The Antonia & Andrea Belcher Trans Fund will support trans causes worldwide
May 31, 2018
(LONDON)— A brand new fund to support trans activism globally has been established, managed by the LGBTQI charity GiveOut and generously sponsored by trans businesswoman Antonia Belcher and her wife Andrea.
Under ‘The Antonia & Andrea Belcher Trans Fund’, small grants will be provided to support those activists and their organisations working across the world to improve the lives of trans people.
The fund will be worth at least £12,500 per year, though GiveOut and Antonia and Andrea Belcher are ambitious to grow the fund to more than £25,000 annually.
“To be the true me, I have had a lot of luck, and an accepting and loving family and workplace – I know only too well that for many others this is not the case. If I can help one soul to be free and true with this fund then I will be the proudest transgender woman alive,” said Antonia Belcher.
“I hope my contacts and friends will share my aim by giving to this fund, when I talk or join panels in the future perhaps.”
Across the world, trans people suffer widespread human rights violations. From discrimination and a lack of legal recognition or status, to violence and killings, people are facing appalling abuses based on their gender identity and expression.
But despite growth in LGBTQI funding, trans organisations are deeply under-resourced. A recent survey found that more than half of trans groups globally had annual budgets of less than US$10,000 (£7,500) (‘The State of Trans Organizing’, 2017).
“We are tremendously excited to be working with Antonia and Andrea to bring new resources into the trans movement, and are ambitious to grow the fund”, said Rupert Abbott, GiveOut’s Executive Director.
“We aim to work with established trans funds and groups and consult across the LGBTQI movement to learn where the new fund can have the most impact.”
How to Donate
To give to the The Antonia and Andrea Belcher Trans Fund, visit giveout.org/donate or click on the button below. Enter your donation details and include a message to indicate that your donation is intended to support the fund, e.g. “Trans Fund”.
You will be able to choose whether to Gift Aid your donation by completing the Gift Aid Declaration, meaning GiveOut can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give. It won’t cost you any extra as long as you pay more Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed.
To set up a standing order or to make a bank transfer to the fund, please email Rupert Abbott, GiveOut’s Executive Director at rupert@giveout.org.
Notes
Antonia Belcher is a founding partner of the building consultancy MHBC and a successful businesswoman who has used her position to be a role model and mentor for the trans community and allies. She has appeared on the Independent’s Rainbow List and the Financial Times/OUTstanding list of leading LGBT+ executives.
GiveOut (@GiveOut_Org, giveout.org) is a new UK-based charity raising funds for LGBTQI causes worldwide. The organisation enables individual donors to support a broad portfolio of activist-led country, regional and international organisations through a single platform. GiveOut is a charity registered in the UK with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Registered Charity Number 1176434).