The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN) has announced a series of grants for TCEN member organisations working to bring about positive legislative, policy and social change for LGBT+ people in their respective countries and regions across the Commonwealth.
The grants make up part of a project entitled “Protecting LGBT+ Rights in the Commonwealth: Ensuring the Sustainability of LGBT+ Civil Society to Advance LGBT+ Equality in a post-Covid-19 Commonwealth”. The project is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by Kaleidoscope Trust, who host the Secretariat of TCEN.
Grants will range from £3,000 – £12,000 for individual applications and up to £15,000 for collaborative submissions. Applications will be considered and reviewed by Kaleidoscope Trust, Secretariat of TCEN. Juan Miguel Sánchez Marín, Head of Programmes at Kaleidoscope Trust, says this funding is a crucial intervention that enables work advancing the rights of LGBT+ people to continue at pace around the world – whether or not they have been impacted by Covid-19 directly.
“Last year, TCEN members reported that Covid-19 was having an immediate and detrimental impact on their work. Not only were LGBT+ people and communities being left behind in Covid-19 outreach and support, but funding previously allocated to advance LGBT+ human rights was redeployed to fight Covid-19. As a result, LGBT+ human rights work was brought to a standstill. This funding is an important bridgegap, designed to ensure LGBT+ human rights work isn’t deprioritised as the world readjusts to life with and after Covid-19.”
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be registered TCEN members or a non-profit organisation applying in partnership with a TCEN member as the lead of such partnership. For more information on eligibility requirements, and to submit an expression of interest, click here.