The David Bohnett Foundation today announced the recipients of their first round of grants for 2000.  The awards further the foundation's mission to provide resources for organizations pursuing societal change and social justice "From GLAAD to the ACLU, from the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center to AmFar, the organizations that we've chosen to assist this quarter represent the very best that our society has to offer," said David Bohnett. "While these groups have very distinct missions, they share a vision of improving the lives and communities of those who are all too often ignored or oppressed."

Entrepreneur David Bohnett, the founder of GeoCities, which he started in 1994, and soon grew to become the largest community on the Internet, formed the David Bohnett Foundation in 1999. The foundation's current endowment is approximately $40 million dollars, and expects to make grants totaling nearly $2 million dollars worth of grants this year.

Those receiving grants in this cycle:

American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU-SC)
$250,000 over five years for the creation of the David Bohnett Fellow, a seasoned attorney dedicated to gay, lesbian and HIV/AIDS legal cases. www.aclu-sc.org

American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFar)
$50,000 in support of AmFar's June 2000 event, A Night on Ellis Island.www.amfar.org

Family Pride Coalition
$50,000 for general operating costs.
www.familypride.org

Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation(GLAAD)
$500,000 over two years to continue their efforts at ensuring positive portrayals of gay men and lesbians in all forms of media. www.glaad.org

Lambda Alumni Association, USC
$5,000 for LGBT scholorship support.

Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center
$275,000 in a one-year grant to fund board development, strategic planning and general operating expenses.
www.laglc.org

Millennium March on Washington
$10,000 for voter registration activities to be conducted during the April 28th Millennium March for gay and lesbian civil rights.www.mmow.org