NEW FUNDING FOR LGBTQI EQUALITY ANNOUNCED AT FIRST UK LGBTQI GLOBAL GIVING SUMMIT

By GiveOut

22 November 2023

• New funding for LGBTQI communities worldwide totalling over £40 million was announced at the first UK LGBTQI Global Giving Summit on 22 November 2023.

• This includes the new £25 million multi-donor Equal, Safe and Free Fund, supported by the UK Government and leading private foundations.

• GiveOut’s LGBTQI Solidarity Fund - worth up to £3 million - was also announced, supported by the UK Government to match donations by individuals, businesses and foundations.

• The Summit was co-organised by GiveOut and The Baring Foundation and supported by our media partner, the Financial Times.

• The Summit was informed by first-of-its-kind research, assessing the current level of collective UK giving to support LGBTQI causes internationally (currently totalling just £13.4 million annually), with recommendations to catalyse more funding.

New funding for LGBTQI communities worldwide, totalling more than £40 million over the next five years, was announced by the UK Minister of State (Development and Africa), Rt Hon. Andrew Mitchell, at the first UK LGBTQI Global Giving Summit on 22 November 2023.

The Summit was co-organised by GiveOut and The Baring Foundation and will bring together businesses, philanthropists, foundations and political leaders to discuss increasing UK funding to the global LGBTQI movement.

The Summit marked the launch of two new funds:

Equal, Safe and Free Fund – a partnership fund for LGBTQI rights. Supported by the UK Government and several private foundations, the Fund will be worth £25 million over four years and will support LGBTQI civil society and communities in sub-Saharan Africa, alongside a developing focus on the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands.

GiveOut’s LGBTQI Solidarity Fund will provide flexible, shorter-term grants to grassroots LGBTQI organisations in the face of efforts to erode LGBTQI rights in the Global South and East. Equal contributions by the UK Government and trusts and foundations to the Fund will help to leverage and unlock giving by individuals and businesses, with the ambition for the fund to be worth £3 million over four years.

To inform discussion at the Summit, first-of-its-kind research on current UK funding and giving across all four key donor groups, the UK Government, foundations, corporates and individuals, will be shared.

The research found that across these key donor groups the UK donated a total of just £13.4 million to international LGBTQI issues, equivalent to just 3p in every £100 of charitable giving. Despite how little is being donated, the UK is still one of the largest donors, accounting for 15% of giving in this area, further underscoring how little support is given to international LGBTQI issues.

By shedding light on the current level of funding, highlighting examples of positive funding practices, identifying some of the barriers to giving, and making recommendations to help donors overcome these obstacles, the research aims to help catalyse more funding.

Mukami Marete, Executive Director of UHAI-EASHRI, said:

“LGBTQI people are facing unprecedented violence. To bring the change needed, movements need sustained, long term, flexible resourcing. Activists have been asking philanthropy to do better in their support. It is urgent.”

Neville Gabriel, CEO of The Other Foundation, said:

“This long-awaited but bold commitment from the UK gives hope to so many LGBTQI people, especially in Africa, who are facing a severe backlash against the progress they have made to claim their full and equal citizenship but lack the financial support to break through the backlash at a scale that will make the progress irreversible.”

Rupert Abbott, Executive Director of GiveOut, said:

“Whilst we have seen progress for LGBTQI rights globally, in some contexts hard-won victories are being rolled back and LGBTQI people are under attack. We are calling on our community and corporate allies to come together in solidarity, to support LGBTQI activists to defend their communities and campaign for change.”

David Sampson, Deputy Director of The Baring Foundation, said:

“Being Equal, Safe & Free is a right not afforded to many LGBTQI individuals around the world. A new UK-led fund for LGBTQI rights will provide £25 million over four years to support communities under threat. This is a significant contribution of new resources but remains insufficient to meet the needs of LGBTQI communities in these regions - we all need to do more.”

BACKGROUND

Equal, Safe and Free: A partnership fund for LGBT+ rights

Equal, Safe and Free (ESF) has four objectives:

• A reduction in the violence, discrimination and stigma experienced by LGBT+ people throughout society.

• Upholding and advancing human rights compliant laws and policies that protect LGBT+ people.

• Ensuring equal access to public services including health, educational, water, sanitation and promoting economic inclusion.

• Progressive change in social and cultural norms.

The geographic focus of the ESF will be sub-Saharan Africa, alongside a developing focus on the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. ESF will build the capacity of and support grassroots LGBT+ human rights networks and organisations in these regions to increase their reach, effectiveness, and impact.

The Fund will give £25 million over four years, and funding will largely be given via Regional Funding Schemes. This will be a first of its kind fund for the FCDO (UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), delivered through an innovative multi-donor model.

In principle commitments have also been made by leading private foundations, including: The Baring Foundation, The Oak Foundation, The Foundation for a Just Society, and The Foundation for a Just Society International.

The LGBTQI Solidarity Fund

The new £3 million Fund (over four years) will mobilise the UK LGBTQI community and allies – including individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations, and the UK Government – to come together to show our global leadership and collective support for LGBTQI communities worldwide.

The Fund will encourage more investment from private donor groups into programmes supporting LGBTQI communities around the world, particularly in the Global South and East. Inspired by the UK Aid Match model, equal contributions by the UK Government and trusts and foundations to the Fund will help to leverage and unlock giving by individuals and businesses, diversifying sources of funding for LGBTQI rights.

The Fund will be managed by GiveOut, the international LGBTQI community foundation, who will facilitate giving and pool donations to provide flexible, shorter-term grants to grassroots LGBTQI organisations in the face of efforts to roll back progress.

Research report on UK LGBTQI Giving

The UK LGBTQI International Giving Report evidences donations from UK sources, including government, foundation, corporate and individual donations. It identifies that the UK has donated just £13.4 million annually to support international LGBTQI issues, yet still ranks as one of the top donors, accounting for 15% of global giving in this area, underscoring just how under-funded LGBTQI issues are in the Global South and East. The report identifies barriers preventing further funding, and makes recommendations on how these barriers could be overcome.

The full report can be read below.

To arrange interviews and for more information, please contact:

Luke Smith

Communications and Campaigns Officer

luke@giveout.org

‪020 8156 7643‬