Gilbert Baker Foundation

Mission

The Gilbert Baker Foundation was set up with a mission to:

• protect and extend the legacy of Gilbert Baker, the creator of the LGBTQ Rainbow Flag, as an activist, artist and educator.
• record and promote the history of the creation of the Rainbow Flag and its impact on the world.
• educate future generations about the LGBTQ Rainbow Flag.
• support and empower our mission on a collaborative level between the Foundation and allies, including the LGBTQ community and artists, organisations, educational institutions, non-profits, museums, archives and the press.
• promote this mission to the wider world beyond the LGBTQ community.

501c3 nonprofit corporation

It is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation established in New York City in December 2019. Previously, the officers and board of the Foundation operated under the auspices of the Gilbert Baker Estate, administered by Gilbert’s sister, Ardonna Baker Cook. In both iterations, it has always operated as a volunteer organisation. No officers or members of the board receive compensation. However, it provides compensation for professional services, such as web design, web hosting, legal, accounting and insurance. In addition, in 2019 the Estate financed operations to promote and advertise Gilbert Baker's memoir, Rainbow Warrior.

All of its income to date has been derived from licensing fees for the use of Baker's name, signature and likeness for the exclusive purpose of telling the Gilbert Baker story, in keeping with its mission. All agreements entered into by the Estate, and now Foundation, are based upon previously existing agreements entered into by Gilbert Baker with ABSOLUT dating back to 2003. In addition, it has added stringent measures to ensure fair labor practices.

In 2018, the Estate partnered with Pride Corp, the New York University Stern School of Business LGBTQ student organization, to create a standard vetting process for the Estate/Foundation that exceeds the commonly used Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index. It is the Foundation's intent that it will never take funds from or work with any company or institution that “waves the rainbow flag with one hand and gives money to our detractors with the other.”

Whenever possible, it asks that its corporate partners make donations to LGBTQ nonprofits that Baker passionately supported. This has resulted in companies like Nike, Estee Lauder and Etsy donating over $260,000 to:

• The GLBT Historical Society Museum & Archives
• Hetrick-Martin Institute
• The LGBT Community Center
• The Q Foundation

The Foundation is especially proud of our work with the NIKE BeTrue campaign that gave donations to arts organizations, LGBTQ youth services and AIDS services organisations. It thanks the Estee Lauder lab Series for their generous contributions to, and association with, the Hetrick-Martin Institute. It is also grateful to ABSOLUT for their steadfast support of the Gilbert Baker legacy and for 40 years of unwavering support of the LGBTQ community.

Whatever funds the foundation receives that exceeds our annual budget are donated to Gilbert’s favored nonprofits as well. Past donations have gone to:

• The Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth
• The Rainbow World Fund
• Hetrick-Martin Institute (where Gilbert taught art classes to homeless LGBTQ youth)
• The GLBT Historical Society Museum & Archives
• The LGBT Community Center
• The Generations Project

From its inception, the Estate and Foundation have created annual budgets and quarterly cost reports. These are submitted to its board of directors for approval. It has not formally solicited donations for the Foundation directly. However, if any institution or individual wishes to support our mission with a financial contribution, it welcomes contact via a supplied form.

Partnerships

The Gilbert Baker Foundation has partnered with numerous corporations and institutions that want to elevate their brand and profile in the LGBTQ community and beyond. Foundation partnerships offer a unique opportunity to take a stand for equality while extending the legacy of this amazing artist and visionary to a new generation. Projects integrate storytelling about Gilbert Baker and the Rainbow Flag with events, products and digital platforms. The result is a powerful bond that targets a key demographic with a message of diversity, inclusion and hope.

NIKE

The Gilbert Baker Signature Series BeTrue line was launched in more than 50 countries and drew international media attention. Proceeds from sales benefited numerous LGBTQ nonprofits affiliated with the foundation, including the Q Foundation, The Hetrick-Martin Institute and San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society Museum. See the complete collection here.

GLBT Historical Society Museum

The foundation first partnered with the museum and archives in San Francisco in 2017, by donating Gilbert Baker’s art, flags, papers and artifacts for preservation, conservation and display. In November 2019, the museum opened the retrospective exhibition “Performance, Politics and Protest: The Art of Gilbert Baker,” which will run through April 2020. See the exhibit.

ABSOLUT Vodka

Gilbert Baker first partnered with Absolut in 2003 to create the Key West Sea To Sea Rainbow Flag. The eight-color flag measured a mile and a quarter long and set a world’s record. The foundation and Absolut have plans for new projects, now in the works. More on Absolut’s site.

ETSY

In 2018, the artisan crafts website partnered with the foundation to create the #MadeUsProud campaign. ETSY artisans created and sold products inspired by the original 1978 Rainbow Flag, displayed on a dedicated pride page.  Explore Etsy.

Hetrick-Martin Institute

In 2016, Gilbert Baker first partnered with the Hetrick-Martin Institute, which provides education to at-risk youth, to create the first Gilbert Baker Day at the famed Harvey Milk High School. This year, the foundation continues this special partnership by bringing together HMI and the Estee Lauder Company for educational projects during Pride Month.

MoMA

On June 25, 2016, The Museum of Modern Art in New York City added the Rainbow Flag to their permanent collection. This was to mark the day the U.S. Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land. Since then, the foundation continues this relationship with the museum’s curators and staff on projects like the 2020 MoMA Highlights book which includes the Rainbow Flag in celebrating MoMA’s 100 most prestigious works of art.  Read more at MoMA online.

