Since the very beginning, the foundation of IPSY’s brand has been to fearlessly support and empower the self-expression of beauty lovers from all backgrounds and identities. Our mission and the mantra behind everything we do as a community is to inspire individuals around the world to express their unique beauty. For this Pride Month, it only feels right to partner again with a standout nonprofit that shares a similar philosophy. For the second year in a row, we’re proud to share that our Pride partner is wayOUT, an organization with a goal to empower LGBTQ+ youth to feel safe being who they are.
Since their founding in 2016, wayOUT has grown from one to four chapters across the country: San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle. The nonprofit has also raised over $1 million toward 10 life-saving projects around 10 cities. But wayOUT’s standouts don’t stop there—the organization aims to continue strategic expansion in order to support more incredible organizations as they build their bigger and better community.
As a fully volunteer-led organization, wayOUT is as “for the people, by the people” as it gets. And as a community-driven brand ourselves at IPSY, we get how important and powerful it is to have like-minded individuals work toward a common goal. The community that wayOUT has built is what makes our Pride partnership such a perfect fit. We’re no strangers to the fact that inclusivity in the beauty world hasn’t always been a thing (which is why our goal has always been to celebrate it in every way), so supporting the idea that everyone should feel safe being who they are was a no-brainer for us.
wayOUT focuses on identifying programs in communities across the country that have limited or restricted access to resources, and then fundraising for them so these organizations can provide lifesaving services and affirming spaces to queer youth. In short, they’re doing crucial work to help save lives. Today, queer youth is up to eight times more likely to die by suicide than their cis-het counterparts. But this number is cut in half for those with access to sexual and gender-identity-affirming spaces in their communities, provided by funds raised by organizations like wayOUT.
To celebrate Pride to its fullest, our second-annual partnership with wayOUT aims to support their efforts toward creating safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. Our partnership will help support their four deserving grant recipient programs, raise awareness for wayOut and its mission, and increase the audience of donors and volunteers that can make a life-saving impact on LGBTQ+ youth across the country.
Want more beauty to celebrate Pride? Take our Beauty Quiz now to get started with your own beauty subscription. Already a member? Refer your friends to earn points, which you can use toward products. Either way, don’t forget to check us out on Instagram and TikTok @IPSY.
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