Our
History
María Fund supports communities building power in Puerto Rico by funding LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive leaders.
SylC was launched in 2020 as an initiative of María Fund and since 2026 has transitioned into an independent project. Since 2017, $7.2 million have been distributed to organizations working with these communities. 75% of our grantees have LGBTQ+ individuals in leadership roles. We believe that supporting these leaders and organizations is essential for building a stronger and more equitable Puerto Rico.
Christina Hayworth
-Santiago
-Santiago
Sylvia Rae
Rivera
The Sylvia & Christina Initiative (SylC) was founded in 2021 as the first grantmaking program to support the dreams of groups led by trans and non-binary people in our archipelago.
From 2021 to 2023, a participatory committee of six trans leaders made funding decisions for the initiative. Since 2023, the program has evolved to focus on supporting and accompanying trans, cuir, and gender-expansive individuals in our ecosystem, fostering their leadership development, and strengthening and expanding their organization.
From Initiative to Independent Project
Today, SylC operates as an independent project, catalyzed through years of collective organizing and care. Originally launched in 2020 as an initiative of María Fund, SylC has transitioned into a standalone movement-support project, fiscally sponsored by Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE). We design curricula and create spaces for gathering and training rooted in rest, mutual care, and healing as essential foundations for organizing. Our work supports trans, queer, intersex, and gender-expansive leaders and organizations across the Puerto Rican archipelago as they build power and shape a shared, liberatory vision.
As an Initiative SylC was guided by the recognition of the wounds and trauma that arise within the context of oppression and Puerto Rico’s colonial reality, and their impact on trans, queer, and gender-expansive people.
Since 2023, SylC collaborated with Alkimia Eterra and Fire that Fuels, a Rhiza Collective program, to integrate their regenerative approaches into our programming. These models invite us to pause, recognize the systems of oppression we face, shift from reaction to intentional choice, and reclaim new possibilities for our lives and movements.
Our
Impact
Total
redistributed
$1.3M
Organizations
impacted
25
Leaders
impacted
103
Your contribution will not only sustain vital grassroots work — it will stand as a testament to your commitment to justice.By investing in María Fund, you are planting the seeds for a Puerto Rico where equity and resilience flourish.
We look forward to exploring how you can be part of this transformative work.
With gratitude,
Xiomara P. Caro Díaz
Executive Director
xiomara@mariafund.org
Rígel Lugo
Managing Director
rigel@mariafund.org
Maria Fund's
ecosystem
The María Fund is housed at Tides, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Funds are disbursed to organizations and initiatives that are driving critical work on the frontlines to meet immediate relief needs and organizing for the building of an equitable Puerto Rico. Contributions are tax deductible. Read Tides’ full state-by-state disclosure page HERE.
Tides Center
c/o María Fund
1014 Torney Avenue,
San Francisco, CA 94129
mariafund.org
© 2025 MaríaFund.
