For our third installment of the Spotlight article series, we conducted a Q&A with Juan Franco Murillo, the executive director of DVLF, the leading funder of emerging needs in the Greater Philadelphia LGBTQ community.

Check out our Q&A here:

This interview has been condensed for length and clarity. 

I am a 30-year-old Latinx gay man, originally from Barranquilla, Colombia. When I was three years old, my family emigrated to the U.S., settling first in Chicago and then moving around to a few different states until I made my own move to Philadelphia in 2011. I was raised by parents who taught my two older brothers and I to question everything, think critically, and remain compassionate. They taught us resilience and confidence, skills that have been critical to my success an  immigrant. 

In my professional life, I’ve learned to thrive in environments that are mission and service driven. Fueled by my passion to serve others, my career path and growth have led me to numerous opportunities where I can positively impact on the lives of marginalized community members. This career path led to my becoming the Executive Director of DVLF (formerly Delaware Valley Legacy Fund) just over a year ago.  

In my personal life, I keep busy with many interests as well. I have a deep love for music, singing and dancing. I also love playing soccer. For five years, I’ve been a member of the Philadelphia Falcons LGBTQ+ soccer club. Finally, in the past few years, I have developed a love for photography because of its ability to capture deeply meaningful moments in time. This love led to the creation of my photography brand - That Little Moment - on Instagram.

Other ways people can support DVLF is by attending our monthly “Our Night Out” networking events where we raise money by collecting a small donation to benefit a selected beneficiary organization every other month. People can also support DVLF by attending or becoming an official sponsor to one, or both, of our two major yearly events: HEROES Awards Brunch in the Spring, or TOY, our holiday fundraiser in early December..

Another challenge is the need to find new and creative ways to support and uplift the LGBTQ community while it experiences the rollback of some of their rights and/or are targeted by messaging that alienates our community, especially our Trans siblings and people of color.