The Knights & Orchids Society is proud to congratulate Executive Director TC Caldwell on being selected as one of the inaugural 2026–2027 Out in the South (OTS) Fellows. This year-long fellowship invests in emerging Southern LGBTQ+ philanthropic leaders who are reimagining how funding moves —placing community wisdom, accountability, and equity at the center of grantmaking.

As part of the fellowship, TC – along with Míchél Macklin-Encarnacion of the Texas Pride Community Foundation and Elliot Wade of Louisiana Trans Advocates – will help lead OTS's new Micro Funders Project, an initiative designed to identify and resource small, community-rooted mutual aid and rapid-response organizations that are too often overlooked by traditional philanthropy. Through a participatory grantmaking process, the cohort will help distribute $50,000 to grassroots organizations that are closest to the needs of LGBTQ+ communities across the South.

For TKO, this opportunity represents more than a fellowship — it’s a recognition that the people most impacted by inequitable systems should also help shape how resources are distributed. TC’s leadership brings years of experience building power alongside Black transgender and queer Southerners, ensuring that funding decisions are informed by lived experience and the realities of living in the South.

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