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People still search for “Jim Collins Foundation grants” for a very specific reason. For years, the name became shorthand for one of the hardest funding gaps in trans healthcare: how to pay for gender-affirming surgery when insurance falls short, savings run dry, and community fundraising can only go so far.
That search habit has outlived the organization itself. In early 2025, the Jim Collins Foundation merged into Point of Pride, contributed more than $100,000 to an existing surgery fund, and planned to formally cease operations in 2025. The financial aid work did not disappear, but the structure, rules, and payment mechanics changed.
Anyone researching programs today is usually juggling two sets of information at once. On one side, there are legacy descriptions of how the Jim Collins Foundation used to operate.
On the other hand, there is the current, active program most applicants will actually interact with now, Point of Pride’s Annual Trans Surgery Fund.
Today, we prepared a cost-focused guide meant to clear that fog. We will separate historical grant models from present-day reality, explain what medical costs may be covered, and lay out what typically stays out of pocket, so planning does not fall apart late in the process.
Key Points
- The Jim Collins Foundation no longer operates independently; surgery funding now runs through Point of Pride’s Annual Trans Surgery Fund.
- Current grants can cover 70% to 97% of surgical, anesthesia, and facility fees, paid directly to providers.
- Travel, lodging, food, lost wages, nursing care, and many recovery-related costs stay out of pocket.
- Grants do not reimburse past surgeries or medical debt; funding applies only to future procedures.
How Surgery Costs Really Break Down
Gender-affirming surgery rarely comes with a single, tidy price tag. Most people end up managing three overlapping layers of expense, each with different funding options and risks.
Procedure-Related Medical Fees
That category includes the surgeon’s fee, anesthesia, operating facility charges, and sometimes hospital-related costs tied directly to the surgery date. Most surgery-focused grants are designed to target this layer, often paying providers directly.
Peri-Operative Logistics
Travel, lodging, local transportation, food, and caregiver support sit here. Even when surgery happens close to home, at least some logistics costs usually appear. When care requires travel, those numbers grow fast.
Life Disruption Costs
Time off work, lost income, childcare, rent, utilities, groceries, and recovery supplies all fall into a third bucket. None of those disappear just because surgery is medically necessary.
A hospital-facing resource from Temple Health’s gender-affirming surgery program flags exactly that issue.
Budgeting often goes beyond the surgery itself, with transportation, accommodations, hair removal, time off work, living expenses, post-op supplies, groceries, bills, and housing costs listed as common planning items.
That framing explains why many surgery grants are intentionally narrow. They are not designed to solve every financial problem related to surgery. They are built to cover defined medical charges, leaving patients to manage the rest.
For applicants planning procedures that include aesthetic or preparatory elements such as hair restoration, clinics like Atlanta hair transplant may represent an additional out-of-pocket consultation cost that falls fully outside surgery-focused grant coverage.
Where “Jim Collins Foundation Programs” Sit Today
Point of Pride’s January 2025 announcement spells out the transition clearly. The Jim Collins Foundation joined Point of Pride, contributed more than $100,000 to Point of Pride’s Annual Trans Surgery Fund, and planned to formally cease operations in 2025.
So when someone searches for Jim Collins Foundation programs now, the information usually falls into two buckets:
- Legacy program descriptions explaining what the Jim Collins Foundation historically offered.
- Point of Pride’s active financial aid structure, especially the Annual Trans Surgery Fund, which governs how money is disbursed today.
Both matter for context. Only one controls current payments.
The Legacy Jim Collins Foundation Grant Structure
Many reputable resources still describe the Jim Collins Foundation as offering two main grant paths. Those descriptions are accurate historically, even though the foundation no longer operates independently.
Program A: Founders’ Grant Or General Fund
Several sources describe a grant that covered 100% of eligible surgical medical fees. The Campaign for Southern Equality explained that General Fund grants could cover all medical fees associated with gender-affirming surgery, subject to financial need, and that applicants had to choose which fund to be considered for during a cycle.
Inside Philanthropy used similar language, describing the Founders’ Grant as covering 100% of surgical costs associated with gender-affirming surgery.
