We envision a vibrant and inclusive community where LGBTQ+ individuals are uplifted, seen, and heard. Through our new LGBTQ+ center, we aim to foster emerging artists, offer access to mental health services, and create safe spaces for healing through the arts.

Our goal is to cultivate meaningful connections, provide a platform for expression, and inspire transformation by supporting the personal and collective growth of our community.

Fabulous Arts Foundation fosters the arts as a catalyst for social change, healing, and empowerment, while amplifying LGBTQ+ voices.

Through dynamic programming and holistic support services, we provide spaces where individuals can connect, express themselves, and thrive.

Founder and Executive Director Shannon Fortner created the original concept for the Harvey Milk Festival in 2010 shortly after the announcement of Harvey Milk Day in California. Attending the 2009 Equality March inspired Fortner to merge her music career with activism. Fortner debuted the first annual Harvey Milk Festival in Sarasota, Florida later, drawing a crowd of over 1,200 people. The first Harvey Milk Festival was primarily a music and arts event.

Each year, the Harvey Milk Festival has grown as an organization, obtaining a 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 2012. That year, HMF partnered with the Fabulous Independent Film Festival and eventually adopted it as Sarasota’s only LGBTQ+ film festival in 2016. 

 The HMF Youth Outreach Program began in 2014 with the launch of our youth scholarship program.

The HMF Youth Outreach program offers youth the opportunity to get more involved with the organization through internship positions in graphic design, videography, community outreach, and nonprofit development.

 Today, FabAF draws a crowd of nearly 7,000+ from across the country. Harvey Milk Festival recently celebrated 10 years of promoting equality through the arts.

HMF successfully held its 11th Virtual annual event in May 2020, consisting of 5 days of emerging artists in advocacy, art, theatre, dance and music to honor our Queer+, Trans, and allies by holding space and giving a platform to share while amplify their voices.

FabAF programming empowers others to use their voices and contribute to the community as a whole. The festival allows us to share and honor the contributions of our LGBTQ+ pioneers.

Fabulous Arts Foundation we are filling the needs of our community and offering micro sized events year-round for community building. And working each day to heal and inspire our community.

The Harvey Milk Festival, after serving our community for a decade, are now known as the Fabulous Arts Foundation.  We use the arts to help the community heal, with programs like Creatives Navigating Mental Health and our QTBIPOC Vlog series focuses on amplifying LGBTQ+ voices.

Our LGBTQ+ Center will offer year-round programming to build community. The center will be offering  mental health services: support groups, group therapy, access to affirming therapists able to hold space for our Queer and Trans community.

These services are crucial for our community. Included:  all the arts programming workshops, classes, community building.

Festivals feature a variety of attractions including live music, film, performing and visual artists, speakers, and vendors designed to engage a large and diverse audience. We are also growing to include more education and outreach initiatives to better engage local and regional communities.

With our Diversity & Inclusion training and amplifying voices series we hope to truly have a diverse and inclusive community. Proceeds go to keeping the Center thriving with accessible resources.

We opened our first LGBTQ+ Center in the Limelight District in Sarasota. After the roof being torn off from Hurricane Milton.

We still persisted and opened our doors to launch our pilot programming to offer mental health services and access to community building through wellness programs and events that united us through creativity. 

Now in January of 2026 we signed a lease to grow in the most beautiful Gallery space where we have artist studios, our mental health room and are able to serve our community as a whole with an ADA compliant restroom and accesible space by all.

Expanding our services and listening to our community we have learned how we truly can show up and hold space, how we can lift others up and create a space where people feel seen and heard.

16 years later we had no idea we would be here.

Over the years hearing how spaces, pride events held space for fols to se ethemselves in a new way, that alloweed them to see through the tough times.

This is how we all arrive, community focused, community driven. We have a special naming for the LGBTQ+ Gallery space in Tampa Bay in honor of a dear friend that always said Be Loud  – Listen More. Stay tuned for our next chapter as we continue to grow and hold our community first.