In a bold and beautifully gay move, the city of Milton Keynes is putting its money where its rainbow flag is — launching a new “Rainbow Fund” to bankroll LGBTQ+ safety, visibility, and inclusion.
The Milton Keynes Community Foundation just introduced the fund with a clear mission: support the local queer community through real cash grants. Whether you’re running a queer book club, advocating for trans elders, or dreaming up a family as a same-sex couple, this fund is here to help you thrive — not just survive.
Lucy Roberts, a driving force behind the initiative, said the fund is about more than money. “If we invest in this community, it already has the tools and it knows how to lift each other up,” she said. The Foundation is kicking things off with a serious commitment — they’ll match the first £25,000 in donations, doubling every queer pound with some local love.
And it’s not just lip service. Past projects backed by the foundation include transgender awareness training for care home workers, sign language interpreters at Pride, and braille materials to make celebrations accessible for all. This new fund expands that vision: from neurodivergent queer folks to LGBTQ+ refugees and mental and sexual health services, it’s all on the table.
But the impact goes deeper. As Roberts explained, “Milton Keynes is a really beautifully diverse place to live, but members of the LGBTQ+ community still face discrimination.” The Rainbow Fund is a direct answer to that — offering the community not only resources, but the power to define what they need most. Clubs for queer couples wanting kids? Art spaces? Mental health hubs? It’s up to the people.
The fund is launching alongside “Our City, Our Story,” a campaign honoring Milton Keynes’ queer past — like the 1970s Wolverton-based Campaign for Homosexual Equality. That’s not just nostalgia — it’s a reminder that LGBTQ+ rights in the UK were won step by step, and this fund is the next bold move in a longer fight.
For queer folks in Milton Keynes, this isn’t just funding — it’s affirmation. In a time where LGBTQ+ communities are facing rising backlash across the UK and beyond, having your city say “We see you, and we’ve got your back” is a powerful thing. And if visibility, safety, and joy come with grant money attached? Even better.
Queer joy needs infrastructure. Milton Keynes just delivered.