Program B: Krysallis Anne Hembrough Legacy Fund
The second path worked differently. The same Campaign for Southern Equality resource described the Krysallis Anne Hembrough Legacy Fund as covering 50% of eligible medical fees, with recipients responsible for matching the remaining 50% through personal funds or fundraising.
Forbes Advisor summarized the structure in similar terms. One option could cover the full surgery bill, while another required a dollar-for-dollar match.
Those two models shaped how people talked about Jim Collins Foundation grants for years.
What “Covered” Actually Meant In Legacy Programs
The phrase that matters most is “medical fees” or “surgical costs.” Even when a grant was described as covering 100%, it never meant every dollar connected to surgery.
Inside Philanthropy’s profile drew the boundary lines clearly. Funding focused on fees directly related to surgeries or treatments that could be done on a single surgery date, plus related hospital stays.
Applicants were expected to cover travel, lodging, medications, food, and post-surgical care.
Two practical takeaways follow from that structure.
First, even a grant labeled as full coverage still applied only to a defined subset of expenses. Second, program design assumed applicants would have an out-of-pocket plan for everything surrounding the surgery.
What Tends To Stay Out Of Pocket, Then And Now
Across legacy descriptions and current Point of Pride rules, the same categories show up again and again as patient-funded.
Common out-of-pocket items include:
- Flights, driving costs, and local transportation
- Lodging before and after surgery
- Food during travel and recovery
- Time off work and lost income
- Caregiver costs or nursing care when required
- Post-op supplies and some medications
- Immigration or visa logistics for non-US residents traveling to the US
Legacy program profiles explicitly flagged travel, lodging, medications, food, and post-surgical care as patient responsibilities.
Point of Pride’s current fund rules go further, listing travel, lodging, food expenses, time away from work, postoperative nursing care when required, and certain postoperative medications as costs applicants should expect to cover.
Coverage Boundaries At A Glance
| Cost Category | Often Paid By Surgery-Focused Grants | Commonly Out Of Pocket | Notes Based On Current Rules |
| Surgeon, facility, anesthesia fees | Yes | Sometimes partially | Point of Pride states awards vary and cover a high percentage, 70% to 97%, of surgical, anesthesia, and facility fees. |
| Hospital stay tied to the procedure | Often | Sometimes | Legacy programs included hospital care linked to the same surgery date. |
| Travel and lodging | No | Yes | Point of Pride states grants cannot be applied to travel or lodging. |
| Food and basic living costs | No | Yes | General expenses are excluded from grant use. |
| Lost wages and time off work | No | Yes | Explicitly listed as an expected self-funded expense. |
| Post-op nursing care when required | No | Yes | Highlighted as patient responsibility. |
| Certain post-op medications | No | Yes | Some medications remain patient-funded. |
| Hair removal, prep costs, supplies, bills | Rarely | Yes | Listed in hospital budgeting guides as common expenses. |
The Current Reality, Point Of Pride’s Annual Trans Surgery Fund
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For anyone applying now, Point of Pride’s Annual Trans Surgery Fund is the program that matters most. Its public FAQ spells out eligibility, timelines, payment mechanics, and cost boundaries in unusually clear terms.
Who The Fund Serves
Point of Pride describes the fund as a scholarship-like program providing direct financial assistance to trans people who cannot afford gender-affirming surgery.
Key eligibility elements affect cost planning:
- Applicant identifies as transgender and is 18 or older at the time of surgery.
- Financial need must be demonstrated, along with past attempts to afford care through saving, fundraising, or insurance.
- Surgery must be completed in the United States with a US-based surgeon.
- Surgery must take place on or after March 1 of the year following the application cycle.
That final requirement locks planning into the future. The fund does not reimburse past surgeries.
Application Window And Timeline
Point of Pride states that applications open on November 1 and close on November 30 at 11:59 pm EST. Finalists or requests for additional information usually follow by late February or early March.
Recipients then receive an 18-month window to schedule a surgery date.
From a budgeting standpoint, that window can be helpful. It gives time to build a reserve for travel and recovery costs, but only if those needs are identified early.
What Costs May Be Covered Under The Annual Trans Surgery Fund
Two details from Point of Pride’s FAQ shape realistic expectations.
