In 1978, nine years after the historic Stonewall Riots, the Center was first incorporated as a special assistance program called the Lambda Community Fund. For more than 30 years, the Center operated almost entirely on the generosity of community volunteers who offered assistance to those in need and a place to find community. Over the last decade, the Center developed more robust programs and services to meet those needs, hired professional staff, and engaged significant public and private funding to support the community.