Deadline: 15-Aug-2025
The Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity (ECOM), in partnership with the APCOM Foundation, has launched a Small Grants Call under the “LGBTQI+ Emergency Support Fund.” This initiative aims to support LGBT community-led organizations and initiative groups across Eastern Europe, Central Asia (EECA), and the Asia-Pacific region in responding to urgent human rights emergencies, anti-LGBT persecution, and shrinking civic space.
The goal is to help these groups act quickly in times of crisis, ensuring their safety and the continuation of their advocacy work. The grants support rapid responses to emergencies and operational threats, enabling sustained activism and protection of rights.
Funding can be used across four main areas. These include fighting stigmatization and disinformation, such as responding to hate campaigns and documenting human rights violations. It also covers legal and policy threats by supporting advocacy efforts and coalition-building against repressive laws.
Grants may also be used for legal aid and protection, such as hiring lawyers, improving security (including digital safety), providing psychosocial support, or offering emergency shelter to at-risk individuals. Additionally, displaced, migrant, or stateless LGBT people can receive legal aid, psychosocial assistance, and direct support to access health, education, and work while in relocation.
Each grant offers up to USD 5,000 for a maximum project period of three months, running from September to November 2025.
Eligible applicants include LGBT community-led organizations and initiative groups from Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. Both registered NGOs and unregistered or informal groups can apply, and fiscal agents may be used. The grants are intended for those directly affected by or responding to urgent situations such as attacks, criminalization, or human rights violations.
For more information, visit ECOM.
