IMPACT - advancing lgbtqi rights
Access Chapter 2, South Africa
To create a world where LGBTQI people can live their lives freely and openly, we need a properly funded global LGBTQI movement that can advocate on behalf of our community. With the right resources, our movement can help eliminate discriminatory laws, policies and practices, change attitudes and create safe spaces in places where LGBTQI people and identities are not accepted.
In the Global South and East in particular, LGBTQI activists’ efforts are hampered by substantial legal and practical barriers to fundraising, beyond those experienced elsewhere. Pooling donations from our community and allies, GiveOut are building a safe, reliable source of funding especially for groups in these regions. We identify pioneering groups to support through a rigorous process of consultation, due diligence and vetting, guided by our Grant-making Advisory Panel and governed by our Board of Trustees.
Unfortunately, we are not currently able to accept unsolicited proposals for funding.
Latest Annual Impact Report
Our Annual Impact Report includes updates on how our community has supported courageous activists promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) human rights and equality across the globe. It also introduces GiveOut’s existing and new grant partners for 2022.
Recognising the diversity and complexity of the movement, we strive to make our portfolio of grant partners as representative of the global movement as a whole, in terms of geography, thematic focus and community served. Each funding round integrates a more diverse set of grant partners than the last. We provide support at all levels of the global movement, but prioritise funding where it is needed most. We are incredibly proud of the progress we have made so far. In just four years, our supporters have provided over £1.2 million in new funding to the LGBTQI movement globally and now support over 37 brilliant organisations across six continents.
Meet our grant partners
Information about each of GiveOut’s grant partners can be found below. However, several organisations working in more sensitive and restrictive contexts will remain anonymous.
To view our grant partners by region or Fund, please click the filters below. And to find out more about each of our grant partners, please click on their images.
Access Chapter 2, South Africa
Access Chapter 2 works to protect and promote the human rights of women and girls, and LGBTQI people in South Africa. The organisation seeks to uphold South Africa’s bill of rights, found in Chapter 2 of the country’s Constitution, which guarantees civil, political and socio-economic rights for all.
Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR), India
The Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR) is a legal research organisation dedicated to the defence of constitutional values in India. CLPR provides free legal representation to trans communities in India, including during the Section 377 proceedings which ended in the landmark decriminalisation of same sex relations in India.
EQUAL GROUND, Sri Lanka
EQUAL GROUND works to promote the equal civil, political, economic and socio-cultural rights of the LGBTQI community in Sri Lanka. LGBTQI people in Sri Lanka face discrimination at every level of society, with the Penal Code criminalising same-sex relations between both men and women.
Creating Opportunities, ILGA-Europe and Central Asia, Europe
The Creating Opportunities programme, run by ILGA Europe, supports LGBTQI campaigning activities in Europe and Central Asia. It is both a fund and a hub of resources and expertise, providing strategic support and funding that can be issued to groups on the ground flexibly and quickly.
J-FLAG, Jamaica
J-FLAG is the foremost human rights and social justice organisation working for LGBTQI people in Jamaica. Although same-sex relations remain criminalised in Jamaica, attitudes are changing as a result of the work of J-FLAG and others, with the country celebrating its fourth annual Pride festival last year.
L’Union Féministe Libre, Morocco
L’Union Féministe Libre continue to be Morocco’s only legally registered LGBTQI organisation and the first to openly defend the rights of women amd LGBTQI people and to oppose gender-based and sexual violence. They have 300 members from 10 cities, including a network of lawyers.
OutRight Action International
OutRight Action International is a leading international LGBTQI human rights advocacy organisation based in New York, USA. They play a crucial role in the global movement, undertaking research, convening meetings of activists and community leaders, and engaging in high-level advocacy. Every December, OutRight hosts global LGBTQI activists the UN in New York for ‘Advocacy Week’.
The Queer Muslim Project, South Asia
The Queer Muslim Project are one of the largest youth-led virtual networks for queer people, Muslims and allies, with a global community of over 26,000 people. Based in India, they link activists across South Asia. They work with LGBTQI Muslims, challenging fear, stigma and violence through digital art and storytelling, and promoting sex-positive, affirming and intersectional representations of their communities.
Trans*parent, Czech Republic
Trans*parent is the only group advocating for the rights of trans and gender non-conforming people in the Czech Republic. Despite the Czech Republic’s apparently progressive stance on LGB human rights, there are no provisions preventing discrimination against the trans community, and forced sterilisation is compulsory for legal gender recognition and for changing gender markers. Trans*parent's primary focus is on changing this discriminatory legislation, and providing support groups and services for local trans communities.
UHAI EASHRI, East Africa
UHAI-EASHRI is an activist-led fund for sex workers and sexual and gender minorities, based in East Africa. They provide vital support to the Pan-African movement for equality and dignity through participatory grant-making, capacity building, convening support, advocacy, knowledge building and documentation.
ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, Southeast Asia
The ASEAN SOGIE Caucus (ASC) is a network of LGBTQI human rights organisations working across Southeast Asia. In 5 out of 11 countries in Southeast Asia, consensual same-sex sexual relations are criminalised. And even where they are not, the law often provides no protection for LGBTQI people, who face violence and discrimination.
Coalition for Sexual & Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR), MENA/ASIA
CSBR is a network of groups advocating internationally on behalf of their communities in Muslim societies, encouraging the interaction of faith-based organisations with bodily and sexual rights advocates. It is the only international ‘solidarity network’ of its kind, serving a faith-based demographic and uniting LGBTQI activists in the MENA region.
