Mayor’s FY26 proposal moves LGBTQ office into cultural affairs cluster, trims staff but keeps core programs

Councilmember Brianne Nadeau convened the Committee on Public Works and Operations on June 13 to review the mayor’s proposed FY26 budget for the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs (MOLGA) and the Department of For Hire Vehicles.

MOLGA Director Jaffer Bowles told the committee the FY26 proposal transfers the office into the mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs as part of an administrative reorganization. "The office's role and mission will remain unchanged," Bowles said, adding that programs and services to LGBTQ+ residents will continue under the new cluster.

The change reduces MOLGA’s headcount from six full‑time employees to five, with the displaced FTE shifting to Serve DC in the Executive Office of the Mayor, Bowles said. The office also faces several scheduled one‑time grant reductions: $250,000 for the Violence Prevention and Response Team (VPART) enhancement, $100,000 for a Ward 6 LGBTQ+ small business support grant and $250,000 for a Black LGBTQ+ history preservation grant. George Garcia, MOLGA director of operations, said those three items were one‑time awards that conclude in FY25 and that the office will absorb a 5% “mark”…