About the Foundation
Why we exist.
One North Star: help the LGBTQ+ community, however we can.
Mission
Eliminate barriers.
Meet people where they are.
We exist to eliminate the financial and structural barriers that hold LGBTQ+ people back from building businesses, securing their legal rights, and rebuilding their lives after addiction. Our mission is to meet our community where they are, with the specific help they actually need.
Vision
A future where identity is never the barrier.
A future where being queer, trans, or in recovery is never the reason someone can’t access the resources to thrive. Where every LGBTQ+ person has the tools, the network, and the support to build the life they want.
Three programs, one mission
Business Program
Free business support for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs: branding, websites, financial literacy, marketing, and mentorship. The structured program launches in 2027. We’re taking interest forms now. Learn more.
Identity & Documents
Helping trans individuals in the U.S. access legal name changes, gender marker updates, and trans-affirming resources. The intake form is live today. Learn more.
SMART Recovery
Free LGBTQ-centered group support rooted in the evidence-based SMART Recovery methodology. Not faith-based, not twelve-step. Coming soon. Join the waitlist.
A letter from our founder — April 2026
I run The Gaygency, a digital marketing and creative agency. For years, I’ve watched brilliant LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs build businesses from nothing. Most of them are bootstrapped and self-funded, without the resources to hire an agency for the branding, website, marketing, or financial guidance they need to grow. There’s no shortage of talent in our community. What’s missing is the support to match it, and that’s the gap the Foundation was built to fill.
The Gaygency Foundation exists to close that gap.
We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing agency-quality support to LGBTQ+ people and businesses. Business formation, branding, websites, marketing, financial literacy, mentorship. We also help trans individuals access legal name changes, gender marker updates, and trans-affirming resources. And we’re building a free LGBTQ+ SMART Recovery program rooted in evidence-based, self-empowerment methodology, not faith-based and not twelve-step.
I don’t believe in gatekeeping opportunity. If you have a real concept, some foundational work, and the drive to build, we want to hear from you. We can’t say yes to everyone. We review viability, readiness, and fit, and we promise we’ll look carefully and follow up either way.
The Foundation is new. We don’t have years of outcomes to show you yet. What we have is a plan, a team, and a commitment to show up for the people who are too often left to figure it out alone.
A rising tide lifts all ships. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed.
Thank you for being here.
Daniel Montelongo
Founder
Leadership
Liza Montelongo
Director of Development
With over 25 years of experience in policy development, curriculum innovation, and strategic consulting, Liza Montelongo has been a driving force in shaping programs at both national and international levels. Her expertise has been sought by major organizations and policymakers, including the White House, for her insights on advancing STEM initiatives and fostering equitable access to education.
As Director of Development at The Gaygency Foundation, Liza leverages her experience in stakeholder engagement, program strategy, and resource discovery to drive fundraising and partnership efforts that directly support LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. Her background in building high-impact programs translates seamlessly into securing the resources needed to help queer business owners launch, grow, and succeed.
Liza’s passion for community empowerment and equity is evident in her leadership of groundbreaking initiatives such as the Five Star STEM Competition at Fort Bliss and the Girl Power-Chica Power program. These efforts have provided countless students with hands-on STEM experiences, mentorship, and career opportunities, particularly in underrepresented fields.
At The Gaygency Foundation, she continues her mission-driven work by ensuring that LGBTQ+ small business owners have access to the funding, mentorship, and strategic support they need to thrive in today’s economic and political landscape.
501(c)(3) nonprofit · EIN 33-3371657 · Registered in the United States