Deadline: 18 September 2016
ILGA- Europe and COC Netherlands together invite proposals for small funding program ‘Allies in Action’, designed to foster an enabling environment for LGBTI equality work in the specific project countries. It aims to create ways for local LGBTI advocates and groups to involve more supporters in their work.
In Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia, and Ukraine, LGBTI groups and human rights defenders work in an increasingly hostile environment. There are limited or even rapidly diminishing opportunities for meaningful dialogue with policy- and decision-makers. These factors strongly affect the public debate on LGBTI-related issues, the position of civil society, and functional paths towards achieving change. At the time when opportunities for ‘conventional’ campaigning targeting state bodies and aiming for legislative and policy changes are limited, we believe that it is crucial to develop horizontal ties in the society, activate person-to-person connections, and increase the capacity of LGBTI groups to engage supporters outside of LGBTI movement in a progressive, meaningful, and sustainable way.
Objectives
This small action support fund will welcome a wide variety of activities with the overall goal of educating and mobilising potential allies of LGBTI equality work among such professional groups as journalists, lawyers, educators, as well as among local communities and families of LGBTI people; activities that would contribute to:
- establishing cooperation between LGBTI groups and professionals who have advocacy potential
- raising awareness of specific professional groups about LGBTI-specific issues
- expanding the network of support for LGBTI people and LGBTI organisations
- increasing access to professional assistance for LGBTI people in the area
Priority Areas
The preferred activities for funding include:
- Initiatives that feed into, reinforce, and/or diversify other ongoing efforts towards better environment for LGBTI persons and protection of their rights (by you or another group);
- Genuine and innovative approach to action that is strongly rooted in a local reality, with its limitations, opportunities, and existing relations;
- Duration of action or initiative of no more than 6 months in total (from receipt of the award to its completion and reporting);
- Willingness to share experience with colleagues and activists across the above-indicated countries and beyond.
Funds Available
The funding allotment will be of not more than 5,000 euros.
Eligibility Criteria
The program support initiatives that:
- Are led by LGBTI persons and/ or allies of LGBTI (with no limitation in regards presence or absence of official registration of the group);
- Are implemented locally by groups in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia, or Ukraine;
- Are focused on a specific, carefully selected audience/ target group outside of LGBTI movement and serve to engage, inspire, mobilise individuals and collectives that are in a position to impact everyday realities of LGBTI persons, advocacy capacity of LGBTI organisations, and/ or proper understanding of issues pertaining SOGISC;
- Demonstrate a clear vision of how this action contributes its bit to a change you want to achieve in your environment;
- Are concrete and scalable (i.e. with balanced, matching goals and actions);
- Are endorsed by LGBTI organisations (if proposed by an informal group of allies or activists).
How to Apply
Interested applicants must submit brief proposals in a prescribed format via email.
For more information, please visit Allies in Action.