Get Involved

These Dallas charities are making an impact in the LGBTQ community

DIFFA/Dallas hosts multiple events throughout the season.

Dallas boasts a vibrant community of volunteers dedicated to empowering, protecting, and supporting LGBTQ residents.

CultureMap's new Dallas Charity Guide, presented in partnership with Frost's Opt for Optimism campaign, is a one-stop resource for locals looking for ways to give back — including to the LGBTQ community. Each month, we are shining a spotlight on charities making a difference and telling stories that showcase the insightful and innovative ways local charities are shaping our community.

Here’s a look at Dallas LGBTQ-affiliated organizations making an impact, and how you can to get involved, volunteer, and donate to support them.

AIDS Services of Dallas
Mission: The mission of AIDS Service of Dallas (ASD) is to create and strengthen healthy communities through the delivery of quality, affordable, service-enriched housing for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. ASD's mission includes advocacy, education, and the development of affordable housing options and community development opportunities, both for its residents living with HIV/AIDS, and for economically disadvantaged people.
How to get involved: There are a variety of ways to get involved with ASD, including volunteering for the ASD Supper Club — a program that provides ASD residents with hot, nutritious meals every night — and helping to stock ASD's grooming supply closet by organizing a grooming supply drive. For a full list of volunteer opportunities, head here.
Major fundraiser: AIDS Services of Dallas' largest fundraiser, the No Tie Dinner & Dessert Party, is one of Dallas' most highly anticipated and unique social events of the year. Groups of people across DFW host social gatherings, from backyard barbecues for as few as 10 people to formal dinners for 30 or more. In return for their hosts' hospitality, guests are asked to make a donation of $75 or more to ASD, of which all proceeds go toward housing and supportive services for ASD clients. During the evening, all dinner hosts and guests are invited to the Frontiers of Flight Museum, where more than 1,500 people gather annually for the No Tie Dinner & Dessert Party, an exciting evening of entertainment, dancing, music, drinks, and desserts donated by some of Dallas' finest caterers.

ALLGO
Mission: For over 30 years, Allgo has worked to create and sustain queer people of color activists, groups, organizations, and allies through artistic expression, promoting wellness, and grassroots organizing. Allgo celebrates and nurtures vibrant queer people of color communities in Texas and beyond by supporting artists and artistic expression; promoting health within a wellness model; and mobilizing and building coalitions among groups marginalized by race/ethnicity, gender/gender identity, and sexual orientation/sexual identity in order to enact change.
How to get involved: Allgo relies heavily on volunteers both in Austin and throughout Texas to build its statewide QPOC movement. Volunteer opportunities include serving on event-planning committees, working events, computer work, DJ services, newsletter writing, designing publicity materials, facilitating workshops and groups, and more. Email allgo@allgo.org for more information.
Membership: Being a member of Allgo means that you share in the vision of a just and equitable society that celebrates and nurtures vibrant queer people of color communities and that you commit your time and resources to support allgo. Contact Allgo to sign up to become a member, plus make a pledge for either a monthly or annual donation and/or offering a regular in-kind donation and/or regular volunteer work with Allgo.
Major fundraiser: Allgo’s annual Statewide Queer People Of Color Activist Summit brings together 25 QPOC activists from across the state to explore and develop strategies for the coming year, to celebrate accomplishments, and to learn self-care. The weekend-long summit is a space for dialogue about building a movement coming from a place of engaging possibilities rather than a place of fighting. Summit activities and workshops allow attendees to safely engage in dialogue, reflection, learning, and sharing experiences.

Black Tie Dinner
Mission: Black Tie Dinner is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) supportive organizations serving North Texas through a premier event of empowerment, education, and entertainment in partnership with the community. Since its inception in 1982, Black Tie Dinner has been the largest fundraising dinner for the LGBTQ community in the nation. Each year, Black Tie Dinner selects up to 20 North Texas beneficiaries to receive dinner proceeds as well as the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the Dinner's national beneficiary. To date, Black Tie Dinner has distributed over $22 million.
How to get involved: There are a number of ways to get involved with Black Tie Dinner, from becoming a sponsor or a table captain to volunteering your time or donating items. For a full list of opportunities, head here.
Major fundraiser: Each year, up to 3,000 guests experience the Black Tie Dinner, a gala like no other with dinner, award presentations, a live luxury auction, and featured speakers, plus an afterparty with plenty of drinks and dancing.

DIFFA Dallas
Mission: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA/Dallas) raises funds for organizations that aid in the fight against HIV/AIDS by providing preventative education programs, treatment, and direct care services for people living with/impacted by HIV/AIDS.
How to get involved: The donations given to DIFFA/Dallas help grant funds to local HIV/AIDS service organizations throughout North Texas, directly impacting the community. DIFFA/Dallas provides opportunities for sponsorships, underwriting, auction, and in-kind donations. You can also register here to become a volunteer.
Major fundraiser: Highlighting the design community, DIFFA/Dallas hosts multiple events throughout the season including Burgers & Burgundy, DIFFA/Dallas Wreath Collection, and House of DIFFA.

