- Elliot Vaughn honoured with an MBE for founding LGBTQI charity GiveOut
- Launched in 2018, GiveOut is an award-winning community foundation raising funds for global LGBTQI human rights activism
- In just five years, the charity has channelled £1.75 million in new funding to over 40 impactful grassroots LGBTQI organisations worldwide
- The announcement comes as countries around the world celebrate Pride Month
GiveOut is proud to announce that Elliot Vaughn, our founder and Chair of the Board of Trustees, has been honoured with an MBE in The King’s Birthday Honours list 2023.
Awarded for outstanding achievement and service to the community, the MBE recognises Elliot’s exceptional contribution and commitment to supporting the global lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) community through founding GiveOut.
Before founding GiveOut, Elliot had been actively supporting LGBTQI charities for several years and was also a leader in BCG’s global Pride network. Elliot knew that friends and colleagues wanted to support LGBTQI human rights beyond the UK but didn’t know how or which groups to support. His research also found the LGBTQI human rights movement was badly underfunded, receiving a tiny fraction of international development aid – just 4p in every £100 and a similarly small share of charitable donations.
To address this need, Elliot founded GiveOut at the end of 2017, to enable individuals and business allies to give in one place to support LGBTQI human rights activism worldwide.
Launched in 2018, in just five years GiveOut has granted £1.75 million in new funding to over 40 impactful LGBTQI grassroots organisations across six continents, ensuring they have more of the resources they need to defend their communities, tackle inequality and campaign for lasting positive change.
With this funding and the support from the global LGBTQI movement, GiveOut’s grant partners are creating a world where LGBTQI people can live their lives freely and openly, by undertaking vital work across five key pillars of activism:
- Using the law and courts to advance equality, where the community have won decriminalisation of same-sex relationships in Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Botswana, India, Saint Kitts & Nevis, and Singapore, and a commitment by Sri Lanka to follow.
- Building supportive communities and safe spaces, where GiveOut has helped to fund LGBTQI shelters in Iraq, Armenia, Ukraine and East Africa, community centres in Jamaica and Lebanon, and numerous informal groups in some of the hardest places to be LGBTQI.
- Providing the evidence needed for change, including funding research into the needs of trans people, the harms of so-called “conversion therapy” and research into the impact of climate change on LGBTQI people in the Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
- Promoting public understanding and acceptance, with GiveOut’s partners in Nigeria, Armenia, and the Middle East working to build community support to improve the quality of life for LGBTQI people.
- Supporting emergency response and humanitarian relief for LGBTQI people at risk during conflict, natural disasters and attacks, for example supporting the evacuation of LGBTQI people from Afghanistan and ensuring that LGBTQI people in Ukraine receive the humanitarian support they need.
Elliot Vaughn MBE, founder and Chair of GiveOut, said:
“Launching and growing GiveOut has been such an incredible privilege and pleasure. Seeing the support and solidarity from our community and allies has been really rewarding and it is wonderful to know that with GiveOut we are creating a sustainable source of new funding for the global LGBTQI movement.”
“Partnering with our Executive Director Rupert Abbott, and our staff and board has been an immense pleasure, and I am very proud of the strong governance and the brilliant team we have established in our first five years. Many thanks to all who have supported our journey so far, especially to our founding supporters and sponsors – I look forward to the journey ahead.”
Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, a leading global LGBTQI activist and the Executive Director of GiveOut grant partner EQUAL GROUND in Sri Lanka said:
“GiveOut is such an inspiration to us all, particularly in those contexts where funding is hard to come by and the situation for LGBTQI persons is less – very less – than ideal. Thank you, Elliot, for this amazing effort that has grown in leaps and bounds. This MBE is more than well deserved.”
Rupert Abbott, Executive Director of GiveOut, said:
“On behalf of everyone involved in the GiveOut journey over the last five years, a huge thank you and congratulations, Elliot! You should be very proud – from your vision has grown a ground-breaking foundation that is enabling our community and allies to support life-changing – and sometimes life-saving – LGBTQI activism worldwide. On a personal note, it has been a privilege working alongside you – thank you so much for your vision, leadership, care, wisdom, and friendship.”
Nadjia Yousif, Chief Diversity Officer at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said:
“Elliot has been an inspiring role model for me personally and so many of our colleagues for many years. He has always seen the fight for equality extend beyond the workplace and into wider society, identifying where change is most needed. We are incredibly proud of his work with GiveOut and his contribution to LGBTQI communities around the world, which is being recognised with today’s well-deserved honour.”
Background
About Elliot Vaughn MBE
Elliot Vaughn is a Senior Partner and Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the UK where he serves as People Chair for Europe, ME, Africa and South America. He was previously global leader of the firm’s LGBTQI network, Pride@BCG. In addition to Chairing GiveOut, he serves as Co-Chair of the international LGBTQI human rights organisation Outright International and has appeared several times on the OUTstanding list of leading LGBTQI executive role models.
About GiveOut
GiveOut is an award-winning international LGBTQI community foundation enabling the LGBTQI community and business allies to give in one place to support LGBTQI activism worldwide.
Across the world, courageous activists are doing vital work to protect and improve the lives of LGBTQI people. But they lack resources and funding is fragile, especially in the Global South and East. LGBTQI groups receive a tiny fraction of international development aid – just 4p in every £100 awarded by governments.
GiveOut’s purpose is to help address this urgent need by providing a platform for supporters to give tax efficiently in one place to fund LGBTQI human rights activism worldwide. GiveOut identifies pioneering groups to support through a rigorous process of consultation, due diligence and vetting, guided by its Grant-making Advisory Panel and governed by its Board of Trustees.
GiveOut pools donations to provide grants to LGBTQI organisations around the world, ensuring they have more of the resources they need to defend LGBTQI communities, tackle inequality and campaign for lasting change.
Examples of GiveOut’s grant impacts can be found at https://giveout.org/impact
To arrange interviews and for more information, please contact:
Luke Smith
Communications and Campaigns Officer
020 8156 7643