2023 Year in Review

Pan Africa ILGA Conference – GPP Donor Pre-Conference

Executive Director’s Letter

Matthew Hart

Executive Director

Dear GPP Community,

In 2023, we navigated an ever-changing set of challenges, celebrated some shared victories, and strengthened our relationships and mechanisms to deliver on the commitment to improve and increase the resources LGBTI communities need and deserve. 

As we reflect on the work of 2023 and the work ahead in 2024, a prescient question is, “How do we find meaning?”. 

Last year, we shared efforts to advance, defend, and secure new resources to support LGBTI communities worldwide. We worked together to boldly safeguard, secure, and expand the political, social, and economic rights of LGBTI people through strategic and courageous financing, grantmaking, and accompaniment.

GPP has a rigorous practice of developing new paths and models of working with our community. During 2023, we interrogated the impacts of funding shifts among key donors, delivered expert analysis and advice to major new entrants into the field of LGBTI philanthropy and development. We developed norm-setting tools and evidence for policymakers and movements to work with. We established two groundbreaking leverage mechanisms that unleashed tens of millions of dollars for the most critical work led by LGBTI people and communities in the global south and east. We came together online, in person, and around new ideas that helped us all make meaning in these complex times. 

2024 is here. Looking to my left and right, I see you – trusted collaborators, partners, members, stakeholders, movement leaders, officials, and all of you.

Social transformation is not binary. Together, we must fund, secure, and defend LGBTI inclusion in broader systems, and simultaneously build and enable solutions beyond those that continue to fail LGBTI communities.

Our meaning can be found collectively, and each of us has a role. 

Onwards,

2023 in numbers

Convenings

In service of GPP’s goal to cultivate and deepen the knowledge, skills, and capacity of GPP members and other funders, GPP regularly organizes Donor Pre-Conferences and related events in advance of regional or global meetings of LGBTI Civil Society. GPP events center funder peer education, and may include civil society representatives as content experts. See upcoming events here.
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February 27 - 28:

Resourcing LGBTIQ+ Movements

GPP, Aurora and GiveOUT hosted the first-ever convening on LGBTIQ+ funding in Australia, Asia, and the Pacific in advance of the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference. Resourcing LGBTIQ+ Movements for Change in Asia and the Pacific brought together leading LGBTIQ+ foundations and donor governments focused on Asia and the Pacific with the Australian philanthropic community and provided a unique opportunity for the Australian Government to engage with the global LGBTI movements and those that resource it.

May 14-19:

Changing Faces, Changing Spaces Conference

UHAI- EASHRI convened the 8th “Changing Faces, Changing Spaces Conference.” UHAI organized a donor pre-conference with the support of the Sex Worker Donor Collaborative and GPP. The donor pre-conference created a programmatic and relational incentive for grantmakers to participate in donor education, research sharing, relationship development, and specific regionally relevant dialogues related to issues impacting LGBTIQ+ and Sex Worker communities.

July 31 - August 2:

Pan Africa ILGA Conference

GPP organized a Donor Pre-Conference at Pan Africa ILGA Conference. Together, grantmakers developed strategies, shared insight, and responded to crises and opportunities in Africa. The pre-conference had sessions on anti-gender ideology, trans and intersex funding, immigration, sexual rights litigation, and closing space in Africa.

October 17-19:

Global Philanthropy Forum

Our Executive Director, Matthew Hart, participated as a keynote speaker at the Global Philanthropy Forum in San Francisco. Read their speech and learn more about the event here.

October 24 - 25:

ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference

GPP and ILGA-Europe organized a Donor Pre-Conference in advance of ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference in Slovenia to discuss the state of the movement in Europe and Central Asia.

November 10:

Paris Peace Forum

In November 2023, our Executive Director, Matthew Hart, participated in a panel at the Paris Peace Forum. Watch the panel here.

November 22:

UK LGBTQI Global Giving Summit

Our Executive Director, Matthew Hart, participated in the UK LGBTQI Global Giving Summit co-organized by GiveOut and The Baring Foundation.

December 4:

OutSummit 2023

Ezra Nepon represented GPP on a panel at OutSummit 2023, “Increasing Our Impact: How Funders Can Help Radically Accelerate the Global LGBTIQ Movement.” Watch the panel here.

