Call for Proposals: Small Grants for LGBTIQ+ Rapid Response and Advocacy

Deadline: 20-Jun-2026

The LGBTIQ+ Emergency Support Fund 2026 is accepting applications from community-led organisations and groups responding to urgent threats affecting LGBTIQ+ communities across Asia and the Pacific. The fund provides grants of up to USD 5,000 for emergency responses, legal aid, safety support, advocacy, psychosocial assistance, and services for displaced or highly vulnerable LGBTIQ+ individuals.

Fund Overview

The LGBTIQ+ Emergency Support Fund 2026 supports urgent, community-led responses to threats against the safety, rights, and wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ communities in Asia and the Pacific.

The fund is launched by APCOM and Youth LEAD in response to rising challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ communities, including discriminatory laws, violence, harassment, displacement, organised disinformation, and shrinking civic space.

The fund aims to strengthen community resilience and help organisations respond quickly to emergencies and high-risk situations.

Purpose of the Fund

The purpose of the fund is to provide rapid support to LGBTIQ+ community-led organisations and groups facing urgent threats.

The fund supports emergency responses to human rights violations, legal and policy threats, stigma, hate speech, disinformation, violence, displacement, and restrictions on civic participation.

It is designed to help communities act quickly, protect vulnerable individuals, document violations, provide legal and psychosocial support, and strengthen collective safety.

Key Funding Details

Grants of up to USD 5,000 will be awarded for short-term emergency response projects.

Key funding points include:

• Grant amount: Up to USD 5,000
• Project duration: Up to three months
• Implementation period: July to September 2026
• Minimum number of grants: 14 grants
• Geographic focus: Asia and the Pacific
• Eligible applicants: Registered organisations, informal groups, and unregistered community-led groups
• Fiscal sponsor allowed: Yes, where required

Priority Areas

The fund prioritises urgent responses that protect LGBTIQ+ communities from harm and rights violations.

Priority areas include:

• Countering stigma against LGBTIQ+ communities
• Responding to hate speech and disinformation
• Addressing legal and policy threats
• Providing legal aid and emergency legal assistance
• Supporting community safety and protection
• Documenting and monitoring human rights violations
• Supporting displaced LGBTIQ+ individuals
• Supporting migrant, refugee, asylum-seeking, and stateless LGBTIQ+ individuals
• Responding to shrinking civic space
• Strengthening community resilience during emergencies

What the Fund Can Support

The fund can support urgent and practical activities that respond to immediate risks faced by LGBTIQ+ communities.

Supported activities may include:

• Advocacy responses to anti-LGBTIQ+ narratives
• Communications campaigns to counter stigma and disinformation
• Documentation of human rights violations
• Monitoring of violence, discrimination, or harassment
• Legal and policy advocacy
• Coalition-building for emergency response
• Emergency legal assistance
• Security and safety measures
• Psychosocial support
• Temporary shelter
• Services for displaced LGBTIQ+ individuals
• Support for migrant, refugee, asylum-seeking, or stateless LGBTIQ+ people
• Emergency support for communities affected by criminalisation or violence

Who Is Eligible?

Eligible applicants include community-led organisations and groups working to protect or support LGBTIQ+ communities in Asia and the Pacific.

Eligible applicants may include:

• Registered LGBTIQ+ organisations
• Informal community-led groups
• Unregistered groups
• Groups directly affected by human rights violations
• Groups responding to criminalisation, violence, displacement, or emergencies
• Organisations supporting vulnerable LGBTIQ+ individuals
• Groups working through a fiscal sponsor or fiscal agent, where required

Applicants must be based in eligible low-, lower-middle-, or upper-middle-income countries in Asia and the Pacific, as classified by the World Bank.

Eligible Countries

Applicants must be based in one of the eligible countries in Asia and the Pacific.

