Grant Making Panel

The Grant Making Panel (GMP) is made up of  trans activists from across the globe with diverse expertise who review applications and select grantees.

Ale Lopez Bemsch

Ale Lopez Bemsch is a trans/intersex activist from Argentina. He is director of Argentina Intersex (organization that fights for the rights of intersex people). Since 2023 Ale is the Director of the Intersex Committee of ILGALAC. He is a researcher at the Center for Studies on Sexual Diversity (CEDISEX) of the National University of Tucuman, Argentina. He is committed to defending human rights. In his free time Ale likes to sing.

Anna Acosta

Anna Acosta is a trans activist from Cali, Colombia. Her longstanding involvement in LGBTQ, feminist and sex worker movements, as well as Afro-Colombian struggles, is driven by her belief in social justice and the need for an intersectional perspective on trans issues. In recent years, she has also worked as a freelance English-Spanish translator for organizations such as NSWP (Global Network of Sex Work Projects) and the feminist fund MamaCash. As a trans woman of color, sex worker and drug user, she embodies in her skin the diverse realities and identities that trans people navigate, at the intersection of multiple axes of oppression and multiple platforms of resistance.

Cai Thomas

Cai is LGBTI+ youth advocate, community builder, researcher, facilitator, and program manager from the United States. They currently work as a Technical Advisor on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) and safeguarding at IREX, a global development and education organization, and as the Chief Operating Officer at The Global Center, an NGO that transform the world through education for LGBTI+ youth globally. In their free time, Cai enjoys volunteering with local LGBTI+ organizations like Brave Trails, an LGBTI+ youth camp, and PFLAG, an organization for families of LGBTI+ youth. They received a MA in Comparative & International Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. A question that guides Cai’s work is: “How do we create a truly, just, equal, and inclusive culture for LGBTI+ youth globally?

Evane Yamamoto

A Togolese national,living in Mali since 2006 Evane is a non-binary Trans* umbrella activist whose activism began in April 2014 as a sexual health volunteer. After learning more about activism with the country’s leading association from 2015 as a volunteer. Actor, activist and recognised leader, they are very involved at many levels in the fight for recognition of the rights of LGBTIQ people, particularly transgender people. On a day-to-day basis, they helped to set up Mali’s very first transgender association in 2017, of which they are the volunteer coordinator. Having worked with the country’s very first LGBTQ association as a volunteer since 2012, they then moved up the ladder to Communications Officer in 2019, and in 2024 became the association’s first Trans* Executive Secretary. Evane is also a member of the African Queer Youth Initiative.

Jas Pham

Jas is a trans woman from Europe, born from a Vietnamese family of refugees. She has been based in Asia for the last 10 years, initially working in the tech-space (gaming, telcos, advertising), then shifted for good to Non-profit, Social Change, Diversity & inclusion. Jas is currently working at the Asia Pacific Transgender Network, the largest trans-led network that supports and advocates for the rights for trans and gender diverse people in Asia Pacific. She initially joined 5 years ago as Media and Communications Officer and helped to launch the current APTN website. Now her role is Knowledge Management and Operations Officer, helping to improve the team’s operations, processes, and systems in a sustainable way. She’s passionate about helping underserved trans communities, providing capacity building and best tools to do better their work, increasing their impact and funding. Jas is a feminist, a hyperglot, and a mindfulness nerd. In her free time, she likes to cook fusion plant based Italian food, travelling in developing countries and volunteering at children’s orphanages. She’s also interested in developing alternative sources of funding for grass root organisations and NGOs like Cryptocurrencies, Decentralized Autonomous Organisations and Quadratic funding.