Webinars

GPP hosts webinars to cultivate and deepen the knowledge, skills, and capacity of GPP members and other funders in support of global LGBTI issues. See upcoming events here.

Research

GPP is committed to cultivating and deepening the knowledge, skills, and capacity of GPP members and other funders in support of global LGBTI issues. GPP and member funds often commission new research exploring and documenting opportunities, challenges, and trends in the field. Learn more.

Partnering with Pride: The case of Australian action on equality in our region was launched in February 2023 by leading LGBTIQ+ groups across Asia and the Pacific in partnership with the Global Philanthropy Project and Equality Australia. The report was catalytic in securing first-ever LGBTI funding and policy commitments under Australia’s foreign policy, announced at 2023 WorldPride in Sydney (further detail below in Advocacy).

The Global Resources Report: A Francophone Perspective | Rapport sur les ressources mondiales : une perspective francophone was released in May 2023. GPP and Égides co-hosted a bilingual French-English webinar on 15 November 2023 to launch the report. Click here to watch the recording.

Stay tuned!

There are a number of reports coming out from GPP in 2024 that will be crucial tools for our movements in the years ahead. 

Contact us with any questions :

Advocacy

LGBTI Pathways Project

What is it? 

LGBTI Pathways is a global resource mobilization project coordinated by GPP and ILGA World, which was launched on August 2, 2023, at the Pan Africa ILGA Conference in Mauritius. 

The Project will develop credible, reliable, and accurate evidence on the needs, priorities, and funding landscape of the international and regional LGBTI movements. This evidence aims to inform and influence grantmakers to increase the amount and quality of resources directed toward improving the lives of LGBTI persons worldwide.

Objectives: 

  • Engage civil society actors and funders in increasing and improving the quantity and quality of resources going to LGBTI movements globally.
  • Develop credible, reliable, and accurate evidence on the needs, priorities, and funding landscape of the international and regional LGBTI movements.
  • Ensure a smooth and productive working relationship between the partners of Pathways: ILGA World and GPP.
  • Inform and influence grantmakers.

What have we done during the year? 

In September 2023, GPP and ILGA World called for donors and activists to join the LGBTI Pathways Global Steering Committee, to guide and advise the project over 3 years. We finalized the selection and are excited to plan the first in-person meeting in January 2024. We worked with a designer to launch the LGBTI Pathways logo and initial website landing page, and are working with web developers to launch a full website in April 2024.

In November 2023, we put out a call for Technical Lead Consultant(s) to shape the research questions and support the regions in their surveys and analyses. The consultant(s) will join the project in December 2023. We will also hire the second LGBTI Pathways staff member in January 2024, a Regional Officer hired by ILGA World, who will support each regional lead organization. 

2024 will be an exciting year for the project, with the first 4 regions kicking off and the project in full swing for the team. 

Australia steps up its foreign policy commitment to LGBTI issues

On 1 March 2023 at the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced Australia’s first dedicated fund for LGBTQIA+ rights in Asia and the Pacific, the A$3.5m Inclusion and Equality Fund. She also announced the development of a first-ever dedicated Australian LGBTQIA+ human rights in foreign policy strategy. 

This announcement followed advocacy and engagement by Global Philanthropy Project (GPP), Equality Australia, and a coalition of six regional LGBTQIA+ rights organizations: ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, ILGA Asia, Pacific Sexual and Gender Diversity Network, APCOM, Asia Pacific Transgender Network and Intersex Asia.

In the lead-up to Sydney WorldPride, the coalition published Partnering with Pride: Partnering with Pride: The Case for Australian Action on Equality in our region, with the report’s recommendations informing the government’s announcement. GPP continues to work with the coalition to ensure Australia fulfills its commitment as a leading funder to the LGBTI movements in Asia and the Pacific.

UK Government and Philanthropic Foundations Launch the Equal, Safe, and Free Fund

Following a number of years of strategic engagement with the UK Government, led by the GPP member, the Baring Foundation, and GPP’s Government Relations team, the Equal, Safe, and Free fund was announced in London in November 2023. The new £25 million fund will support LGBTI local and national organizations in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands over the next four years. The fund is a partnership between the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and a number of private foundations and was created with technical advice and research support from the Global Philanthropy Project. 

