Annual Report
In 2011 we celebrated Victory's 20th anniversary, and saluted the thousands of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender men and women who have answered the call to public service since our founding two decades ago. Back then, just a handful of out public officials were serving at any level of government in the U.S. Today, more than 1,000 are, and their honesty is changing our world.
It's good to look back at all that has been accomplished, but we don't have the luxury of pausing for long. That's why our 2011 results were so exciting, with record numbers participating in our Victory Institute training and leadership programs, and a remarkable 72 percent win rate among LGBT candidates endorsed by the Victory Fund.
We created new programs in 2011 that have expanded our identification, training and support of openly LGBT leaders, extending that work to the college level and engaging with emerging leaders on multiple continents. In cities like Charlotte, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Denver, the LGBT community finally gained authentic representation on city councils. And in a milestone moment that signalled the excitement ahead of us in 2012, the Victory Fund proudly endorsed Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin in her race for the U.S. Senate.
Tammy's path to this campaign mirrors the progress we have seen over the past 20 years. Indeed, she was among the first candidates ever endorsed by the Victory Fund, and her historic election to the House of Representatives in 1998 was made possible by Victory supporters like you. This year she will lead a slate of Victory-endorsed candidates that will be our largest ever.
With your support and encouragement, we embark on the next 20 years with the same determination, commitment and conviction our founders shared in 1991. They believed the promise of equality under the law would draw nearer when LGBT Americans participated in government not just as voters or petitioners, but as public officials themselves. They were right, and so our task is to strengthen that power with numbers.
2011 Audited Financial Statements:
