KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) Keene Pride received a significant financial boost this year after being awarded more than $24,000 in charitable gaming proceeds from its recent fundraising run at Revo Casino in Keene.

The organization was granted $24,661.14, funding that leaders say helped underwrite Pride Week events and strengthen Keene Pride’s capacity to serve the LGBTQ+ community across the Monadnock Region, according to a news release.

According to the organization, the money was used to pay LGBTQ+ artists and performers, rent event spaces, provide safety and security, and cover marketing materials and signage. Those expenses helped ensure Pride Week events were accessible, well-organized and welcoming to the broader community.

Keene Pride Board President Adam Toepfer said the charitable gaming support played a key role in making this year’s programming possible while also advancing longer-term goals.

“With this funding, we were able to create a week of very special programming for the LGBTQ+ community and the Monadnock Region as a whole,” Toepfer said in the release. He added that the proceeds also move the organization closer to its strategic goal of establishing a community center and hiring staff within the next three years.

Keene Pride’s mission focuses on increasing LGBTQ+ visibility, fostering inclusive community spaces, and building partnerships with organizations, services and businesses that support LGBTQ+ residents.

Organization leaders said charitable gaming funds are critical not only for annual events like Pride Week, but also for building sustainable infrastructure that can support expanded services in the future.

More information about Keene Pride and its programs is available at keenepride.org.