Who we are, why we’re here, and who we serve
Gracie says:
you are beautiful.
Gracie’s House was formed in 2024 in response to a continuing need for safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas.
Gracie’s House is named for Gracie King, a talented musician and artist, and a vocal advocate for queer youth in her small-town school district where she witnessed bullying, homophobia, transphobia, and violence toward LGBTQ+ young people.
When Gracie died in 2018, her mother and brother wanted to honor her passionate activism, her love for the arts, and her awe of nature.
The 3 Goals of Gracie’s House
We award grants to organizations to open or maintain safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas.
We run FOUND Camp, a sleepaway summer camp, and FOUND family weekend camps for LGBTQ+ youth and their families at an award-winning camp location.
We encourage expression and provide means for organizations to run arts and music-focused workshops and events to support the voices of LGBTQ+ youth.
Why it matters
Young LGBTQ+ people endure bullying, including individual, societal, and governmental, at increased rates compared to their cis/straight peers. In urban or more accepting environments, there is more support at hand. By and large, rural areas have often left LGBTQ+ youth and their families isolated and without resources. As these areas continue to grow LGBTQ+ organizations, we would like to help them maintain safe community spaces for their youth. We provide a partnership with peer educators for parents on their child’s gender or sexuality journey in order to expand the idea of safe spaces into homes all over the country. Gracie’s House was named for this reason. Our home has always been a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and our wish is that in time, every home follows suit.
Our Founders
Amy King & Jaxon King
Amy King is an author, a professor, a researcher, a peer group facilitator, a literacy teacher, a public speaker, and a fierce advocate for teenagers. She serves as president and executive director for these first years of Gracie’s House.
Jaxon King is a student heading into a science and healing arts degree who loves acting, cosplaying, D&D, nature, and animals. He serves as vice president of Gracie’s House and is a fantastic dancer.
Our Board
Join Us!
Our board is just getting started, and we welcome prospective board members who have fundraising experience, grant writing experience, bookkeeping or accounting backgrounds, non-profit experience, artistic experience, and a little bit of time to dedicate to LGBTQ+ youth.