Rainbow History is an all-volunteer organization, so we depend on committed individuals and their time and talent. RHP’s work benefits from the diversity of our communities and we encourage people from under-represented groups to volunteer.

Our main work right now centers around the WorldPride 2025 exhibit. In June of 2025, Washington will host WorldPride 2025. The date will intersect with several important anniversaries in the History of Pride in Washington. The Rainbow History Project has launched an 18-month research project to create to a public display on the evolution of Pride activities: “Pickets, Protests, and Parades: The History of Gay Pride in Washington.” We need your donations and volunteer time to make this exhibit a success. Find out more here.

Programs that regularly need volunteers are listed below. In addition to in-person opportunities, many of our volunteer positions can be done at home, on your schedule. No matter how you choose to volunteer, you will receive training and support.

• Archives: Rainbow History Project’s collection comes from community members and local organizations who donate their papers, photos, and other materials to the archive. Volunteers are needed to help contact potential donors, visit donors to collect their materials, and most of all to process materials, both physically and digitally.
• Oral histories: Everyone has a story to share, and every story is important. Some of the narrators (the person giving the story) are well-known names but far more are people sharing their perspectives on daily LGBTQ life in Washington over time. Volunteers are needed to conduct these interviews, work to expand our networks or delve into existing information we have. Volunteer training is required.
• Communications and Events: Our communications and events team helps spread the word about D.C.’s LGBTQ history and Rainbow History Project’s mission to the community through newsletters, social media, planning and scheduling regular events, and more. Volunteers are needed to write communications materials and staff events.
• Fundraising and Grant Writing: Because Rainbow History Project is entirely volunteer run, we rely on fundraising and grants to bring in funding to help us care for our collection, hold events, and share our work with the public. Volunteers are needed to help coordinate fundraising and apply for grants.
• Places and Spaces (Social Geography Database): One of Rainbow History Project’s earliest archiving priorities was creating the Places and Spaces social geography database to document locations of importance to the D.C.-area’s diverse LGBTQ communities. These records include bars and restaurants, other commercial and social gathering spaces, sites where organizations met, cultural and faith-based sites and more. Volunteers are needed to research more locations of LGBTQ history in the D.C. area and update the database.
• Timelines: One of Rainbow History Project’s initial projects was to track the milestones and moments for the LGBTQ community in the Washington, D.C., area. Discovering and documenting “what happened when?” was a critical question underlying why RHP was founded. Volunteers are needed to update, enhance and research key dates of our community history. Find out more here.

• Donate an item (or recommend an oral history narrator)
• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
• Attend a Panel Discussion
• Take a Walking Tour

Looking for even more ways to get involved?

We value hands-on learning experiences for students, but recognize the barriers unpaid opportunities can pose. We strive to craft equitable and inclusive internships and practicums that accommodate students’ schedules, allowing a mix of on-site and remote work. Our goal is to cultivate a diverse cohort of future archivists, librarians, and historians dedicated to promoting LGBTQ histories and we encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly underrepresented groups within the LGBTQ community and allied fields.

As a small non-profit, we cannot provide monetary compensation but do provide a supportive learning environment, mentorship, professional development, and the chance to contribute meaningfully to preserving LGBTQ history. While unpaid, interns and practicum students gain hands-on experience and invaluable exposure to community-driven archival operations in areas like collection management, digitization, oral history, and public history outreach. We will assist you to build practical portfolios and professional networks that you can present on your resumes and job applications.

Anyone interested should review our volunteer projects, consult their university officials, and then email info@rainbowhistory.org and include:

• A brief personal statement about your background, trajectory, and interests in our Mission;
• A letter of recommendation from someone who knows you well; and,
• A letter on university letterhead which details your program requirements and the support provided by your program.