The International Trans Fund (ITF) and Astraea are thrilled to announce that the ITF began operations as an independent and autonomous organization as of January 1, 2022.

The ITF is the only global participatory grantmaker exclusively dedicated to supporting trans-led groups as they work to secure rights for trans people and improve their lived realities. Since the ITF’s 2016 inception, Astraea has acted as fiscal host to ITF, to ensure it has the necessary operational support needed to grow and develop as an organization. Through this partnership, the ITF has been able to disburse $3.867M to 133 trans-led groups in 80 countries.

With over 40 years of its own grantmaking experience moving resources to LGBTQI movements and an unwavering commitment to supporting trans and non-binary communities, Astraea has offered critical technical support, guidance, and mentorship to the ITF. This partnership has represented both organizations’ deep-rooted commitment to resourcing trans movements and facilitating the growth of trans activist leadership across the globe.

The ITF’s transition to becoming an autonomous organization marks an important moment in the organization’s history. As a lesbian feminist fund that has always been committed to self-determination, Astraea congratulates the ITF on this transition, and will always stand in solidarity with the ITF as a partner and ally. Together Astraea and the ITF look forward to continuing our close partnership to move resources and shift power to trans movements across the globe.

In solidarity,

Joy Chia

Executive Director, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice

Broden Giambrone

Director, International Trans Fund

One Week to Apply to Become a Member of the GMP

Deadline to apply: January 17, 2022

What past GMP members have said about the experience:

“The thing I appreciate most about the ITF is that it is run only by trans people, and that makes our entire process so unique from other funders. Being in a space that only has other trans individuals was freeing. (…It’s) amazing to hear and read about all the work that’s been done (and is being done) around the world for trans people, by trans people. It feels very empowering and makes me feel hopeful for the future.” – Mikee Inton

“It was a great challenge, because we had to provide grants to so few movements in the trans world with so many different needs. I wish there were a lot more funding, so that we could support more communities. On a personal level, it provided great satisfaction, knowing that even in a small part, it contributed to improving the quality of lives of my peers quite a bit.” – Alex Castillo

The ITF is looking for committed, collaborative and experienced trans activists to join our Grant Making Panel (GMP) for a two-year term. We are a participatory grantmaking fund that takes an activist-led approach that engages trans people in our grantmaking process. This means that trans people are actively involved at every stage, from determining funding priorities to reviewing applications and making decisions about which groups get funded. The role of the GMP is to review grant proposals submitted to the ITF and make decisions on these grant applications in line with our priorities and principles.

GMP members must be able to attend and actively participate in an annual 6-day in person or virtual meeting, participate in online trainings each year and review 30-50 applications. We are deeply committed to ensuring that trans community members who are most affected by intersecting oppressions are able to participate in this process. GMP members will receive an honorarium of USD$1000 each year of their term and will also receive travel expenses, including per diem, to attend ITF meetings.

The deadline to apply is January 17, 2022. If you are interested, you can learn more here.

Month: January 2022

ITF & Astraea Announcement

One Week to Apply to Become a Member of the GMP