The Calamus Foundation
I will plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of America, and along the shores of the great lakes, and all over the prairies,For You O Democracy, Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman
I will make inseparable cities with their arms about each other's necks, By the love of comrades, By the manly love of comrades.
Loring McAlpin divides his time between documentary film projects and work with the Calamus Foundation. His involvement with AIDS activism through ACT UP and the collective Gran Fury provided the lens through which much of the Calamus Foundation’s giving has been focused.
Milap Patel works at the intersections of climate policy, global human rights, and economic justice and is based in Brooklyn, NY. He received a Master in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Development Studies from the University of Sussex, UK. He sits on the board of several national and international LBTQ+ organizations and is originally from Nairobi, Kenya.
Sue Simon has a background in public health, human rights, and social justice. For 40 years, she has worked internationally (Eastern Europe/former Soviet Union, Southern Africa, Southeast Asia) and domestically for a variety of nonprofit organizations, foundations, and government agencies. She has developed and implemented programs around HIV prevention and care issues; harm reduction and safer drug use; sexual health and rights; criminal justice reform; and arts/culture. She has a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and graduated from Tufts University.
Kirsten Levingston is an advocate, strategist and writer who has devoted her career to advancing racial justice and shrinking the nation’s criminalization system. She has designed and implemented social justice grantmaking programs, and has held several legal and policy positions. Kirsten’s writing has appeared in newspapers, legal publications, and in essay collections. A native Californian with Louisiana roots, Kirsten received her BA from the University of Southern California, her JD from the Harvard Law School, and her MFA from the New School.
Mathew Hart is an Emeritus Board member, and is currently the Executive Director of the Global Philanthropy Project, which works to expand philanthropic resources for LGBTI movements and people in the Global South and East. He was instrumental in developing strategies for the Calamus Foundation, having served on the Board for almost 15 years. He now calls Paris his home.
