Donate to support trans, queer and LGBTQI people affected by the war in Ukraine

The International Trans Fund team is continually monitoring the situation in Ukraine. We are paying close attention to how the war is affecting trans communities and providing support to our partners. 

In this difficult time, many Ukrainians are under attack and they need urgent help. We compiled a list of links to donate to trans, queer and LGBTQI organizations providing vital support to communities affected by this crisis. Every bit makes an impact. Please consider donating to them if you can:

OutRight Action International Fundraiser to Support LGBTQI Ukranians

European Pride Organisers Association Fundraiser to support KyivPride and KharkivPride with emergency funds 

The Alliance Queere Nothilfe Ukraine

Urgent Action Fund’s Urgent Response Fund: Ukraine

Donate Directly to Queer and Young Feminist Organizations

ILGA-Europe’s List of Organizations

AllOut Emergency Funds for Ukraine

The ITF Condemns Transphobic Legislation in Guatemala

The ITF strongly condemns a recent transphobic legislative initiative introduced in the Congress of Guatemala. We stand in solidarity with the trans and nonbinary community against a bill that seeks to define trans and non-binary identities as “disorders”, and seeks to criminalize all public debate on trans acceptance and rights. In December 2021, a group of twenty-one lawmakers in Congress’ Commission on Education, Science, and Technology advanced a bill that would stigmatize trans and nonbinary identities and violate children’s and adolescents’ right to education. 

Bill 5940 claims to “protect children from gender identity disorders” when in reality it is a discriminatory attempt to ban the dissemination of any information about trans identity in sex education classes in schools. The bill seeks to impose restrictions on media, requiring programs with gender identity content to be labeled as “not recommended” for minors. Preventing access to science-based information about gender and sexuality for children violates their rights and directly contradicts freedom of speech.

Diversity of gender identity and expression is completely natural for society. Gender is a spectrum and any attempt to demonize gender identity is an attack on human rights. Trans and nonbinary people pose no threat to others and deserve safety, respect and inclusion. 

Pathologizing trans and nonbinary people runs counter to the established international medical consensus. “Gender identity disorder” and “transsexualism” have been removed from the World Health Organization’s latest International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) “Mental and Behavioral Disorders” chapter and are not considered disorders in the medical community. Pathologizing trans identities historically leads to greater violence and motivates hate.

This retrogressive legislative initiative supported by the Congress of Guatemala is unscientific and cruel. It stigmatizes an already vulnerable trans and nonbinary community calling it “a corrupting influence, harmful to children”.  Central America remains among the regions with the highest rates of attacks against trans individuals. Bill 5940 would deepen the stigma and put people’s lives at risk.  Recent reports have shown that the government of Guatemala had failed to adequately protect LGBT people against violence.

We urge the Congress of Guatemala to reject the bill and instead promote respect and equality, focusing on preventing pervasive violence and discrimination that trans and nonbinary people face and uphold children’s right to comprehensive education.

We would like to acknowledge the amazing work done by the trans activist community of Guatemala and our former grantee partner Colectivo Trans-Formacion. You can visit their website: https://hombrestranslatam.org/ or get in touch with the group’s coordinator Alex Rodrigo Castillo [email protected] 

#NOALA5940

Commemorating #TDoR202

Trans people across the globe continue to face systemic and systematic forms of violence and exclusion. The world has been and continues to be unsafe for #transgender people – this needs to end now. This Trans Day of Remembrance (#TDoR2021), the ITF joins the world in honoring those in our communities who were murdered over the past year. the Trans Murder Monitoring registered 375 reports of trans and gender-diverse people killed worldwide between 1^st October 2020 and 30^th September 2021. We call for an immediate end to this senseless act of violence. We at the ITF remain resolute and resilient in our cause to end all forms of violence against trans and gender-diverse people.

Welcoming Chivuli Ukwimi as the ITF’s New Deputy Director!