Eligible countries include:

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• Cambodia
• China
• Fiji
• India
• Indonesia
• Kiribati
• Lao PDR
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Marshall Islands
• Micronesia
• Mongolia
• Myanmar
• Nauru
• Nepal
• North Korea
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Sri Lanka
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu
• Viet Nam

Preferred Proposals

Preference will be given to proposals that respond to urgent and high-risk situations.

Strong proposals should demonstrate:

• Clear urgency
• Strong community leadership
• Direct impact on LGBTIQ+ communities
• Support for underserved or highly marginalised groups
• Ability to respond quickly
• Relevance to current threats
• Geographic diversity
• Age diversity
• Gender diversity
• Community diversity across the region

Target Beneficiaries

The fund is intended to support LGBTIQ+ communities facing urgent threats and emergency situations.

Target beneficiaries may include:

• LGBTIQ+ individuals facing violence or harassment
• LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders
• Community-led organisations under threat
• Displaced LGBTIQ+ people
• Migrant LGBTIQ+ individuals
• Refugee and asylum-seeking LGBTIQ+ people
• Stateless LGBTIQ+ individuals
• Young LGBTIQ+ people
• Trans and gender-diverse people
• LGBTIQ+ people affected by discriminatory laws or criminalisation
• Communities affected by hate speech, stigma, and disinformation

Why This Fund Matters

LGBTIQ+ communities across Asia and the Pacific face increasing threats, including discrimination, violence, harassment, legal restrictions, displacement, and organised campaigns that spread hate or misinformation.

This fund matters because emergencies often require fast, flexible, and community-led responses. Small grants can help organisations provide immediate protection, legal support, shelter, safety planning, advocacy, and psychosocial care when communities are under pressure.

The fund also strengthens the ability of local groups to document violations, respond to policy threats, protect vulnerable individuals, and build resilience in contexts where civic space is shrinking.

How the Fund Works

The fund provides short-term emergency grants to eligible community-led organisations and groups.

The implementation process includes:

1. Eligible organisations or groups identify an urgent threat or emergency affecting LGBTIQ+ communities.
2. Applicants prepare a short project proposal focused on rapid response.
3. Proposals are assessed based on urgency, community leadership, impact, and relevance.
4. Selected applicants receive grants of up to USD 5,000.
5. Funded projects are implemented for up to three months between July and September 2026.
6. Activities may include legal aid, advocacy, communications, safety support, documentation, shelter, or psychosocial services.
7. Grantees support immediate community needs while contributing to wider resilience and rights protection.

How to Apply

Applicants should prepare a clear and urgent proposal that explains the threat, the affected community, the proposed response, and the expected impact.

Application Preparation Steps

1. Confirm country eligibility
   Applicants should ensure they are based in an eligible low-, lower-middle-, or upper-middle-income country in Asia or the Pacific.
2. Confirm applicant eligibility
   Applicants should identify whether they are a registered organisation, informal group, unregistered group, or a group working through a fiscal sponsor.
3. Describe the emergency or urgent threat
   The proposal should clearly explain the situation affecting LGBTIQ+ communities, such as violence, legal threats, displacement, disinformation, civic space restrictions, or human rights violations.
4. Identify the affected communities
   Applicants should describe who will benefit, especially if the project supports highly marginalised groups, displaced people, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless people, youth, or gender-diverse communities.
5. Explain the proposed response
   The application should describe the activities to be implemented, such as legal aid, safety support, advocacy, documentation, shelter, communications, or psychosocial support.
6. Show community leadership
   Applicants should demonstrate that the project is led by or directly accountable to the affected LGBTIQ+ communities.
7. Prepare a realistic budget
   The budget should not exceed USD 5,000 and should match the urgent activities proposed.
8. Plan for rapid implementation
   Applicants should ensure the project can be implemented within three months between July and September 2026.
9. Explain the expected impact
   The proposal should clearly show how the project will reduce harm, protect rights, improve safety, or strengthen community resilience.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid submitting proposals that are too general or not clearly connected to an urgent threat.