Jholerina Brinnette Theodora Timbo

Jholerina is a Transgender activist from Omaruru NAMIBIA, Jholerina is well versed in managing inclusion programs, including health programs for members of the transgender community. She has over a decade of experience advocating for the equality, social inclusion, economic empowerment and safety of LGBTI persons from diverse backgrounds and demographics. As a transgender professional, Jholerina is passionate about creating knowledge, raising awareness, and educating on LGBTI issues through various and creative means. In her capacity as founder of the Wings to Transcend Namibia Trust(WTTN), she has an exceptional track record of planning, policy development, budgeting, program implementation, report writing and establishing relationships with the LGBTI community and other stakeholders. Jholerina has experience as part of the grants peer review process for other foundation and holds a living legend Award 2022 from the other foundation. Jholerina serves as Vice Chairperson for the Key Populations Technical Working Group (KP TWG) under the National Strategic Framework for HIV and AIDS Response in Namibia. To accentuate her role and commitment to the transgender community, Ms. Timbo is a Mandela Washington Fellowship alumnus 2018 and holder of a Certificate in Global Policy Development and Advocacy in Public Health from the University of Washington

  Linn Julian Koletnik

Linn Julian Koletnik is a nonbinary queer transfeminist activist and the former Executive Director and founder of TransAkcija Institute, the first and only trans specific non-governmental organization in Slovenia. They have been involved in Slovene LGBTIQ+ activism since 2006 and have numerous experiences with various structures of organizing, community and capacity building and advocacy. They are the first nonbinary person who publicly came out in nationwide media in Slovenia. Linn holds an MA in Gender Studies from Central European University and a BA in Social Work from the University of Ljubljana. In 2022 they joined the staff of Amnesty International Slovenia. They are inspired and led by norm and binary critical politics, recognition of (their own) privileges, community accountability and radical vulnerability.

Matilda González Gil

Matilda González Gil is a lawyer graduated from Universidad de Los Andes, International Human Rights from American University, Washington College of Law. Matilda has worked in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at the LGBTI Rapporteurship as a legal fellow; Colombia Diversa as a human rights lawyers; Instituto Colombiano del Bienestar Familiar in charge of the differential approach at the Children and Youth Direction; and a consultant in International Network of Civil Liberties Organization. Currently leading sex work legal strategy in Red Comunitaria Trans, working as a law professor in Universidad de Los Andes and video-columnist combining art and opinion at Cambio

Nim Ralph

Nim Ralph is a UK-based trans writer, educator and activist. They have led campaigns and organised extensively for queer and trans liberation in Britain’s toxically transphobic cultural landscape, and work with activists around the world to resist against authoritarian populism. Nim has spent time coordinating with trans folks globally to develop organising and comms strategies to fight against the populist playbook. Outside of trans organising they’ve been active in organising around anti-racism, disability and climate justice for nearly 20 years. Nim has held a number of strategic roles in the anti-racist, LGBTQI, women’s and disability sectors in the UK. They co-founded QTIPOC London ( for Queer, Trans and Intersex People of Colour), Purple Rain Collective and are an inaugural member of the Edge Fund. Previous to this they co-founded and directed So We Stand; an organisation working with communities on the frontlines of injustice and linking environmental, social and racial justice in the UK. This won Nim an Olive Morris Memorial Award for activism and was named a Guardian “Youth Climate Leader”. Additionally, Nim works as an educator in social movements on movement building strategy, anti-oppression and political education. They are designer of multiple activist training programmes with an approach to education that centres relationship and connection for better movement strategy. Their work in trans activism has been featured in Gay Times and GQ Magazine and on Jameela Jamil’s iWeigh podcast. 

Pinty Dludlu

Director for TransSwati, Pinty is a trans ambassador, facilitator and coordinator for Southern Africa Trans Forum from the Kingdom of Eswatini. She currently works for a community-based organization that goes by the name of TransSwati. She is a Mandela Washington 2018 alumnus under civic leadership done at The Presidential Prescint. Pinty holds a certificate in Project Management from the University of Stellenbosch and currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing with the University of South Africa. Pinty has 8 years of experience doing trans activism and 11 years of LGBTQI working experience.

