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À chaque mois, nous abordons un thème différent avec un mot de la direction ainsi que de courtes vignettes portant sur les fonds, les philanthropes et les organismes qui forment la communauté de la FGM en se mettant à l’écoute et au service de la communauté du Grand Montréal.
The Fonds Laurent McCutcheon (created in 2014 as the Fonds Diversité sexuelle Laurent McCutcheon) aims to support the activities of nonprofits working for the well-being of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) communities. Mr. McCutcheon, who passed away in 2019, was an exceptional activist who devoted four decades of his life to defending the interests, rights, and above all the dignity of LGBTQ+ communities.
Beginning in the 1970s, Laurent McCutcheon established himself as a key figure in advancing the recognition of sexual diversity and gender identity, becoming a leading advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Asserting his leadership, and while working as a senior public servant in Quebec, he testified before several parliamentary commissions and spoke regularly in the media. Refusing any compensation, he carried out all of his roles on a volunteer basis.
“After more than 35 years of involvement and activism within the LGBTQ+ communities, and after stepping down from my leadership positions, the idea came to me to create a permanent, forward-looking tool dedicated to supporting our communities.”
It was after this reflection that, in 2014, he turned to the Foundation of Greater Montréal to bring his project to life.
“Wanting to reassure donors that their gifts would be properly managed, put to good use for our communities, and protected from any form of misuse, I chose the Foundation of Greater Montréal. It allows for the creation of a fund dedicated to the mission set out by its founder, and it takes care of managing it. With its solid organization and substantial capital, it offers all the guarantees I was looking for. That is how the Fonds Laurent McCutcheon (FLM) came to be.
I hesitated for a long time before attaching my name to the Fund. However, I was convinced that having a person’s name associated with the fund reassures donors and offers them a moral guarantee. I am well aware that this is a heavy responsibility.”
The FLM’s mission is to support the activities of charitable organizations working with LGBTQ+ communities. It enables individuals and organizations to contribute to the well-being of people affected by issues of sexual diversity, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
The first grants were awarded in 2016 to organizations working with these communities, such as the Archives gaies du Québec and the Fondation Émergence, which Laurent McCutcheon founded in 2000.
“What I like about the Foundation of Greater Montréal is that donations and gifts are placed under professional management. Only the income generated by the capital can be redistributed for the benefit of our communities, which gives lasting permanence to the donations and gifts. In short, our gifts and donations will outlive us.”
Laurent McCutcheon knew that societies are never frozen in time. Therefore, from the outset, he planned to delegate to an advisory committee the responsability of making sure the FLM would keep up with the realities of the LGBTQ+ communities.
In 2023, Pierre Sheridan, his spouse and current constituent of the Fund, gathered nine consultants who are committed to the FLM’s mission. In their very first meeting, these members of the advisory committee moved to officially rename the fund “Fonds Laurent McCutcheon”. A new logo is created, along with the slogan “Valoriser les différences” (Valuing differences). In 2024, the Fund launches its annual call for projects. And in 2026, two such projects are selected by the committee and awarded a grant.
The creation of this fund by such an iconic figure as Mr. McCutcheon draws attention to the need for collective and ongoing commitment to achieve full and complete social equality.
“I invite everyone who believes in the fund’s mission and who wishes to contribute to the future well-being of LGBTQ+ people to join me and make a donation to the Fonds Laurent McCutcheon at the Foundation of Greater Montréal.”
Laurent McCutcheon made sure that his fund would continue to exist and to support the cause of his life, in perpetuity.
