2025 NYC Pride Guide - Flipbook - Page 18
STONEWALL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION,
BEHIND THE SCENES GRAND MARSHAL
Elisa Crespo joined Stonewall Community
Foundation as Executive Director in November
2024. Prior to Stonewall, Elisa spent several
transformative years as the founding executive
director of the NEW Pride Agenda, where she
built the emerging organization from the ground
up, creating a thriving state-wide advocacy
powerhouse. Elisa was instrumental in the implementation of New York State’s multi-million-dollar
Lorena Borjas Transgender and Nonbinary
Wellness & Equity Fund, one of the first of its kind
in the country. As a trans Latina woman, Elisa is a
trailblazer in the nonprofit sector, where just 5%
of NYC-area nonprofit leaders are Latina women.
A lifelong New Yorker, Elisa made history in 2020
as the first trans woman to run for public office in
the Bronx.
WE ASKED ELISA TO REFLECT
ON THE 2025 NYC PRIDE THEME,
RISE UP: PRIDE IN PROTEST.
This interview has been edited and condensed for
clarity. For more from Elisa, please visit
@stonewallfoundation.
“In a world that tells queer people we don’t
belong, it is our duty to show up for the next
generation. That’s what Stonewall Community
Foundation has been doing for 35 years by amplifying the power of giving and investing in bold,
queer futures - we won’t stop now.
/ 17//
“WITH SO MUCH PROGRESS ON
THE VERGE OF BEING
DISMANTLED, IT BEHOOVES US
ALL TO LOOK WITHIN AND
FIGURE OUT HOW WE
CAN TAKE CARE OF EACH
OTHER.”
“Stonewall’s work is deeply intertwined with the
activism of queer and trans communities in NYC
across the country. We are grounded in a sense
of hope for continued growth, both as an organization and as a movement.”
“The past few months have got me thinking
about how we can protect the future of our communities. With so much progress on the verge
of being dismantled, it behooves us all to look
within and figure out how we can take care of
each other.”
“We believe philanthropy, while an expression of
love and care, is also power wielded. As such, we
strive to model and build equity, and to be accountable, transparent, and trustworthy in all our
practices and the advancement of our mission.
This includes making philanthropy accessible to
everyone and giving people space to live beyond
the false binary of being only a benefactor or a
beneficiary.”t
NYCPRIDE.org
