The Perry Moore Hero Fund is an artistic scholarship that celebrates literature’s ability to inspire and have a positive impact in the lives of young people. By publishing the winning stories on an official platform via the Perry Moore Hero Fund website, the content will have an immediate, powerful and global voice. Donations to the Perry Moore Hero Fund will provide scholarships to aspiring writers to support their artistic development and expression.
Author and producer, Perry Moore, dedicated his life to spreading a message of tolerance and empowerment for all. Perry firmly believed in the power of the written word and its ability to change the world.
In honor of Perry’s legacy, his lifelong partner, Hunter Hill, Executive Director of Paper Magazine and Papermag.com, launched the Perry Moore Hero Fund in partnership with the Hetrick-Martin Institute in 2011. In line with Perry’s fundamental belief that there lies a Hero in all of us, the Perry Moore Hero Fund will award college scholarships annually to young writers who best express stories of understanding, tolerance and strength within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Moore’s ground-breaking novel, Hero, reveals the story of the first gay teenage superhero, Thom Creed. A perpetual champion of the underdog, Perry wrote Hero to support LGBTQIA+ teens and to combat the negative imagery regarding gay characters in the mainstream comic industry.
Hero won the prestigious Lambda Literary Award in 2008 and defined Moore as an idyllic figure for many LGBTQIA+ teens. Perry received thousands of emails from LGBTQIA+ teens struggling to find their place within their communities. It was an honor for Perry to personally respond to each message.
As a child, the fantasy kingdom of The Chronicles of Narnia (classical children’s literature by C.S. Lewis), deeply fascinated Perry. Moore’s interest in Narnia ultimately culminated in his role as an Executive Producer for Walden Media’s popular film adaptation of the series.
The Perry Moore Hero Fund is housed at the Hetrick-Martin Institute and all donations on behalf of The Perry Moore Hero Fund will be deposited in a restricted account for scholarships only. If you have any questions regarding the Perry Moore Hero Fund please contact Ira Rogers at irogers@hmi.org or 212-674-2600 ext 251.
Checks should be made out to the Hetrick-Martin Institute with the Perry Moore Hero Fun in the memo. Checks can be mailed to:
The Hetrick-Martin Institute
c/o Perry Moore Hero Fund
2 Astor Place
New York, NY 10003