Deadline: 20-Aug-2025
The Humsafar Trust is accepting applications for its Intersectional Change-Making Fellowship to enhance social, economic and environmental conditions of the LGBTQ+ community focusing on the queer intersectional change-making issues by reducing the inequality in development based upon caste, race, class, gender, and disability among the queer community.
There should be a focus on one or more of the following areas that center and strengthen the queer community, particularly those at the intersections of caste, class, disability, religion, region, and other structural marginalisations. Possible themes include but are not limited to: Caste, indigeneity, and queerness; Disability and queerness; Faith, and belonging (in the context of queerness); Health, mental health, and access to care for Queer individuals; Creative expression and representation (Queer art, literature, drag, and performance as tools of resistance, self-making, & reclaiming space, particularly from anti-caste and anti-ableist perspectives); Queer-Feminism, solidarity, and intra-movement conflict; Digital, and non-metro queer worlds; Language, expression, and access in queer lives. Possible activities include but are not limited to: Grassroots organising and collective building; Healing, care, and livelihood-based activities; Community education, outreach, capacity building and training; Creative, cultural, and narrative-based interventions; Policy advocacy, legal access, and research efforts.
The Fellowship for Intersectional Change-making is a targeted initiative by the Humsafar Trust, operating under Project Unnati, to foster meaningful and sustained change for LGBTQ+ individuals facing compounded marginalisation due to factors such as caste, class, disability, religion, region, and more. Supported by Dorf Ketal Chemicals India Ltd, this fellowship aims to dismantle cycles of poverty and discrimination through interventions that enhance social integration, entrepreneurship, wellbeing, and visibility of queer individuals and communities.
The fellowship offers a one-time grant of INR 40,000 per fellow, with 50% disbursed as an advance and the remaining 50% upon completion of programmatic reporting and submission of original bills. All activities must be carried out between September and October 2025.
Deliverables: The activities should be implemented strictly within the period of September to October 2025. Payment will be made in two instalments—50% as advance and 50% upon submission of the programmatic reports and statement of expenditures along with original bills. Any activity or expense incurred after this period will not be allowed.
Eligibility is restricted to four queer individuals from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, especially those whose work is grounded in intersectional realities and shaped by lived experiences of structural marginalisation. Successful applicants are expected to submit a one-page proposal detailing project background, proposed activities, basic budget, and plans for measuring outcomes or impact. Preference is given to innovative and grassroots initiatives that support collective, community-led efforts and prioritise sustainability. The deadline for applications is 20 August 2025.
For more information, visit The Humsafar Trust.
