CenterLink offers technical assistance, leadership training, and networking opportunities to centers in all stages of formation, and is a national voice for the LGBT community centers movement.
Become a CenterLink Member for even more programs and benefits to grow and expand your Community Center.
Programs and services include:
CenterLink is committed to developing both leaders and leadership across our more-than-300 center network. We understand that investing in our leaders, and their leadership, is an investment in our vision of flourishing LGBTQ centers that nurture thriving, healthy, safe communities.
Under the CenterLink Leadership Institute umbrella, member organizations will find our Board Essentials trainings, Exceptional Governance Series, Safety & Security Series, YouthLink Learning Institute, ActionLink Learning Institute, and a range of network calls each designed to strengthen, support, and connect our member organizations.
Advocacy is the number one-way nonprofits are able to advance the issues they care about and help bring systemic, lasting change. ActionLink enables LGBTQ member organizations to shape public debate on important issues and ensure that underserved communities have a voice in policies that impact their lives.
ActionLink has compiled information on how to safely and effectively lobby as a nonprofit, and enables member centers and their constituents to act as effective and powerful champions; protecting social services, health care, programming, and funding within the LGBTQ community. This unprecedented collaboration keeps members advised of threats or changes to policies affecting the LGBTQ population. ActionLink then creates quick, easy actions for members to take; speaking as one powerful voice.
HealthLink, a program of CenterLink, is a community-driven national network of experts and professionals enhancing LGBTQ health by reducing health disparities within our communities. HealthLink provides capacity building to prepare and link both LGBTQ community-based organizations and public health systems to work collaboratively to impact and reduce health disparities within LGBT communities. HealthLink does this in order to create, assure, and enhance a culturally competent and connected public health system that improves the delivery and access to essential health services and eliminate health disparities within LGBTQ populations.
CenterLink established SAGELink in partnership with SAGE in 2024. SAGE is the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older people. The goals of SAGELink are to support CenterLink members already providing vital programming for LGBTQ+ older adults, facilitate networking and learning opportunities thereby helping members share knowledge and best practices, and inspire more of our members to develop and offer programming tailored to older adults.
YouthLink, a program of CenterLink, assists newly forming youth centers and programs and helps strengthen existing youth centers and programs, through networking opportunities for youth center leaders and youth program staff, peer-based technical assistance and training, and a variety of capacity building services.
On October 19 (every year), CenterLink holds “LGBT Center Awareness Day”, a national day of action focused on awareness around the work of LGBT community centers everywhere. The day was planned to help bring national attention to the Community Center Movement within the LGBT movement, which serves over 40,000 people weekly, and highlight the ways that people can get involved or utilize their local centers.
The MAP/CenterLink LGBTQ Community Center Survey Report gets to the heart of trends driving the LGBTQ Community Center movement – giving members an overview of local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) community centers, including their capacity, their programs and services, the people they serve, and their technical assistance needs. These reports help LGBTQ organizations and donors better understand the unique role that community centers play in the LGBTQ movement, as well as centers’ needs and capacities.
CenterLink's Job Board shows current job openings at LGBTQ community centers as well as at other organizations and institutions whose work is closely related to the needs and interests of LGBTQ communities.
CenterLink worked in partnership with Planned Parenthood Federation of America and PFLAG National to develop Q Chat Space: The Digital LGBTQ+ Center. Q Chat Space is an online space providing real-time, chat based, facilitated support groups for LGBTQ+ teens (13-19). Conversations are facilitated by experienced staff who work at LGBT centers around the country.