Eligible Procedure Scope
Applications are accepted for any gender-affirming procedure. For multi-step or multi-procedure care, such as facial feminization surgery, the grant covers only procedures that can be performed on a single surgery date.
Provider-Focused Payment Model
Grants are paid directly to healthcare providers before the procedure. Funds do not flow through recipients for general use.
How Much Of The Surgery Bill It Can Cover
Point of Pride states that awards vary widely and cover a high percentage, 70% to 97%, of total surgical, anesthesia, and facility fees.
Recipients remain responsible for a smaller percentage of care, with a maximum out-of-pocket amount defined in the recipient agreement.
That structure creates two layers of exposure. A portion of medical fees remains patient responsibility, and a separate category of non-medical costs sits entirely outside grant coverage.
What Stays Out Of Pocket Under The Annual Fund
Point of Pride is explicit about exclusions. Grant funds cannot be applied to:
- Travel or transportation
- Lodging
- General expenses
- Visa and logistical expenses
Recipients should also expect to cover:
- Travel fees and lodging
- Food expenses
- Time away from work
- Postoperative nursing care is required
- Certain postoperative medications
No Reimbursement Model
One FAQ answer draws a hard line. The fund cannot be used to pay back medical loans or expenses for a surgery already completed. Payments go to providers for future procedures only.
That boundary matters for anyone already carrying debt. The fund is not a retroactive fix.
Real-World Award Sizes
Award amounts can be substantial. Point of Pride’s legacy impact page lists named recipients and awards for the 2025 cycle, including:
- Mariah: $80,785
- Noa: $53,550
- Flora: $57,480
- Summer: $39,650
- Hunter: $25,168
Those figures show why provider payment rules are strict. Programs are often underwriting large medical charges, not distributing small stipends.
How Reviewers Think About Financial Need And Preparedness
Several sources converge on the same idea. Selection depends on more than need alone.
Temple Health’s funding guide notes that the Jim Collins Foundation historically evaluated applicants based on both financial need and preparedness. Inside Philanthropy described a similar approach, including readiness to cover post-surgical care costs.
Point of Pride’s requirements echo that logic. Applicants must show attempts at affording care through saving, fundraising, or insurance.
In practice, preparedness often looks like clear answers to cost questions:
- Is there a realistic plan with a US-based surgeon?
- Is there a strategy for travel, lodging, and time off work?
- Does the proposed surgery date fit program timelines?
A strong cost plan signals that grant funding will actually result in completed care.
Practical Budgeting That Matches Program Boundaries
A planning checklist aligned with current rules helps prevent surprises.
Step 1, Separate Provider Fees From Life Costs
Provider-payable items are the ones grants are designed to touch. Life costs usually remain the patient’s responsibility.
Step 2, Build An Out-Of-Pocket Reserve Around Exclusions
Based on Point of Pride rules and hospital budgeting guides, a realistic list looks like this.
Likely covered or partially covered, paid to providers:
- Surgical procedure fees tied to a single surgery date
- Anesthesia and facility fees, mostly but not always fully
Likely out of pocket:
- Flights or long-distance travel
- Lodging before and after surgery
- Food during travel and recovery
- Time off work and lost wages
- Post-op supplies and living expenses
- Postoperative nursing care when required
- Certain postoperative medications
Step 3, Plan Up Front, Not After
Because the fund does not reimburse past expenses, out-of-pocket planning has to happen before surgery is scheduled.
A Note On Older Application Information
Some clinic pages still describe older Jim Collins Foundation cycles and fund options. Those descriptions are useful for historical context but not for deadlines or current rules.
For time-sensitive details, Point of Pride’s program page should be treated as the primary source.
What To Take Away When Researching Jim Collins Foundation Programs
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The legacy Jim Collins Foundation structure revolved around two models: full medical-fee coverage or 50% matching coverage, both limited to surgery-related medical costs.
The active pathway now runs through Point of Pride’s Annual Trans Surgery Fund. It covers a high percentage of surgical, anesthesia, and facility fees, but does not cover travel, lodging, or general expenses.
Out-of-pocket planning remains essential. Even strong awards leave real costs behind, including travel, time off work, and parts of recovery support. Clear budgeting does not weaken an application. It shows readiness and increases the chance that funding leads to completed care.