Equal, Safe, and Free will increase LGBTI funding in its priority regions by as much as 25%. However, funding remains insufficient to meet the needs of LGBTI communities in these regions. This initiative exemplifies a collaborative model between a donor government and private philanthropy, setting a precedent that other committed donors could adopt to support the global LGBTI movement effectively. 

LGBTI Funding Gaps: Responding Together

Global Philanthropy Project initiated a unique project with the support of the Open Society Foundations Re-Assigned Grants Unit (OSF RGU) to analyze, address, and mitigate the specific gaps in LGBTI funding resulting from the foundation’s shift – by geography, population, and more.

GPP analyzed OSF giving trends for LGBTI organizations from 2013 to mid-2023, including groups that received “tie-off” funding in 2021 or 2022 and those that received OSF support in 2019 and 2020 but no subsequent renewals. The results of this research were shared with OSF leadership and GPP also presented a series of regional webinars for key funders focused on the most impacted world regions. This project will continue into 2024.

Task Forces

Government and Multilateral Task Force

GPP’s Government and Multilateral Task Force met throughout 2023 as the primary forum for GPP members to engage with and be updated on GPP’s donor government and field influencing strategy. Throughout 2023, GPP leadership and members engaged with a number of donor governments, advancing strategies to see countries such as Australia, the UK, Germany, and Canada increase the amount and quality of their LGBTI funding to the global LGBTI movement. In the first half of the year, GPP conducted a series of donor government-only webinars on key funding issues impacting the global LGBTI movement. In August 2023, at Pan Africa ILGA, GPP organized a first-ever donor government-only space as part of our donor pre-conference. 

Co-chairs:

In 2024, the Government and Multilateral Task Force will transition to an Advisory Committee.

Responding to Anti-Gender Ideology Task Force

The monthly Task Force for grantmakers is dedicated to strengthening and expanding philanthropic support for a robust, coordinated, and well-informed response to “anti-gender ideology” forces. In 2023, the Task Force focused on “foreign agent” laws; the increasing influence of anti-gender actors at the UN; the impact of anti-gender ideologies on intersex organizing; attacks perpetrated against lesbian families in Italy; and the aftermath of platforming Hungarian President Novak at the Women Deliver Conference. The Task Force also hosted events regarding anti-gender issues in partnership with GPP’s Task Force on Governments and Multilaterals and Trans and Intersex Funding Task Force. 

Looking ahead to 2024, GPP and the Task Force will focus on expanding networks and catalyzing resources through education, strategic conversations, and mobilizing key actors. Stay tuned for a new report on defining and mapping the progressive philanthropic response to “anti-gender ideology” that will help guide grantmakers where resources should be directed. We will also conduct research on mapping the opposition’s funding towards “anti-gender ideology” and the progressive philanthropic response in Asia. 

Co-chairs:

Prachi Patankar (FJS) and Medina Haeri (Oak) are current co-chairs and we welcome Heather Benjamin (Nebula Fund) and Brett Davidson (IRIS) as additional leadership of the Task Force in 2024. This multi-chairship will help facilitate new and expanded opportunities for a robust, coordinated, and strategic response to anti-gender movements. 

The RAGI Task Force can be that space to learn, collaborate, and communicate much more effectively as donors.

Participant of the RAGI Task Force, 2023

Trans and Intersex Funding Task Force

The Task Force on Trans and Intersex Funding continued its regular monthly meetings in 2023. The Task Force discussed issues such as legal reform processes against trans people’s human rights; anti-trans and anti-intersex forces at work at the UN; and the anti-LGTBI legislation in Uganda. The task force learned about new philanthropic initiatives and contributed to strengthening the collective efforts of donors working with trans and intersex communities. Additionally, we organized events in partnership with the GPP’s RAGI Task Force and meetings between intersex activists and donors at the OII regional Conference in Berlin and at the Pan Africa ILGA Conference in Mauritius. 

Looking ahead to 2024, we will focus our efforts on realizing the TF’s goal of increasing the prioritization of and quality resources for intersex and trans-led groups and movements. With the upcoming publications of the Global Resources Report, the State of Trans Organizing and State of Intersex Organizing, and the philanthropic response to anti-gender movements, we will have critical data and information to share with a range of stakeholders to achieve the TF goal of an increase in the amount and quality of resources reaching these movements. 

