This year the ITF is supporting 38 trans-led groups in 32 countries and 2 regional networks. You can learn about their work below.

African Women for Sexual Health and Gender Justice (AWOSHe)
The African Women For Sexual Health and Gender Justice (AWOSHe) was founded in 2016 and is a grassroots feminist trans-led organization based and coordinated in Botswana with a mandate to empower trans people, including gender non-conforming persons, trans sex workers and trans persons living with HIV/AIDS. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries. During the grant period, AWOSHe will also implement The Medical Recruiting project, a 3-day training which will introduce the basics of trans specific medicine and healthcare for trans friendly doctors and healthcare providers, with a specific emphasis on creating structures to assist trans people with overlapping oppressions (e.g. those from low income backgrounds) who are unable to afford consultation fees.

Anonymous (Africa)

This group was founded in 2011 and strives to provide a platform that champions the social, political, economic empowerment of transgender women and advocates for their access to quality health and legal services. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office rental, office equipment and utilities. During this grant period, this group will undertake the following activities: (1) Commemorate World Women’s Day and Transgender Day of Remembrance through events; (2) Develop security management risk plan for the organization’s security and safety; (3) Organize a consultative meeting with trans women to develop and print a security pocket handbook for transgender women; and (4) Procure an electrolysis machine for community use.

Anonymous (Africa)

This group was founded in 2017 and seeks to build a broad, informed and inclusive society where all rights, issues and interests of trans youth women, trans youth sex workers, gender non-conforming youth and intersex youth are valued and celebrated through inclusiveness, participation and leadership. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, stipend for community educators, office equipment, utilities and bank fees. During this grant period, the group will undertake the following activities: (1) Conduct a dialogue with communities of trans youth women and gender diverse youth with community members, policy makers, media, healthcare providers and religious leaders at a local level; (2) Deliver training to trans youth women and gender diverse youth on laws, policies and societal dynamics at a local level; (3) Establish a Drop-in centre at a local level to provide a safe health space for trans youth women and gender diverse youth; (4) Facilitate a documentary of real life experiences of trans youth women and gender diverse youth; (5) Hold quarterly psycho-social support and wellness meetings; and 6) Mobilize trans youth women and gender diverse youth to commemorate the international Transgender Day of Visibility at a local level.

Anonymous (Central Asia)
This group was founded in 2014 and works to mobilize, strengthen and empower the transgender, transsexual, gender non-conforming and gender non-binary community to protect and promote their interests in the field of human rights and improve their quality of life. They also work to initiate, support and promote the creation of a secure and non-discriminatory environment through advocacy and education. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, taxes and fees. Due to safety and security concerns, this group has requested that their name and work not be published.

Anonymous (East Asia)
This group was founded in 2014 and advocates for equal medical rights, vocational rights and sexual rights of trans people. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries and office rental. Due to safety and security concerns, this group has requested that their name and work not be published.

Asociación Generación de Hombres Trans de El Salvador (El Salvador)
Asociación Generación de Hombres Trans de El Salvador was founded in 2014 and advocates for the human rights of the LGTBI community, focusing principally on trans men, to promote respect, compliance and recognition at the national, regional and global levels. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, rent for community support center, utilities, communications services, banking fees and office equipment. During the grant period, Asociación Generación de Hombres Trans de El Salvador will implement the Advocacy Policy of HT El Salvador in the San Salvador Metropolitan Area (AMSS) project, which will contribute to maintaining a support center for trans masculine people, promoting the visibility of trans masculine activism in El Salvador and supporting new trans masculine leadership through informing and empowering trans masculine people on human rights issues. Asociación Generación de Hombres Trans de El Salvador will also sustain existing coordination spaces though roundtables with the LGTBI community and other social movements and work with the State to adopt the Gender Identity Law, expand educational opportunities for LGTBI people, increase protections against human rights violations and engage in personal development without discrimination.

