Deadline: 22-Oct-23
The Other Foundation is inviting applications for grants from organizations in thirteen eligible Southern African countries to support work that advances or defends the freedom, equality, and social and economic participation of homosexual and bisexual women and men, and transgender and intersex people.
The grant funds, preferably given in multi-year grants, may be used for specific projects to advance advocacy and movement building strategies or to support the ongoing work of LGBTI activists to change harmful narratives about LGBTI people and reposition their organizing and advocacy in a way that is responsive to the changed context brought on by increased backlash and corresponding heightened vulnerability of frontline LGBTI activists.
The Foundation has a particular interest in funding groups that:
- Start new initiatives or develop new alliances with other LGBTI organizations and/or allies outside the LGBTI movement, especially in campaign-type advocacy;
- Demonstrate collaboration with other non-LGBTI civil society organizations and/or direct engagement with policymakers and private businesses; and
- Develop new knowledge by doing primary research or using data that has already been generated.
Types of Grants
- Hungwe or Fish Eagle grants are for established organizations that need support for a project.
- Inyosi or Honey Bee grants are for smaller and emerging organizations that want support for a project or to get started.
Focus Areas
- Although proposals for innovative work in general will be considered, activities that focus on the following areas will be given priority consideration, as a result of funds having been ring-fenced for these focus areas:
- Development of national-level and/or multi-country advocacy initiatives amongst intersex, lesbian, and transgender groups in southern Africa. Any initiatives should actively include allies in the mass media, religious organizations, business, government, cultural and traditional leadership, and amongst parents and families of LGBTI activists.
- Development of joined-up multi-country advocacy campaigns, and hard-hitting public advocacy actions, with strategically targeted allies to reduce discrimination and harm to LGBTI people and that protects the human rights of LGBTI citizens, especially in relation to medically unnecessary genital surgery on intersex infants, violence and rape of black lesbian women and visibly gender non-conforming LGBTI people, and legal gender recognition for trans and gender diverse citizens.
- Initiatives that address discrimination and violence specifically towards lesbian women and transgender and intersex people.
Funding Information
- Hungwe or Fish Eagle Grants: The maximum grant is ZAR 400,000.
- Inyosi or Honey Bee Grants: The maximum grant is ZAR 200,000.
Activities
- The Foundation will also support activities and initiatives that focus on:
- Giving public voice to parents of LGBTI people as advocacy champions for the freedom, equality, and social and economic inclusion of LGBTI people.
- Engaging religious organizations about the equal human dignity, safety and social inclusion of LGBTI people.
- Directly and indirectly engaging traditional and cultural leaders about the equal human dignity, safety, and social inclusion of LGBTI people.
- Advancing the economic participation of LGBTI people through the development of LGBTI-owned small businesses, and practices on diversity, equity and inclusion from an LGBTI perspective such as corporate supply chain diversity, the development of workplace LGBTI affinity groups, work with labour unions to promote workplace diversity and inclusion, and research that helps to improve company practices on diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Advocacy campaigns that address harmful social attitudes or public policies and laws that discriminate against LGBTI people.
- Challenging harmful narratives and stereotypes about LGBTI people and fostering acceptance of LGBTI people by the public at large.
- Philanthropy development to support activism for LGBTI freedom and equality.
Eligibility Criteria
- The thirteen eligible countries from which grant applications will be accepted are Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
For more information, visit The Other Foundation.