment in the USA

Financial need is determined through

• Information about your surgery (5 points)

  • • High cost of surgery

    • Set surgery date

    • No insurance coverage or low insurance coverage

• Employment Information (5 points) 

  • • Low income

    • Unemployed/under employed/unstable employment 

    • Little or no access to paid time off from an employer 

    • No access to Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave

• Financial Context (5 points) 

  • • Long recovery time

    • High basic living costs

    • Little to no savings 

    • No financial support from family or significant others

    • Other financial burdens such as dependents, other medical concerns, or other debts 

Personal Context is assessed through 

• Personal Statement (3 points)

• A compelling personal story

• A narrative that helps us understand you and the context of your application

• Important information is provided that helps us understand your needs

Grammar and spelling will not impact scoring. We are interested in personal expression, not gatekeeping through grammar.

Feasibility is determined through

• a review of the entire application (3 points)

  • • • applicant has done the research to know cost of surgery, insurance coverage, recovery time, and basic living costs

      • there is a small enough gap between costs and savings that a grant from qSPF would close the gap and make the surgery or procedure possible 

      • applicant has taken steps towards their surgery or procedure 

Because qSPF is trying to support those who need it most, please consider the following:

• Do you have insurance that covers all or most of the cost of surgery?

• Do you have family that can financially assist you through recovery?

• Do you have a partner who can financially assist you through recovery?

• Do you have significant savings that can sustain you while you recover? 

If you answered yes to most of the above questions, please consider leaving this grant for those who answered no to most of the questions above. 

qSPF has assembled a panel of trans community members to read your applications and allocate the GAC Grants to those who need it most. The panel serves for one calendar year.

Your applications will be anonymized before they are sent to our panel. If you receive the grant, your identity will be kept confidential if you wish, or we will happily announce your award on social media. Remaining anonymous will not influence your chances of receiving a grant. We understand that anonymity can mean safety. 

Prepare to be asked about the following:

• Your financial situation 

  • • Yearly income

    • Employment history 

    • Basic living costs like rent, utilities, and food costs

    • Total cost of your surgery

• Your access to resources such as

  • • Paid Time Off 

    • Family support or partner support 

    • Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave

• A short personal statement about what excites you most about life after your procedure. 

Preview the application as a PDF

Did you know? 

• Washington state’s Medicaid program, Apple Health, fully covers gender affirming care.

  • Here are the monthly and annual income limits to qualify for Apple Health. 

• All plans purchased on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange are required by law to cover gender affirming care, most likely with a copay or percentage covered. 

  • Here is where you sign up for health insurance.

We highly recommend that you explore your health insurance options before applying for our grants.

• Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center can help you sign up for insurance!

  • • They can also help you access the letters and referrals necessary to get your surgery or procedure covered. 

    • They can also help you access hormones if that’s something that you need. 

We understand that, even with insurance, gender affirming surgeries and procedures are often expensive. The costs of taking time off of work and covering basic living expenses during recovery can make surgery impossible. This is why we are providing grants! However, getting insurance coverage can be a good first step towards making surgery more affordable, so that is why we are encouraging that you seek out insurance. 

If you do not have health insurance, you are still eligible to receive one of our grants.

If you need any assistance with your application please email info@qspfcommunity.com and we’ll be happy to help.