Co-chairs:

In addition, GPP will develop a training program for grantmakers, governments and multilateral agencies, private and public foundations, corporate foundations, and high-net wealth individuals with a focus on trans-inclusive grantmaking at a global level, or focused on regions or countries in the Global South and East. 

Regional Cafés

In 2023 GPP launched our fourth regional café on Eastern Europe and Central Asia.  All four regional cafés met twice a year per region – focused on West Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. These cafés provide informal spaces for regional grantmakers to share lessons, challenges, and trends in each region, discuss resource and research needs, and share information about grantee partners when needed. Learn more about GPP’s regional cafés here.

Regional café calls are important not only for connection but also for gaining more insights into the actual challenges in the regions.

Participant Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Café 2023 

Organizational Development

GPP Infrastructure Development

In 2023, GPP added three new staff members! In November, GPP hired Zhan Chiam as the Global Coordinator for the LGBTI Pathways Project. GPP will work closely with the Regional Coordinator of the LGBTI Pathways Project, Yuri Yoursky, based at ILGA World. In November 2023, Emilia Morales joined GPP as the Program Associate, Events, and Member Engagement. Emilia supports event organizing, communications, and managing GPP´s website and database. 

Through the year, GPP also hired several new consultants to support our ongoing work. As of October 2023, Jennifer Redner joined as the Gender Justice Advisor. Jen’s focus includes the GPP task force on Responding to Anti-Gender Ideologies and the task force on Trans and Intersex Funding. Elisa Slattery also joined the GPP team as a Research Consultant focusing on anti-gender ideologies. 

This year, GPP transitioned from a fiscally sponsored project (hosted at Community Initiatives) to an independent non-profit corporation based in Delaware. We are grateful to the pro-bono legal support from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP that facilitated our process towards 501(c)(3) status. GPP is currently in relationship with Hurwit & Associates to represent us in our next phase of operations. Celeste Smith, Operations Manager at GPP, was hired in 2022 to manage our transition and is now focused on solidifying our organization infrastructure tasks around people, culture, and operations. We conducted a series of vendor analyses across our transition and can provide recommendations to value-aligned partners via request.

As a part of our independence process, we worked with Amito Studio based in Berlin, to refresh the GPP brand and website. The new website has enabled us to better showcase our work and tell the GPP story. We are continuing to partner with Amito Studio for the build-out of the LGBTI Pathways web page. 

New hires:

Zhan Chiam

Global Coordinator, LGBTI Pathways

Jennifer Redner

Gender Justice Advisor, Programs

Emilia Morales

Program Associate, Events and Member Engagement

GPP Members

Thank you to GPP’s 2023 Board of Directors for their support and partnership. 

Co-Chairs— Mukami Marete, Co-Executive Director of UHAI-EASHRI, and David Sampson, Deputy Director of the Baring Foundation. Board Members: Finance Chair— Francisco Buchting, Vice President of Grants, Programs, and Communications at Horizons Foundation; Board Secretary— Alli Jernow, Social Justice Program Vice President at Arcus Foundation; and Board Member—Rebecca Fox, Vice President of Programs at Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.

New Board members were elected in November 2023 and will begin their two-year term beginning at the February 2024 Board meeting. We are honored and excited to have the following members join our Board: Nicky McIntyre, Chief Executive Officer at Foundation for a Just Society; Nina Sparatu, Programme Officer of International Human Rights Programme; and Neville Gabriel, Chief Executive Officer at The Other Foundation, and a representative of the Ford Foundation. 

Thank you to GPP’s 23 member organizations for your partnership in 2023 and beyond! American Jewish World Service, Arcus Foundation, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Baring Foundation, Dreilinden gGmbH, Ford Foundation, Foundation for a Just Society, Fund for Global Human Rights, Global Fund for Women, Hivos, Horizons Foundation, International Trans Fund, Initiative Sankofa D’Afrique de L’Ouest (ISDAO), Luminate, Mama Cash, Nebula Fund, Oak Foundation, Open Society Foundations, The Other Foundation, Sigrid Rausing Trust, UHAI EASHRI, Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund.

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