New £25 Million Fund to Support LGBTI Communities in the Global South and East (International)27th November 2023

The Baring Foundation has announced a new £25 million UK-led multi-donor fund to support grassroots organisations supporting LGBTI communities in the Global South and East.

The fund, called Equal, Safe and Free: a partnership fund for LGBT+ rights, will be the first of its kind for the FCDO (UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office).

The fund will focus on four objectives:

• a reduction in the violence, discrimination and stigma experienced by LGBT+ people throughout society.
• upholding and advancing human rights compliant laws and policies that protect LGBT+ people.
• ensuring equal access to public services including health, educational, water, sanitation and promoting economic inclusion.
• progressive change in social and cultural norms.

The funding can be used for a variety of activities, including supporting LGBTI advocacy and campaigning, providing legal and psychosocial support to LGBTI people, promoting LGBTI inclusion in education and employment, and conducting research on LGBTI rights.

The fund is being provided by a consortium of private foundations, including The Baring Foundation, The Oak Foundation, The Foundation for a Just Society, and The Foundation for a Just Society International.

Further details will be announced in the future.