Asociación Silueta X (Ecuador)
Asociación Silueta X was founded in 2010 and is a non-profit organization whose mission is to fight for the health, education, employment and justice rights of the trans population. In Ecuador, there has been a rise of conversion clinics that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, with specific focus on the torture and ‘de-transexualization’ of trans feminine people. The grant will go towards general operating costs such as staff salaries, space rental, utilities and taxes. During the grant period, Asociación Silueta X will support a therapy clinic for trans people and their families that promotes the positive recognition of the gender identity and experiences of trans people. Additionally, Asociación Silueta X will also investigate these centers and denounce them to the authorities.

Butterfly (Barbados)
Butterfly was founded in 2017 and works towards stimulating and sustaining inclusivity and visibility for transgender and non-binary individuals to be able to access all aspects of Barbadian life – services, employment and education – with programs focused on achieving this goal. The project grant will go towards improving the quality and access to trans healthcare through building capacity of healthcare providers as well as empowering trans clients. At a national level, Butterfly will conduct seminars with medical providers and mental health professionals to improve their provision of culturally competent care focusing on the unique health needs of trans patients such as gender affirming therapy, screening needs, sexual health and HIV PrEP, with special attention paid to providing care in a sensitive and appropriate manner.  Butterfly will also conduct a series of workshops that will empower and educate trans and gender expansive people on their healthcare needs. This project will give trans people the tools for empowering themselves on their health and health needs, while also building the capacity of providers in the healthcare system to provide more sensitive and tailored care. As well as create opportunities for socioeconomic inclusion in the country, which gives transgender and gender diverse persons a chance at a better quality of life.

Colectivo de Hombres Trans Trans-Formación (Guatemala)
Colectivo de Hombres Trans Trans-Formación was founded in 2013 and strives to generate a strong and empowered trans masculine community through comprehensive support, training, participation and political advocacy. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office rental and office expenses. During this grant period, Colectivo de Hombres Trans Trans-Formación will support the delivery of 12 comprehensive healthcare days and the development of an entrepreneurial program for trans men. The healthcare days will promote self-care, monitoring of hormone replacement therapy, discussions on sexual and reproductive rights, mental health promotion, support of family and friends of trans men and building community around spaces of learning, wellness and empowerment. The entrepreneurial program will consist of training and mentorship of four trans men which will encourage independence and community support.

Colectivo Trans del Uruguay (CTU) (Uruguay)
Colectivo Trans del Uruguay (CTU) was founded in 2017 and works to develop a national space of exchange for people who are trans, gender fluid, and other gender identities, where they can materialize public moments of reflection and produce destigmatizing actions, strengthening their social participation skills and promoting the guarantee of full enjoyment of their rights. The grant will go towards general operating costs such as staff salaries, office supplies and training. During this grant period, CTU will undertake the following activities: (1) Strengthen regional trans leadership through capacity-building events in Salto, Melo, Colonia, Maldonado, Rivera, Canelones; (2) Train stakeholders in education, health, and work spaces about trans identity; (3) Provide consultation for trans people and families with trans children and adolescents on legal, social, and health issues; (4) Develop activities aimed at the inclusion of trans people in dialogues with different unions and the National Workers Confederation; (5) Continue to work with the trans populations deprived of freedom; and 6) Conduct research on homeless trans people and advocate at national and international human rights institutions.

Espace Santé Trans (Association E.S.T) (France)
Espace Santé Trans (Association E.S.T) was founded in 2015 and works to improve access to holistic health, defined as the complete state of physical, mental and social wellbeing of trans people, by facilitating  access to diverse and respectful services that are not pathologizing and are financially accessible. The grant will go towards general operating costs such as staff salaries, office rental, office equipment and technical costs. During this grant period, Association E.S.T will undertake the following activities: (1) Develop and consolidate further actions to improve mental health, wellbeing and fight against the precariousness of trans people through informal monthly meetings, creation of spaces for networking, listening and sharing information, and delivering art therapy and relaxation therapy; (2) Deliver sexual health prevention and risk reduction activities targeting trans people through the creation of a network of health professionals and creation of a charter of mutual commitments providing a framework of good practices in attending to trans people; (3) Prevention, risk reduction and empowerment in sexual and general health through skills-building in relation to self-administration of hormones, which will be taught by trans nurse, and regular discussion groups on sexual, reproductive and general health, in collaboration with partner health professionals and peers.

