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.
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 their 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.
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