Guyana Trans United, Guyana
Guyana Trans United ensure that the rights of Guyana’s trans people are recognised in all domains through human rights advocacy, promoting respect and acceptance within society, and empowering trans individuals through creating and sustaining an environment free from violence, prejudice, and discrimination.
International Trans Fund, International
The International Trans Fund (ITF) is a trans activist and funder-led participatory grant-making fund, aiming to increase the capacity of trans movements to self-organise and advocate for trans people’s rights, self-determination and wellbeing. It provides grants to small, trans-led organisations worldwide working in their local communities to destigmatise and decriminalise transgender identities and bodies.
Kaleidoscope Trust, International
Based in the UK, the Kaleidoscope Trust works to uphold the human rights of LGBTQI people in Commonwealth countries, two-thirds of which criminalise same-sex relations. They are also a founding member of The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN), which works to support and bring together front-line LGBTQI activists.
National Lesbian & Gay Human Rights Commission, Kenya
NGLHRC identified the need for a national legal aid response that would challenge and prevent discrimination based on SOGIE in Kenya. They provide this, promoting and protecting the equality and inclusion of LGBTQI individuals and communities.
PASSOP, South Africa
PASSOP are a community-based, non-profit human rights organisation devoted to protecting and advancing the rights of LGBTQI asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants in South Africa. They advocate on behalf of LGBTQI refugees and confront homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia throughout South Africa, providing legal, social, financial, psychosocial and housing support.
SAATHII, India
SAATHII was originally established to meet the needs of the HIV+ population in India, but has since expanded its focus to support LGBTQI human rights activism. In 2019, GiveOut’s grant supported SAATHII to establish its first LGBTQI activist Fellowship Programme, to empower grassroots activism through arts and culture, sensitisation projects and advocacy.
The Intersex Human Rights Fund, International, New Grant (IHRF)
Launched in 2015, the Intersex Human Rights (IHRF) is the first funding vehicle dedicated to resourcing the intersex movement globally. Established by the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice (Astraea), the IHRF supports intersex activists to address the human rights violations they face and to promote the agency and autonomy of intersex people through providing the resources and capacities needed to realise their rights.
UCTRANS, Caribbean
Established in 2019, UCTRANS is a network of trans activists and organisations from across 10 Caribbean countries. Across the Caribbean, trans people face discrimination and widespread physical and sexual violence. But the trans movement is disconnected, offering few opportunities to share learning and best practices. UCTRANS aims to build the capacity of transgender organisations and those working with trans people regionally to advance human rights, promote sexual and reproductive health, and increase wellbeing.
Bisi Alimi Foundation, Nigeria
The Bisi Alimi Foundation advocates for the rights and dignity of LGBTQI people in Nigeria. They were founded by Bisi Alimi, an LGBTQI rights activist who gained international attention in 2004 when he became the first Nigerian to come out on television. After an attempt on his life, he fled to the UK where he was granted political asylum. In 2015, he set up BAF to challenge homophobia in Nigeria and West Africa.
Equal Asia Foundation, Asia
Established in 2019, Equal AF are a regional LGBTQI innovation incubator, anchored in feminist and human rights principles. Their collaborators include donors, policymakers, governments, businesses, academics and UN agencies. Equal AF design and test solutions that advance inclusion, and support those working for a more equitable future for all.
Helem, Lebanon
Helem are Lebanon’s largest national LGBTQI rights organisation and the oldest Arab LGBTQI organisation in the region. They are a community centre, social service provider, legal aid clinic, and activist organising centre.
IraQueer, Iraq
IraQueer is Iraq's first and leading LGBTQI human rights organisation. Although Iraqi law does not expressly prohibit consensual same-sex sexual activity, the law disproportionately disadvantages sexual and gender minorities. Due to this, the LGBTQI community in Iraq faces discrimination, threats, physical attacks, and even killings. IraQueer sees a lack of visibility and effective advocacy as the main obstacles to LGBTQI acceptance in Iraq.
LGBTI Equal Rights Association for West Balkans & Turkey
LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans & Turkey (ERA) is the regional LGBTQI network in the Western Balkans and Turkey, working towards rights and equality. This is a particularly hostile region for trans communities, with 80% of trans people having experienced discrimination or harassment in the past 12 months.
The Other Foundation, Southern Africa
The Other Foundation is a Southern African charitable organisation that advances equality and freedom through grant making, with a particular focus on sexual orientation and gender identity. It has two rounds of grant-making annually, with the first allocated to general LGBTQI groups, and the second to lesbian and transgender projects and organisations.
PINK Armenia, Armenia
PINK (“Public Information and Need of Knowledge”) Armenia, is an advocacy organisation that raises public awareness about sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and equal rights for LGBTQI people in Armenia. It publishes objective information in Armenian to demystify LGBTQI issues, raise awareness and promote understanding within the community and among the general public. They also provide training to journalists to improve reporting on LGBTQI issues.
TransWave, Jamaica
Established in 2015, TransWave is Jamaica’s first non-profit organisation dedicated solely to promoting the health and wellbeing of the transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex communities. Its advocacy focuses on legal gender recognition, non-discriminatory, and access to affordable gender-affirming and transition-related healthcare.
Tonga Leitis Association, Tonga,
The Tonga Leitis Association (TLA) is Tonga’s only organisation focusing on transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming issues and communities, and has been active for close to 30 years. It is part of The Asia Pacific Transgender Network Foundation and a member of The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN). Tonga’s Civil Offences Act criminalises cross-dressing and sodomy, which both carry prison sentences of up to 10 years, with LGBTQI people in Tonga facing much discrimination.
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