Common mistakes include:

• Not explaining the emergency clearly
• Failing to show why the response is urgent
• Submitting a project that does not directly benefit LGBTIQ+ communities
• Not demonstrating community leadership
• Providing activities that are too broad for a three-month project
• Requesting more than USD 5,000
• Not identifying the affected population
• Leaving out safety, legal, or protection considerations
• Not explaining how displaced or marginalised groups will be reached
• Submitting a weak budget that does not match the proposed activities
• Not clarifying the role of a fiscal sponsor where one is required

Tips for a Strong Application

A strong application should be urgent, practical, community-led, and focused on direct protection or rights-based response.

Applicants should:

• Clearly describe the threat or emergency
• Explain why immediate action is needed
• Show strong links with affected LGBTIQ+ communities
• Focus on practical and achievable activities
• Prioritise safety, protection, and dignity
• Include legal aid, psychosocial support, shelter, documentation, or advocacy where relevant
• Demonstrate how vulnerable groups will be reached
• Keep the budget realistic and within USD 5,000
• Show how the project can be completed within three months
• Explain the expected community impact clearly
• Highlight how the project strengthens resilience beyond the immediate response

Key Terms Explained

LGBTIQ+

LGBTIQ+ refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and other diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics communities.

Emergency Support

Emergency support refers to rapid assistance provided in response to urgent threats such as violence, legal action, displacement, harassment, or rights violations.

Shrinking Civic Space

Shrinking civic space refers to restrictions that limit the ability of organisations, activists, and communities to organise, speak, advocate, assemble, or defend human rights.

Human Rights Violations

Human rights violations are actions or policies that deny individuals or communities their basic rights, safety, dignity, equality, or freedom.

Disinformation

Disinformation means false or misleading information spread deliberately to harm, mislead, or create hostility toward a person or community.

Fiscal Sponsor

A fiscal sponsor is an eligible organisation that can receive and manage funds on behalf of an informal or unregistered group.

Community-Led Organisation

A community-led organisation is led by people from the affected community and works directly to address the community’s needs, rights, and priorities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the LGBTIQ+ Emergency Support Fund 2026?

The LGBTIQ+ Emergency Support Fund 2026 is a grant fund supporting urgent responses to threats affecting LGBTIQ+ communities across Asia and the Pacific.

Who is launching the fund?

The fund is launched by APCOM and Youth LEAD.

How much funding is available per grant?

Grants of up to USD 5,000 will be awarded.

How long can funded projects last?

Projects can be implemented for up to three months between July and September 2026.

How many grants will be awarded?

A minimum of 14 grants will be awarded.

Who can apply?

Registered organisations, informal groups, and unregistered community-led groups may apply if they are directly affected by or responding to urgent situations impacting LGBTIQ+ communities.

Are informal or unregistered groups eligible?

Yes. Informal or unregistered groups are eligible. Where required, they may work through a fiscal sponsor or fiscal agent.

What activities can be supported?

Supported activities may include advocacy, communications responses, legal aid, documentation of human rights violations, safety measures, psychosocial support, temporary shelter, coalition-building, and support for displaced, migrant, refugee, asylum-seeking, or stateless LGBTIQ+ individuals.

Which countries are eligible?

Eligible countries include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam.

What types of proposals will be prioritised?

Priority will be given to proposals addressing urgent and high-risk situations, showing strong community leadership, reaching underserved or marginalised groups, and contributing to geographic, age, gender, and community diversity across the region.

Conclusion

The LGBTIQ+ Emergency Support Fund 2026 provides timely and flexible support for community-led organisations and groups responding to urgent threats across Asia and the Pacific. By funding rapid responses to violence, legal threats, displacement, disinformation, shrinking civic space, and human rights violations, the fund helps protect LGBTIQ+ communities, strengthen resilience, and support the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of vulnerable groups.

For more information, visit Youth LEAD.