15 May 2019
Elliot Vaughn honoured with PM’s Points of Light Award for founding LGBTQI charity GiveOut
GiveOut is an award-winning charity raising funds for global LGBTQI human rights activism
The UK-based charity is only 16 months old, has raised over £250k in donations, and supports activists worldwide
Elliot Vaughn, founder and Chair of the award-winning LGBTQI human rights charity GiveOut, has been honoured by the UK Prime Minister with the Points of Light Award for his “inspirational work” founding the charity.
GiveOut enables individuals and businesses to give in one place to support LGBTQI human rights activism worldwide, ensuring that activists have more of the resources they need to defend their communities and campaign for change.
In a personal letter to Elliot, Prime Minister Theresa May said:
“Through ‘GiveOut’ you are providing a unique platform for people to donate to LGBT organisations outside the UK, helping distribute crucial donations to activists who are promoting equality across the globe. You should be extremely proud of what you have achieved, and I wish you the very best in your continued work.”
Elliot Vaughn said:
“I am passionate about helping members of our LGBTQI community to show their solidarity and support for brilliant LGBTQI advocates around the world. It’s such a special and unexpected honour to have the Prime Minister recognise the impact that GiveOut is having. I am deeply inspired by the courage and work of LGBTQI human rights advocates around the world and dedicate this award to them.”
The Points of Light award recognises outstanding individual volunteers – people who are making a change in their community.
Rupert Abbott, GiveOut’s Executive Director, said:
“On behalf of everyone at GiveOut, I’d like to offer heartfelt congratulations to Elliot for this well-deserved award. His deep care for our community everywhere, vision of creating a new source of resources for the global struggle for LGBTQI human rights, and his humble generosity and leadership are truly inspiring. Thank you, Elliot, and a huge well done from all of us!”
Background
Every week day the UK Prime Minister recognises an inspirational volunteer with the Points of Light award. Points of Light are outstanding individual volunteers – people who are making a change in their community.
The award to Elliot Vaughn coincides with International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) on Friday 17 May.
Elliot is a Partner and Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the UK and the global leader of the firm’s LGBTQI staff network, Pride@BCG. He is a Board member of the international LGBTQI human rights organisation OutRight Action International and has appeared several times on the Financial Times/OUTstanding list of leading LGBTQI executives.
Having been involved in LGBTQI campaigning in the UK for years, Elliot knew that friends and colleagues wanted to support LGBTQI human rights overseas but didn’t know how or what causes to support. At the same time, he recognised that the LGBTQI human rights movement was badly underfunded, receiving a tiny fraction of international development aid – just four cents in every $100.
To help address this need, he founded GiveOut at the end of 2017, enabling individuals and businesses to give in one place to support LGBTQI human rights activism worldwide. In 2018, the charity’s first year, GiveOut fundraised or received pledges of more than £250,000, collaborating with prominent figures in the LGBTQI community, including Antonia Belcher, Suki Sandhu OBE and Steve Wardlaw.
“Through GiveOut you are providing a unique platform for people to donate to LGBT organisations outside the UK.”
— Prime Minister Theresa May, in a personal letter to Elliot
From training grassroots activists in Southeast Asia and building movements in East Africa, to raising the visibility of trans communities in the Caribbean and campaigning for decriminalisation of same sex relations in Sri Lanka, donations to GiveOut are having impact across the LGBTQI movement globally.
GiveOut has announced partnerships with BCG and the events company Camm & Hooper and received recognition from parliamentarians in the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT Rights, including Rt Hon Nick Herbert MP, Lord Cashman, and Baroness Barker, as well as international LGBTQI charities and activists around the world. In September 2018, the charity won ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ at the Third Sector Awards for its innovative fundraising model.