Board of directors

Charley Beal • President

Charley is a lifelong social activist who attended his first civil rights demonstration in Lansing, Michigan in 1962. He is also an award-winning art director for film and television, working with renowned directors including Mike Nichols, Nora Ephron, Ridley Scott, and Gus Van Sant. His film credits include Sleepless in Seattle, First Wives Club, In & Out, Milk and Eat Pray Love. TV credits include Boardwalk Empire, Smash, Gotham, and Power. Beal worked closely with Gilbert Baker beginning in 1994 when he assisted Baker with the creation of the Mile Long Rainbow Flag for Stonewall 25. He continued to collaborate with Gilbert on numerous projects including Worldpride 2000 in Rome and several other pride celebrations around the globe. He would frequently be seen at demonstrations holding one of Gilbert’s infamous political banners

Jay Blotcher • Publicist

Blotcher, a veteran LGBT journalist and activist, served as volunteer publicist for the founding chapters of ACT UP and Queer Nation. For three decades, his PR firm, Public Impact Media Consultants, co-founded with Alan Klein, promoted progressive organizations, artists and projects. Blotcher’s nonfiction essays appear in nine anthologies. He is the editor of the Gilbert Baker memoir Rainbow Warrior.

Cathy Marino-Thomas

Cathy lives with her wife, Sheila and daughter Jacqueline. Sheila and Cathy have been together 25 years. The family lives in Queens, New York.

Cathy spent many years as a Buddy in the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) Buddy Program visiting people afflicted with HIV/AIDS and assisting them with daily chores, advocacy and information. She has worked on the issue of marriage equality since 1998. Serving as Executive Director of Marriage Equality NY for 3 years (2005 – 2008) and Board President for 6 years. After merging Marriage Equality NY with Marriage Equality USA 2011, she served as Co-President of Marriage Equality USA for 3 years, retiring in 2014. Cathy has spoken all over the country about the rights, privileges and obligations that protect families only through the right to civil marriage.

Cathy served as Steering Committee member and organizer for Gays Against Guns for 4 years, connecting with like minded activists across the country on the issue of gun control. Cathy is on the Board of Equality New York’s 501©3. She is working to elect representatives that will seek equality in the law.

Bill Berman

Bill is a marketing and communications professional with more than twenty years’ experience developing integrated communications for some the world’s most iconic brands. Bill and his team at Ogilvy created the globally recognized and multi award winning “Type with Pride” campaign which introduced the world to ‘GILBERT’, a free font honoring Gilbert Baker and his iconic rainbow flag. Bill is co-chair the Board of Directors for NewFest, New York’s LGBTQ+ Film and Media Organization and believes strongly in the power of bringing communities together<

Bruce Cohen

The award winning film and television producer of AMERICAN BEAUTY, MILK and WHEN WE RISE

Michelle Millar Fisher

Michelle Millar Fisher is the Ronald C. and Anita L. Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Michelle, along with Paola Antonelli, was responsible for adding Gilbert’s Rainbow Flag to the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Aaron Casserly Stewart

Former singer with the three time Grammy Award winning group the Sounds Of Blackness, as well as a producer, educator and a native of Parsons Kansas where Gilbert grew up. Aaron returned to Parson’s where he was elected to serve as the first openly gay member of the City Council, also serving as interim Mayor. Aaron is a co-creator the Gilbert Baker Film Festival there and was planning on awarding Gilbert the Key to the City; an event cut short by Gilbert’s untimely passing in March of 2017. Aaron now resides in England with his husband Peter and works as the CEO and Founder of Paradise Hill Productions and as Professor at the London Performing Academy of Music.

Monica Helms

an activist, author, and veteran of the United States Navy. She is the creator of the Transgender Pride Flag and the founder of the Transgender American Veterans Association. Monica lives in Atlanta with her wife Darlene where she continues her advocacy for the trans flag and community, as well as her career as the author of 5 books including her memoir MORE THAN JUST A FLAG.

STAFF

Michael Yasofsky • Chief Financial Officer

Michael is a student at the NYU Stern School of Business concentrating in Finance and Management. He is the President of NYU Pride Corp and interned for the Gilbert Baker Foundation in early 2021, where he helped develop the Emojis of Pride campaign. His interests lie in strategy consulting, the luxury retail industry, and nonprofit organizations.

Larry Burnett • Chief Digital Officer

Larry Burnett is a seasoned creative marketing and content strategist with over 20 years experience. Larry has helped many brands with their digital strategy including positions as a senior creative at HBO and manger of AOL  Music.   Larry is recipient of many industry awards from Promax/BDA, CTAM, Webby and Yahoo Music. He also served as President of the Board of Directors for the NewFest Film Festival for 8 years.  

Vincent Guzzone • Chief Video Officer

Vincent is a filmmaker and retired New York City firefighter and police officer. As a member of the FDNY he was decorated for his work on the 911 rescue and recovery efforts. Vincent worked closely with Gilbert Baker on an exhibition of Baker’s Map Paintings in Hudson, New York in 2016 and accompanied Baker to the White House in 2016 to present a Rainbow Flag to President Obama. Guzzone‘s film “Love Gilbert” is now playing in the exhibit “Performance, Protest and Politics, The Art of Gilbert Baker” at the GLBT Museum in San Francis/

References

• The Gilbert Baker Foundation website:[1].

Acknowledgements

This article was written by Roy Tan.