A nonprofit organization committed to nurturing and supporting Black gay men and their allies throughout the Coachella Valley has boosted its efforts to unite locals and share in its mission.
A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation helped on that front, allowing Brothers of the Desert to better facilitate a recent wellness summit.
“We put huge amounts of effort into our annual wellness summit where we invite community members and allies to discuss everything from education and financial literacy to health, well-being and spirituality,” said board member Tony Lanier.
“The grant helped us build out that annual wellness summit,” he said. “Specifically with an educational piece of the work we do, like funding several organizations within the desert with scholarships.”
Brothers of the Desert has several key scholarships, in fact. Lanier says the nonprofit offers $2,000 grants, for instance, for individuals pursuing a four-year or master’s program.
“These are for individuals from the Inland Empire, but we also provide funds to organizations like the Negro Academic Scholarship Fund and Palm Springs Unified School District,” Lanier said. “Each year, students are chosen throughout Palm Springs to visit historic Black colleges and universities. We help fund those trips because many of them accepted otherwise wouldn’t really be able to go.”
The organization, which sprouted in 2017 as a response to Black gay men in the Coachella Valley feeling isolated and disconnected, attracted newcomers and change agents in the region. Founding members began assessing the needs and dreams of many Black gay residents and in 2019, a partnership was formed with the LGBTQ nonprofit, Better Brothers of L.A. Collectively, the groups raised money for local scholarships.
Brothers of the Desert became a nonprofit in 2020 and has since generated more than $20,000 in scholarships to LGBTQ+ and Black students in the Coachella Valley.
The nonprofit’s supportive arms stretch deep into other arenas as well, such as faith schools; the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast 2026 breakfast, which it attends yearly; and OneFuture Coachella, which strives to ensure students succeed in college and career, thereby enhancing the local workforce.
“We’re big into that because one of the issues we have in our community in terms of building wealth and education is that oftentimes young people don’t know what’s available to them in terms of professions,” Lanier said. “When we think of the medical profession, two things come to mind, doctor and nurse. But there’s so many other things within the medical profession, especially research. We don’t have the right number of people of color within health research.”
That means when new research is done, it oftentimes excludes communities of color.
“We certainly need more people to be involved in health research,” Lanier said. “Our program helps connect these individuals with information while they’re still in secondary schools, because after that, sometimes it’s just more challenging.”
Introducing students to as many options as possible is vital, which is why Lanier is quick to circle back to the nonprofit’s scholarship programs.
“We’ve been using the funds in a big way to make systemic changes in terms of building wealth because of the wealth disparities here,” he said. “Many younger adults haven’t had a leg up or the advocacy to really help them through attending a university.
“So, we like to be in touch with our grantees to let them know there are other options for them, as opposed to taking a break or pausing their schooling. It helps with making better judgment calls.”
Moving forward, Lanier would like locals to learn even more about the nonprofit.
“There was a void in the Coachella Valley for Black gay men,” he said. “And we like to fill that void. Isolation is the No. 1 issue. I joined the organization during the pandemic, which was another period of isolation, and it was isolation that started the organization, and it’s the reason why it’s important going forward in 2026, because right now, things are very tough for everyone.”
One thing he wants to steer locals toward are the nonprofit’s sponsored monthly sessions with Black men called The Barbershop, a discussion group where men can bring up and discuss various topics.
“Sometimes, we don’t talk about the important things enough,” Lanier said. “We don’t express feelings and we don’t feel that there is a venue where we can do that safely. We’ve created one and it really does help people make better decisions, whether it’s health-related or about wealth or retirement. It’s important to feel empowered.”
For more information, visit brothersofthedesert.org.
The Inland Empire Community Foundation works to strengthen Inland Southern California through philanthropy. We are proud to manage the Brothers of the Desert Scholarship Fund. To learn how you or your organization can establish a fund at IECF, contact our Charitable Giving Team at giving@iegives.org, or visit iegives.org for more information.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Grant strengthens key benefits of Brothers of the Desert
Reporting by Greg Archer, Inland Empire Community Foundation / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