FrancisTrans (Botswana)
FrancisTrans was founded in 2018 and is a grassroots organization dedicated to documenting the lived experiences and eliminating systematic injustices faced by trans youth in Francistown, Botswana, through indigenous, relatable and human-centered approaches. The grant will go towards general operating costs such as member stipends, registration and communication costs. During this grant period, FrancisTrans will undertake a visibility raising project which will include hosting a convening of trans and gender non-conforming people to document human rights injustices, travel to remote locations in Botswana to engage in community dialogues on the lived experiences of trans people and establish a national network of trans change agents. Additionally, FrancisTrans will engage with the customary court system by having a presence and dialogue in the courts which are one of the biggest sources of intolerance for trans people in Botswana.

Greek Transgender Support Association (GTSA) (Greece)
The Greek Transgender Support Association (GTSA) is a voluntary non-governmental organization that was founded in 2010 to promote rights and the freedom of trans, gender-diverse and intersex people. GTSA uses a volunteer-run structure and provides activities that are free of charge: supporting trans people as well as parents of trans children, providing legal counseling and support to victims of discrimination and racist violence, providing support of LGBTI refugees, assisting victims of extreme poverty, co-operating with other NGOs on projects about trans prisoners and sex workers and raising awareness on health issues. The funding will cover fixed and general operating expenses of the association, support staff and utilities. During this grant period, the GTSA will engage in the following activities: (1) Organize events, workshops, street actions for both International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), as well as for International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV); (2) Conduct an educational seminar in collaboration with other organizations to improve the law on legal recognition of gender identity as well as other trans rights laws; (3) Training seminar for the depathologization of gender identity; (4) Travel to islands where LGBTI refugees are located, in order to reach them and for the best possible strengthening and upholding of their rights; (5) Support trans people in need as well as outreach and empowerment of trans prisoners; (6) Conduct a campaign against transphobia; and (7) Streetwork to reach trans sex workers to provide information and testing.

Institute Transfeminist Initiative TransAkcija (Slovenia)
Institute Transfeminist Initiative TransAkcija was founded in 2014 and works to raise awareness about trans and gender non-conforming persons’ specific needs and human rights within all areas of public and private life. Their work and politics is grounded in transfeminism, social justice and intersectionality and they work with constant self-reflexion, norm-criticism and actively address power relations and privileges. The grant will go towards general operating costs such as staff salaries, volunteer compensation and teambuilding activities. During this grant period, Institute Transfeminist Initiative TransAkcija will engage in the following activities: (1) Host bi-weekly peer-to-peer support group; (2) Deliver 10 educational, social, community building events; (3) Host Transgender Awareness Month project, including the annual expert meeting TransMisija VI; (4) Engage in video and website development; (5) Develop a strategy for advocacy for healthcare services for trans persons; and (6) Engage in lobbying and strategic litigation for legal gender recognition in Slovenia.

JINSIANGU (Kenya)
Jinsiangu was founded in 2012 and seeks to ensure that the lives and wellbeing of intersex, trans and gender non-conforming (ITGNC) persons are enhanced through the establishment of safe spaces, through advocacy and research, through the provision of information, health services, and psycho-social support, and by fostering opportunities for holistic empowerment. The grant will go towards general operating costs such as staff salaries, office rental, utilities and internet costs. During this grant period, JINSIANGU will undertake the following activities: (1) Host educational events on various recognized days, such as the Transgender Day of Remembrance; (2) Engage in various stakeholder forums such as Parliamentary Committee sessions, county government meetings, meetings with government agencies and the Global Fund Kenya; (3) Participate in national, regional and international meetings such as the ‘Kenya National Transgender Network’ convening, sessions of the African Commission, UNDP’s annual Regional Meeting on Transgender people and Pan-Africa and World ILGA Conferences; (4) Conduct outreach campaigns across various counties in Kenya targeting ITGNC persons, especially in rural and marginalized areas, as well as target community leaders such as county officials, chiefs and religious leaders; (5) Lead sensitization campaigns with healthcare providers and law enforcement; (6) Provide counselling sessions with ITGNC persons, families, partners and friends; (7) Engage in strategic litigation and legal aid and (8) Support the development of Income Generating Activities for ITGNC persons.

