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Katherine Acey (born 1950) is an activist known for her leadership in lesbian and women's philanthropy and issues affecting LGBTQ elders of color. Katherine Acey was the Executive Director of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice from 1987 to 2010 where she led work toward a more progressive, diverse, and community-based definition of philanthropy and increased funding for lesbians and LGBTQ people, especially LGBTQ people of color.

Life and Education
Acey was born in Utica, New York in 1950 to a working-class Arab American family. Acey's paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather were from Lebanon and her maternal grandmother was American-born and had an Irish mother. Acey has one sister.

Katherine Acey attended Daemen College and received a BA in sociology. She attended Columbia University School of Social Work and received an MS in Community Organizing and Planning.

Work and Activism
Acey organized for many years in the New York City anti-violence movement. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Acey’s became involved with New York Women Against Rape and the Committee for Abortion Rights and Against Sterilization Abuse (CARASA).

Katherine Acey was a founding member of the Women's Funding Network in 1985 with Gloria Steinem, Helen LaKelly Hunt, and Tracy Gary, and a founding member of Funders for LGBTQ Issues in 1982.

From 1982-1987 Acey was the Associate Director of the North Star Fund in New York City.

Acey began her work at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice as a volunteer board member before being hired as the first paid staff member in 1987, where she continued until 2010. At Astraea, Acey established the first Lesbian Writers Fund in 1990. In 1996, she created the International Fund for Sexual Minorities and in 2006 launched the U.S. Movement Building Initiative to support the work of LGBTQ people of color organizations.

Acey is now a Senior Activist Fellow at the Barnard Center for Research on Women at Barnard College in New York City.

Recognition and Awards

 * The National LGBTQ Task Force's SAGE Advocacy Award for Excellence in Leadership on Aging (2016)
 * Women's E-news 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Award (2011)
 * Lambda Legal Liberty Award (2010)
 * Women and Philanthropy LEAD Award (2000)
 * NYC National Organization for Women's Susan B. Anthony Award (1997)

References