Equality Texas Foundation
Mission: The Equality Texas Foundation works to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Texans through education, community organizing, and collaboration.
How to get involved: Donate or volunteer here. You can also pledge to fight back against hate crimes, new laws that grant a license to discriminate, efforts to undermine marriage equality, and blocking access to healthcare here.

Resource Center
Mission: The mission of the Resource Center is to be a trusted leader that empowers the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) communities and all people affected by HIV through improving health and wellness, strengthening families and communities, and providing transformative education and advocacy.
How to get involved: More than 1,100 community members each year donate their time and talents to the Resource Center, which offers a variety of opportunities for getting involved, from serving meals to answering phones, stocking shelves, and helping at fundraising events. Volunteers enable the center to provide superior service to the community.
Membership: Resource Center created the Young Professional Advisory Council in 2013 to support the Center's Youth First program. The Young Professionals Advisory Council is a unique giving circle for young professionals (45 and under) who are passionate about providing opportunities for life skills, leadership development, peer support, and educational advancement to LGBTQ youth in the Dallas area. You can become a member of the Young Professional Advisory Council here.
Major fundraiser: Each year, the Resource Center hosts the Toast To Life gala, an annual evening featuring a lively theme that help raise money for the Resource Center and its services. Since its inception in 1999, Toast To Life has raised over $4 million to support its mission. Gay Bingo has also provided unique and fun-filled entertainment since 2001. Conducted at S4, Gay Bingo combines drag and comedy, with all funds raised directly benefiting the programs and services of the center.

charity charity-guide

Pestilence News

New invasive pest in Texas is destroying grasses and pasture

TAMU

Mealyworm is small but damaging.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued an urgent alert to farmers to inspect their pastures for a newly detected and highly damaging pest: the pasture mealybug (Helicococcus summervillei).

According to a release from the Department of Agriculture (TDA), this invasive species, never before reported in North America, has been confirmed in multiple Texas counties and is already causing significant damage to pasture acreage across the southeast portion of the state.

The pasture mealybug causes “pasture dieback,” leaving expanding patches of yellowing, weakened, and ultimately dead turf.

This pest was first detected in Australia in 1928; its first detection in the Western Hemisphere occurred in the Caribbean between 2019 and 2020.

The TDA is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to coordinate a rapid response and protect Texas producers.

Mealybug history
Although the mealybug is just now being spotted, researchers suspect it may have been introduced before 2022.

Since mid-April 2025, southern Texas pasture and hay producers have been reporting problems in their fields. These fields show grass patches becoming brown or necrotic, or patches that are completely dead. Originally, it was presumed that symptoms were caused by another mealybug called the Rhodes grass mealybug, which has been reported in the U.S. since 1942. However, further investigations confirm that it's this new pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei).

It has devastated millions of acres of grazing land in Australia and has since spread globally. Its rapid reproduction, hidden soil-level feeding, and broad host range make it a significant threat to pasture health and livestock operations.

MealybugTAMU

Adult females are approximately 2-5 mm long, covered in a white, waxy coating. They are capable of producing nearly 100 offspring within 24 hours, resulting in several generations per season. While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.

“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Commissioner Miller says. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity. TDA is working hand-in-hand with federal and university partners to respond swiftly and protect our producers from this unprecedented threat.”

Houston has a problem
The estimated impact area currently covers 20 counties, primarily in the Houston area, including: Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, Lavaca, Fayette, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Wharton, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Burleson, Brazos, and Robertson. AgriLife entomologists have submitted a formal Pest Incident Worksheet documenting significant damage to pastures and hayfields in Victoria County.

Research trials are underway to determine the best integrated pest management options. Currently, there is no known effective labeled insecticide for pasture mealybug.

Affected plants include: Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, hay grazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, various bluestem species, and other tropical or subtropical grasses. Damage can occur in leaves, stems, and roots.

Symptoms:

Yellowing and discoloration of leaves within a week of infestation
Purpling or reddening of foliage
Stunted growth and drought stress despite rainfall
Poorly developed root systems
Dieback starting at leaf tips and progressing downward
Premature aging, making plants more vulnerable to pathogens

How to spot it

Scout regularly for mealybugs on grass leaves, stems, soil surface, leaf litter, and under cow patties
Focus on unmanaged areas such as fence lines, ungrazed patches, and roadsides
Look for fluffy, white, waxy, or “fuzzy” insects on blades and stems
If plants appear unhealthy and insects match this description, investigate further

“Early identification is critical, and we need every producer’s eyes on the ground,” Commissioner Miller added. “We are working diligently with our federal and state partners to determine how to best combat this novel threat and stop it in its tracks.”

If you observe suspicious symptoms or insects matching the descriptions above, contact TDA at 1-800-TELL-TDA immediately.

nature