Leitis in Waiting Pacific Equality Campaign (Tonga)
Leitis in Waiting Pacific Equality Campaign was founded in 2018 with the goal of using the unique power of film and storytelling to bring people together to deepen understanding and inspire support for efforts to promote and protect the rights of transgender people across the Pacific. The campaign is based on the award-winning documentary Leitis in Waiting, which tells the story of Joey Mataele and the Tonga leitis, a group of indigenous trans women fighting a rising tide of religious intolerance in their conservative Pacific Kingdom. This grant will go towards the delivery of community screening events and capacity-building workshops in the six Pacific countries (in addition to Tonga) where anti-LGBTI laws remain on-the-books: Kiribati, Cook Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. The events and workshops will be: (1) Crafted to address country-specific conditions, concerns, and priorities; (2) Educate and build relationships with key influencers in government, business, religious, cultural, and civil society institutions; and (3) Contribute to the development of long-term regional strategies to decriminalize, and promote and protect the rights of gender and sexual minorities.

LighT (Anonymous)
LighT was founded in 2015 and strives to maintain and ensure the security of the trans community. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as salaries and office equipment. During this grant period, LighT will organize educational courses for transgender people (including ex-migrants forced to return) to gain skills necessary to work as stylists/makeup artists and designers. They will conduct 4 educational cycles, each lasting 3 months, which will be attended by up to 6 individuals. The selection of these professions was deliberate as it will enable trans people to work both at a salon or at home, thus supporting them to experience less stigmatization and discrimination. The safe space where the courses will be conducted is important for enhancing communication, experience exchange and increasing cohesion among trans people.

OTRANS Argentina (Argentina)
OTRANS Argentina was founded in 2012 and seeks to foster, strengthen, and promote the human, political, civil, social, economic and cultural rights of trans and transvestite persons in Argentina and at the regional level. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries and office supplies. During this grant period, OTRANS Argentina will create the News Agency “SUDAKA TLGBI”, which will create a space comprised by trans, transvestite, and gender non-conforming social communicators who will produce critical communications content, including increasing positive representation and improving the visibility of trans people. The goal is to empower the trans community by facilitating access to information, told in their own voices.

Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kebajikan dan Persekitaran Positif Malaysia (SEED) (Malaysia)
Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kebajikan dan Persekitaran Positif Malaysia (SEED) was founded in 2014 and seeks to empower people who are socially excluded in Malaysia by providing access to a safe space, supporting sustainable livelihoods, facilitating access to healthcare services and linking people to resources to improve quality of life. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries. During this grant period, SEED will engage in the following activities: (1) Scale up engagement and sensitization on legal gender recognition to potential allies and non-government agencies; (2) Sensitize politicians on the need for legal gender recognition; (3) Create a memorandum related to legal gender recognition; and (4) Deliver a workshop with healthcare providers (HCP) from government and private agencies.

Queerstion (Sweden)
Queerstion was founded in 2016 and aims to amplify voices, celebrate, empower and increase visibility of trans diverse minorities in Sweden extending to Sub-Saharan Africa. They adopt a feminist and intersectional approach collaborating with families, allies, anti-racist and other partner organizations. The grant will go towards the following activities for trans refugees, asylum seekers and people of color: (1) Host trans wellbeing retreat and develop trans safety and wellness manual; (2) Deliver two mentoring and empowerment trainings; and (3) Deliver self-defense courses and monthly dance & fitness classes. Additionally, Queerstion will undertake the following external activities: (1) Consultation and sensitization of Migration Board asylum personnel on trans specific needs and issues; (2) Meet and consult with personnel from Arbetsformedlingen, the refugee establishment and employment agents; and (3) Deliver two sensitization meetings with Swedish for Immigrant (SFI) personnel and SFI students.

