What’s the problem?
In 70 countries, it is illegal to be LGBTQ. Individuals and communities live with the threat of violence, imprisonment and death for being who they are and loving freely.
In response, youth activists are organising at the local level to provide vital health services, combat stigma, increase understanding and tolerance, and challenge the law. In doing so, they face daily violence, abuse and harassment.
Youth activists don’t have the resources they need to organise effectively and are most excluded from existing funding opportunities.
- Globally, only a tiny percentage of international development spending goes on LGBTQ issues.
- Even when it is available, youth activists have difficulty in applying and being successful due to the informality of their groups (eg, they aren’t government registered) and inexperience in writing applications.
- Funding is often for larger amounts ($10,000+), which brings significant risk given restrictions on international money transfers and is too much money for individuals to feel responsible for.
What are youth activists doing?
Right now, youth activists are campaigning, leading projects, and using their power to directly support the LGBTQ community where they live. With more funding, activists will be able to:
- do more campaigning on LGBTQ issues
- strengthen their existing work
- plan and deliver more effective strategies at the local level
- protect themselves physically and legally.
Youth activists told us that they need money to fund practical things, like printing materials for underground newspapers, recording equipment for campaigns, room hire for safe meetings and trainings, and secure ways to communicate.
What’s the idea?
We’ve created a funding circle for LGBTQ activists. Funding and giving circles are a way of taking collective action by pooling resources and using them to support causes.
We provide direct financial support to individual activists and under-funded organisations focused on LGBTQ rights.
A group of predominately UK donors (mostly from the LGBTQ community and allies) financially contribute to a shared fund. With this we award grants of between £500-£1000. All donors are involved in deciding who we fund and how the funding circle works.
Activists are found through existing networks and by referral. It is not an open call. Activists submit short, creative and simple applications to receive a grant. We ask them to send us updates – through photos, video or text – on what they did with the money and the difference it made.
We trust people
We have a high-risk appetite for funding and intentionally want to fund the campaigns and projects of those often excluded from other sources of funding.
Trust is central to our funding circle. We trust activists to know how best to spend the money and our focus is on building long-term relationships.
We are not a registered charity. We’re a group of private citizens who are organising our community and mobilising resources to fight for equality.