Shaman Gupta

Shaman is a trans rights activist from India. As the former Co-Chair & CEO of TWEET Foundation (2017-23), he has supported thousands of trans youth with shelter home, skilling and employment opportunities. Shaman has also been instrumental in building the trans masculine persons movement in India by conducting All-India annual trans masculine persons meetups that is attended by trans men activist from across India and plays a key role for advocating for trans men’s rights with government bodies and other stakeholders. He is a founding member and steerting committee member of ‘Our Health Matters’ – a community-led research study in India that reports the issues of access for trans masculine persons health & wellbeing. He is part of GATE Transmasculine persons and HIV working group and continues to contribute to the global discourse on trans issues. He is currently the founder of Misfyt Trans Youth Foundation where he aims to build a resilient trans youth movement. Shaman has been recognised as an Echoing Green Fellow, Dalai Lama Fellow and Swedish Institute Leader Lab Fellow for his work with the community.

Sophie Khaly

Sophie is a Moroccan Youth transfeminist activist, artivist, performer and project manager. She has a solid experience and background within the trans and LGBTIQ+ movement in Morocco and Africa, she started volunteering and working with organizations and initiatives from 2017, and she’s passionate about Youth Community building. Sophie is the co-founder of SAQFE NGO, and she started working with the RM Taskforce of Frida The Young Feminist Fund in 2022, and with the AAC team of Love Alliance Program since 2023. Through their work, advocacy and their art, she aims and advocates to live one day in a world where inclusive rights and freedoms for LGBTIQ+ folks and for every human being are the basics.

Toryn Glavin

Toryn Glavin is a professional trans advocate and activist who has worked in a variety of professional and voluntary roles across the LGBTQI+ sector at both national and European levels over the last decade. She is currently the Communication & Network Officer at IGLYO, the International LGBTQI Youth Organisation based in Brussels, Belgium. She previously worked for 4 years at Stonewall in the UK as Trans Communities Manager and before this she worked for the Transgender Equality Network Ireland in her native Dublin. She previously sat on the board of Transgender Europe from 2016 to 2019 as well as IGLYO’s own board from 2020, until her appointment to the staff team in late 2023. Toryn believes fundamentally in the power of inclusion and representation in our movement. Alongside her work for trans communities, she has a personal investment in the liberation of fat, working class, disabled and autistic queer folk.

Tristán López

Tristán López (he/him) is a human rights defender, activist and researcher from Guatemala. His activism started in 2017 in anti-corruption and then transitioned into LGBTIQ+ human rights, understanding the links between justice, democracy and human rights. From 2017 to 2022 he was Advocacy Coordinator of the Guatemalan Transmen Collective ‘Trans-formación’ and is a founding member of Visibles, a local NGO bridging together the LGBTQ+ spectrum. In grassroots, he has contributed to research focused on transmasculine identities and in LGBTIQ+ violence and discrimination in Guatemala. He is also part of the Latin American Network of Trans and gender diverse AFAB persons. Tristán has a masters degree in contemporary history where he studied gender in the early Cold War in his country, his work was published in an opinion paper of Global Action for Trans Equality. In recent years, he has been a fellow for RFSL’s Rainbow Advocacy Program and interned in ILGA World’s GIESC programme. Tristán loves meditating, painting, cooking and hopes to become a therapist and a writer someday.

Vihaan Vee

Vihaan is an  Ambedkarite Queer Feminist Transman. Vihaan has been a part of anti-caste, feminist, queer and trans movements since his student days. He is a writer,researcher and campaigner.He has done Leadership Organizing Action from Harvard Kennedy School and M.A Social Work from TISS. He is working in the development sector on the issues of gender, sexuality, caste and climate through an intersectional feminist lens.He runs a Podcast series on the masculinity of transmasculine people called as MasculiniTea: Kuch Mardani Gupshup. His publications include Parentopia, Re/imagine Queer Utopias; Dialogue Protest, Andolan Imaginaries; How India’s Brutal Lockdown Was a Calamity for Trans-communities; Experience of bisexuality as a trans man, Lockdown Inside story of Vee, Still Criminals etc.

 

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