RARICA Now! (Canada)
RARICA Now! was founded in 2017 and aims to coordinate collaboration and build a social justice movement amongst transgender refugees at the local, provincial, national and international level to enhance the collective capacity to advocate for refugees’ rights and access to basic services. They advocate for changes to Canadian policy and legislation that will promote the health and wellbeing of transgender refugees and ensure equal rights, awareness, education, advocacy, and access to culturally relevant support services for trans refugees. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office rental, utilities and office expenses. During this grant period, RARICA Now! will also provide food at their meetings and events, transportation support (e.g. bus tickets) to ensure that meetings are accessible to those who do not have access to transportation and provide funds for honorariums for guest speakers.

Samabhabona (India)
Samabhabona was founded in 2013 and is led by trans people experiencing intersectional oppressions, most of whom are trans sex workers and trans Dalit people who suffer from economic uncertainty and impoverishment. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office rental and equipment. During this grant period, Samabhabona will engage in the following activities: (1) Organize trans working class and sex worker unions in Kolkata and surrounding suburb areas; (2) Provide emergency and immediate support to trans people suffering from displacement, especially elder trans folks in medical crisis; (3) Provide legal consultations and awareness with the trans community; (4) Gather personal lived experiences of trans people and create an ongoing resource where the community controls its own narrative; (5) Conduct skills based trainings in areas such as English, art and computer classes to enable better opportunities; (6) Create an illustrated directory of local, regional and national trans identities that are erased due to western terminology; (7) Engage in legislative advocacy, meeting and lobbying with government bodies, including taking part in national networks and protests against dangerous laws; (8) Conduct workshops on theatre, art and music as therapy to help community come together and express vulnerability and heal; (9) Create public art pieces to start dialogue around trans feminism and to reclaim spaces; and (10) Conduct sensitization workshops and conversations with law enforcement, legal networks, educational institutions and public street events.

Sudur Paschim Samaj (Nepal)
Sudur Paschim Samaj was founded in 2008 and strives to ensure the human rights of sexual and gender minorities, works for health, education, security and employment opportunities in the society and access to policy making level. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, utilities and capacity building expenses. During this grant period, Sudur Paschim Samaj will engage in the following activities: (1) Conduct orientation on trans issues with local parliamentarians; (2) Provide legal aid training; (3) Meet with government bodies; (4) Host a community event to allow trans people to network; and (5) Create an awareness raising campaign on transgender people at the regional level.

T4T – Trans for Transformation (Vietnam)
T4T – Trans for Transformation was founded in 2018 as a consortium, bringing together two nascent trans groups: It’s-T-Time (ITT), working primarily with trans-men, and Venus Health Care, a trans women’s group. They are requesting a project grant as an entry point to building a core trans group to coordinate and unite trans efforts in Hanoi. The grant will go towards the creation and distribution of a 20min film (or series of five 2-3min films) about trans lives in Vietnam. Through examining the complex, diverse experience of trans identities to break down stigma, misconceptions and humanize the community, they will educate and increase tolerance. This project will be participatory, including a creative empowerment workshop with trans community members and the delivery of a filmmaking workshop.

T-Revers (Russia)
T*Revers was founded in 2015 and strives to improve the quality of life for trans people in the Southern Federal District of Russia by improving the level of acceptance, reducing transphobia in the society and internalized transphobia in the trans community by informing society and the community on trans issues. The grant will go towards project costs, T*Revers will develop and print a series of brochures for trans people on topics such as acceptance of oneself, coming-out, basic information on medical transition, legal gender recognition and self-care. These brochures will present information in a short, clear and accessible format. The brochures will be distributed for free during events, sent by post to those unable to visit the community center and be available online on their website and social networks. They will also translate and adapt the ‘Facilitation Toolkit’ published by Transgender Europe. Additionally, the group will enhance the capacity of the organization at the regional level, attracting new activists in the Southern and North-Caucus Federal Districts.

Trans(forming) (US)
Trans(forming) was founded in 2007 and is a membership-based organization in Atlanta for trans, intersex, and gender non-conforming people of color that are ‘wrongly’ assigned female at birth. Through education, leadership development, coalition-building, support and provision of direct services, they promote dignity, wellness and connection for liberation. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office supplies and communications costs. During this grant period, Trans(forming) will engage in the following activities: (1) Continue the Trans(forming) Prison Project, which assists people inside Georgia’s ‘women’s’ prisons and transitional centers with accessing medical transition and trans support resources; (2) Continue the Document Project which assists trans, gender non-conforming and intersex people in obtaining identification that more closely aligns with their gender and/or name; and (3) Continue the Trans(forming) House which offers temporary housing for those in need.

