How we work
Donor Coordination
Funding to advance the human rights of LGBTI persons remains highly limited.
Overview
The Global Philanthropy Project (GPP) reported that in the two-year period of 2017 and 2018, global philanthropic funding for LGBTI issues totaled more than $560 million. Whilst this is an increase of 11% compared to 2016-16, in 2017-18 global LGBTI foundation funding made up less than 0.31% of overall global foundation funding, and global LGBTI funding from donor governments made up less than 0.04% of international development efforts and assistance.
The ways in which funding is provided also pose challenges. Funding from both private and public donors is most frequently provided through intermediary organizations in the Global North. While some donors indicate that this is needed for the purposes of accountability, and in part as a result of legal restrictions, the use of intermediaries often poses challenges for local organizations, including burdensome reporting and administrative requirements. These challenges are experienced in an increasingly polarized global context, characterized by significant restrictions on civil society and negative political rhetoric that presents LGBTI rights as ‘western,’ ‘foreign’ and incompatible with local or regional values.
At the same time, the LGBTI rights movement in a number of regions is growing stronger and achieving positive results, such as affirmative court decisions, changing laws, and increased acceptance and awareness. Donor funding should amplify and sustain this momentum – in a way that is closely linked to and supportive of priorities identified by LGBTI movements, themselves.
The Donor Coordination group focuses on:
- Increasing the level of funding in support of work to promote and protect LGBTI persons.
- Integrating the needs of LGBTI persons into development programming and different aspects of diplomacy;
- Promoting flexible and timely support to civil society organizations;
- Ensuring assistance and diplomacy efforts are guided on the basis of need;
- Abiding closely to the principle of “do no harm” and working in close collaboration and consultation with civil society organizations.
- Encouraging transparency of funding and funding mechanisms, without compromising security of grantees.
