Call for proposals (deadline) | Working with racialised LGBTI communities

We are excited to launch a new call for project proposals to support the groups and projects that address the intersectional impact of injustice, racialisation, racism and specific harms affecting the lives of racialised LGBTI communities across Europe. Deadline for applications is Tuesday, 2 April, 09:00 CEST.

Why we launch this call

Last year, ILGA-Europe launched a new programme focused on work done by and for racialised LGBTI communities. With this call, ILGA-Europe continues its commitment to providing funds and support for this part of LGBTI movement that addresses intersectional impacts of injustice, racialisation, racism and supremacy, and specific harms affecting the lives of racialised LGBTI communities across Europe.

Many LGBTI organisations and groups run by racialised LGBTI activists continue to face obstacles in accessing funding while taking on the burden of exposing structural oppressions, building and sustaining the resilience of racialised communities, and filling the gaps in provision of services, care and spaces for racialised LGBTI people.

The work of these groups highlights the structural nature of intersectionality, brings to light many interconnected oppressions and reveals the ways they interact to produce specific harms. By continuing our support for this part of LGBTI movement, ILGA-Europe want to recognise the effort and knowledge it takes to address intersectionality, strengthen organisations run by racialised LGBTI activists, and deepen solidarity with racialised LGBTI communities.

We acknowledge a great value for the wider movement in making the work of racialised LGBTI activists more visible and better supported. We see an opportunity to share the learning from this programme to the wider movement, as we believe that solutions and approaches that include a few will pave the way and point to the solutions for many.

Aim of the program

The aim of this program is to address the intersectional impact of injustice, racialisation, racism and specific harms affecting the lives of racialised LGBTI communities across Europe.

This program will do it by:

• Supporting, strengthening and advancing the work of up to 12 European LGBTI organisations that are led by racialised LGBTI people and work with and for racialised LGBTI communities;
• Creating spaces for the group to exchange and build connections through holding regular partner meetings

Structure of the program

Participation in the program involves TWO components:

• Financial support of a project (up to €25,000 per project for 12 months),

AND

• Regular partner meetings that will bring groups together (on-line) to strategise and share work and experiences (three meetings in 12 months).

Available funding

• We can support up to 12 organisations with grants in the amount of €20,000 to €25,000: up to 10 grants to the EU-based organisations and up to two grants to non-EU based organisations;
• The project has to run for 12 months: from 1 June 2024 until 1 June 2025.

Type of organisations and groups we will support

This call is aimed specifically for registered and non-registered LGBTI-run organisations and initiative groups in Europe that are:

• Led by racialised LGBTI people and
• Working for and with racialised LGBTI communities.

Due to our donor’s limitations, we are able to support only organisations that are:

• Member organisations of ILGA-Europe as of 1 June 2024 (start of the project). If your application for membership is under consideration as of 2 April 2024 (the deadline for this application), you are eligible to apply. There is more information about membership in the Q&A document in the application package.

Non-registered organisations and groups are eligible to apply, but must partner with a registered legal entity that is able to receive funds from ILGA-Europe. This entity cannot be a physical person.

When we speak about racialised LGBTI communities, we are referring to LGBTI communities whose lives – and life experiences – are shaped and limited by racialised profiling, racist structures, policies, treatment and discrimination. Because intersectional oppressions are rooted in the ‘logic’ of a human hierarchy, with Whiteness and patriarchy as supreme, we know that harms will particularly affect people racialised as Black, as well as Indigenous people, people of colour, racialised minorities in Western and Northern Europe (such as Roma, Kurds, Sami people etc.) and in Central and Eastern Europe (such as Crimean Tatars, people from Central Asia and South Caucasus in Russia etc.

Type of projects we are looking to support

We are looking for projects whose primary aim is to address the intersectional impact of injustice, racialisation, racism and specific harms affecting the lives of racialised LGBTI communities across Europe.

We will support projects that offer to do this through one (or several) of the following ways of working:

• Facilitating fairer/better access of racialised LGBTI communities to opportunities, services, spaces and care from which these communities have been historically excluded;
• Forging and advancing collaboration and partnerships with other actors: activist groups (racialised or not; LGBTI or beyond), media, authorities and/or service providers;
• Exploring, reclaiming and enhancing voices and experiences from racialised LGBTI communities to challenge existing structures, change existing practices, mobilise wider support and engage the community;
• Strengthening internal organisational structures, skills and practices to build a sustainable presence for and with(in) the communities and wider civic society space.

Budget criteria

Budgets up to €25,000 per 12 months of the project are eligible. Only costs between 1 June 2024 to 1 June 2025 can be included in the budget. The types of costs covered by this programme are direct project costs and can include:

• Personnel costs
• Travel and event costs (both physical and digital)
• Costs related to obtaining external expertise and/or services associated with the implementation of the project
• Interpretation and translation costs
• Communication activities and campaigns related to the aim of this call, including social media and traditional media fees, production of materials, design, printing
• A fair proportion of administrative costs or core organisational costs which are linked to the implementation of the project (rent, utilities, IT, technology, telecommunications, accounting, administrative fees, fiscal sponsor fees, depreciation of new and existing equipment).

Under this call, there is NO budget percentage limitation to cover personnel and consultancy costs, as long as they are directed towards the objective of the call. This means that you can include as many human resources or external personnel costs as needed, and these costs might represent an important share of your budget.

Organisational capacity building can be included. This means projects can incorporate training, internal learning for staff and/or volunteers and other activities aimed at building the knowledge and skills needed for organisations to meet the broader purpose of this call.

You can look at an example of the prefilled budget we provided in the application package. This can give you a clearer idea what information we need from you to include and in what format for us to be able better assess the financial part of the project.

Time commitment

We are aware that many LGBTI organisations run by racialised LGBTI people operate on voluntary bases, with limited human, financial and time recourse. Therefore, we want to communicate in advance time commitment needed for this programme apart from implementing the project. This is the time needed to connect to other originations within the programme, communicate with ILGA-Europe and report back.

Participation in the programme comes with the following commitments:

• What:  Three on-line meetings for programme partners to come together, share space and experiences, learn about each other’s work, build connections

When: July 2024 (kick-off), February 2025 (mid-way), and June 2025 (closing)

Time: 1h 30 mins each meeting

• What: Four progress calls with ILGA-Europe to discuss an ongoing work, implementation of the project, needs, challenges, opportunities

When: June, September, January and April

Time: 1h each call

• What: Interim financial report

When:  4 November

Time: as required depending on your capacities and needed support from us

• What: Final financial and narrative reports

When: mid-June 2025.

Time: as required depending on your capacities and needed support from us

We will schedule meetings in advance and in conversation with you.

Full information and guidance on reporting financial and administrative requirements will be provided to successful applicants.