TRANSAT (Region – Middle East and North Africa)
TRANSAT was founded in 2017 and is led by trans groups based in different countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. They collaborate with trans writers from all over the region to make their voices heard through the website platform as a way to express themselves freely and encourage discussions about their experiences and identities. TRANSAT will develop their virtual work and redesign the website, create books of their online content and develop an emergency response for team members in difficult situations. This grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office rental, office supplies and stipends for authors of articles.

TransgenderSG (Singapore)
TransgenderSG was founded in 2017 and strives to help trans people in Singapore have safer, smoother transitions, through sharing resources and doing education and activism work aimed at combating discrimination and improving trans people’s lives. TransgenderSG.com addresses the lack of up-to-date and reliable information on transitioning and being trans in Singapore, as existing material online is primarily targeted at a Western audience and is not always relevant or accessible to the Singaporean context. The grant will go towards project support with the goal of increasing accessibility to resources and raising awareness of the issues facing trans people in Singapore.

TransSwati (Swaziland)
TransSwati was founded in 2016 and strives to improve the lives of trans and gender non-conforming individuals across Swaziland by empowering them on their rights and creating awareness and knowledge on the existence of trans people. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office furnishings, utilities and meeting expenses. During this grant period, TransSwati will draft a community-derived, consensus-based five-year organizational strategy and sustainability plan that addresses their mission and involves the trans community through community engagement, leadership development and activist mobilization.

Transvanilla Transgender Association (Hungary)
Transvanilla Transgender Association was founded in 2011 and aims to empower trans, gender non-conforming and intersex (TGNI) communities and advocates for the interests of TGNI people in all walks of life. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office rental, utilities and holistic coach training for staff. During this grant period, Transvanilla Transgender Association will engage in the following activities: (1) Deliver peer mentor program with trainings and individual support  to participants from marginalized groups such as low-income, poor, uneducated, Roma, migrant, young, disabled and/or sex workers and those living outside of the capital; (2) Provide peer-to-peer counselling;  (3) Advocate with law and policy makers on the national level aiming to create awareness on the human rights violations trans people face when accessing legal gender recognition and/or trans specific healthcare; (4) Monitor violence and discrimination; and (5) Engage in outreach such as the Visible Trans program which will be present at conferences and festivals and promote the travelling exhibition at events.

TransWave Jamaica (Jamaica)
TransWave Jamaica was founded in 2015 and seeks to promote social change by empowering the Jamaican trans community, while bolstering tolerance and acceptance of trans identities by wider Jamaican society. They engage their community through social media campaigns, one-on-one and couples’ psycho-social support, wellness activities and sensitization sessions with key stakeholders. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office equipment and staff capacity building. During this grant period, TransWave Jamaica’s staff will participate in a leadership strategic planning meeting to execute its  Strategic Plan for 2019-2023 with a focus on bolstering the sustainability of the organization.

Transgender Assistance Program of Virginia – TAPVA (US)
Transgender Assistance Program of Virginia – TAPVA was founded in 2015 and aims to end homelessness within the transgender community in Virginia by recognizing the intersectionality between homelessness, discrimination, socioeconomic status and racism. They offer safe emergency and temporary transitional housing to homeless trans adults in their community, and to help them find the additional resources they need to remove the barriers to self-sufficiency. During this grant period, TAPVA will continue to offer direct assistance to homeless trans adults and provide education to those individuals and agencies who are seeking to become more trans knowledgeable and inclusive in their businesses and organizations throughout Virginia. Additionally, TAPVA will continue to be a community voice by creating, promoting and executing events such as the Transgender Day of Visibility – TDOV; Transgender Informational and Empowerment Seminar-TIES; Transgender Day of Resilience/Remembrance – TDOR; and the Trans / Non Binary public discussion panels concerning the current transphobic political atmosphere.

Transgender Resource Center (TGR) (Hong Kong)
The Transgender Resource Center (TGR) was founded in 2008 and strives to bring attention to trans issues in Hong Kong through supporting the local trans community, raising awareness about trans issues with the general public, and advocating for legal and policy change for trans rights. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office rental, utilities, office supplies and stipends for speakers. During this grant period, TGR will undertake the following activities: (1) Create introductory videos on gender identities and gender expression, and how these things are different than sexual orientation, and have them all filmed in Cantonese (subtitled in Chinese and English); (2) Provide community support through hosting physical health and wellbeing events; and (3) Advocate for legal change.

Trans Mreža Balkan (TMB) (Region – Balkans)
Trans Mreža Balkan (TMB) was founded in 2014 and aims to empower local communities/individuals in the Balkans to promote human rights of trans, inter and gender variant (TIGV) people; support other TIGV people; raise visibility of TIGV identities, experiences and topics. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, membership fees, accounting services and conference fees. During this grant period, TMB will undertake the following activities: (1) Continue mentorship program with trans activists; (2) Organize regional annual community event Transposium; (3) Host online community engagement through live video discussions; (4) Collaborate with groups in the region working on the rights of Roma, migrants, sex workers and other underrepresented and multiply oppressed parts of the community; (5) Continue support and development of a trans cultural and artistic scene in the region; and 6) Launch a campaign publishing the results of community-based research on the experiences of trans people in healthcare.

Trans Wellness Project (South Africa)
The Trans Wellness Project was founded in 2015 and seeks to transform lives by advancing health, wellness and equality with a specific focus on rural areas. They believe everyone deserves a safer, healthier space and needs access to a range of the highest quality healthcare; offering access to health care, psychosocial support, edutainment and training of all local healthcare professionals and the trans community itself. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, stipend for community educators, office equipment, utilities and bank fees. During this grant period, Trans Wellness Project will undertake the following activities: (1) Engage in Board development and meeting, (2) Conduct a Strategic Planning Workshop; and 3) Train staff through Look In Look Out (LILO) Workshops that strengthen the capacity of the organization.

União Libertária de Pessoas Trans e Travestis (ULTRA) (Brazil)
The União Libertária de Pessoas Trans e Travestis (ULTRA) was founded in 2017 and strives to build a society where the trans community has full access to fundamental rights. They work to sensitize public and private institutions and LGBTI+ organizations to promote the human rights of trans people and  inclusion in their projects and policies in order to ensure diversity inside and outside the organizations. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office rental and the institutionalization of the group. They will also hold a meeting to strengthen trans national leadership in the Federal District to support resistance for LGBTI+ civil society organizations, with an emphasis on creating strategies on how to protect the trans population and guarantee trans people’s rights. Additionally, they will work with trans people in prison system to denounce the human rights violations they experience in the Federal District prison system.

UNITY (Togo)
UNITY was founded in 2017 and seeks to create a Togo where transgender people are free and flourishing without stigma and have access to appropriate healthcare services. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, office rental, office equipment and office supplies. During this grant period, UNITY will undertake the following activities: (1) Conduct leadership development program with trans youth including modules on project management, resource mobilization and safety; (2) Host stakeholder sensitization workshops with police officers, religious leaders, media and lawyers; (3) Conduct monthly educational talks; (4) Host an evening for gender identity, expression and visibility of trans people; and (5) Host discussion on movement building and personal development.

UTOPIA (United Territories of Pacific Islanders’ Alliance) (US)
UTOPIA (United Territories of Pacific Islanders’ Alliance) was founded in 2009 and provides sacred spaces to strengthen the minds and bodies of queer and trans Pacific Islanders (QTPI) through survival services, community organizing, leadership development and cultural stewardship. The grant will go towards general operating costs, such as staff salaries, capacity building for staff, office rental, office equipment and utilities. During this grant period, UTOPIA will undertake the following activities: (1) Engage in leadership development through a leadership retreat; (2) Host monthly [Trans]ACTION support groups for QTPI in the sex industry, quarterly sex worker story collection, and biannual sex worker leadership academies to educate and mobilize leaders towards identifying and enacting campaigns to address the issues and policies impacting them most; and 3) Understand and advocate for protections under the Fair Chance Act and begin discrimination complaints against employers who violate it.

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