The ITF is delighted to announce that Chivuli Ukwimi has joined the ITF as our new Deputy Director! Chivuli joins the ITF at a moment of unprecedented institutional growth and as we continue to leverage funding for global trans movements.

Chivuli’s commitment to social justice is rooted in her own life experiences, as a transgender woman from Zambia, she is driven by a personal vision of living in an inclusive world where all people can fully enjoy and realise their inherent rights. Chivuli has managed multiple grantmaking and philanthropy portfolios within various funding organizations including OSF’s Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and Hivos Southern Africa.  She also has a long track record working in civil society organizations and strong links to trans communities including  as a founding member of Friends of Rainka (now Dignitate Zambia), Population Services International (PSI) Zambia and Outright Action International.

We are very excited that Chivuli has joined our team and will support us in our next chapter!

Q & A: Getting to Know Chivuli

What excites you about joining ITF as the Deputy Director?
Firstly I am very passionate about fighting systemic and systematic exclusion and marginalization of any human being, especially those that are on the margins of society; being part of the ITF gives me the right tools and platform to address the continued injustices against trans persons globally. Secondly, I see this opportunity as a way to contribute to an exciting, forward thinking and future facing organisation like the ITF through my years of experience in grant making and philanthropy. 

What is your greatest hope for trans movements?
I look forward to a vibrant and grounded trans movement that is well resourced and positioned to advance the human rights of trans people worldwide including socio-economic and political rights. Ensuring that trans persons across the world are able to live in dignity in a world where our choices are respected, our freedoms protected and liberties upheld. 

Where do you see the ITF in 5 years?
I see the ITF as a thought leader and change maker in the world of philanthropy, setting the tone and the pace for meaningful philanthropy that is community driven and centered. I further see the ITF achieving growth that is well positioned and responsive to the needs of trans groups and movements worldwide. 

What do you love to do in your ‘downtime’?
Well I rarely get down time LOL, but when I do I love to soak myself in a good read. I also love cooking, it calms me and gives a certain kind of warmth. 

FAQ: All About the ITF’s Grantmaking

We’re very excited to share a new resource that explains our grantmaking and how we make decisions at the ITF. We believe that in order to disrupt power dynamics in philanthropy, we need to be intentionally and continuously transparent and accountable to trans movements about how we allocate resources and how decisions get made.

Last week our Grant Making Panel (GMP) met to select grantee partners for the 5th grant cycle. This will be the ITF’s largest grant cycle yet, but even so we are only able to fund 14% of the eligible applications we received from trans-led groups this year. As we share the results with the applicants, we know some groups will feel excitement and joy at becoming grantee partners while others will be frustrated and disappointed at not being selected for funding. We want to share information about how these difficult decisions get made and provide information to support groups that are interested in applying for funding in our next cycle.

You can read more at FAQ: All About the ITF’s Grantmaking

Update on the ITF and COVID-19

Dear friend,

We are writing to you in relation to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic which is having devastating effects on many people and communities across the globe. As a result of this pandemic, many trans people are dealing with very difficult circumstances – struggling with illness and healthcare systems that are overburdened and grappling with fear and anxiety. Trans people experience unique risks and challenges in a pandemic related to transphobia, discrimination and economic marginalization, which is often exacerbated by racism, xenophobia, poverty, disability and other intersections. As this public health crisis deepens, the ITF wants to express our support and solidarity with trans movements and our allies across the globe.

We also wanted to share some information about the measures we are taking:

• The ITF is continuing our work: As we already work remotely, we will continue to issue grant payments and support grantee partners. Our Grant Making Panel (GMP) is in the process of reviewing applications to the 4th grant cycle. We are supporting our staff, Steering Committee, GMP and grantee partners at this difficult time. All ITF travel has been suspended until further notice.
• The in-person GMP meeting is on hold: The GMP meeting where new grantee partners are selected was scheduled for June. This meeting is now on hold as we cannot in good conscience put the health and safety of our community at risk. While we monitor the situation, we are also looking at creative ways to allocate grants this year. Our intention is to stay on schedule and select grantee partners and disburse grants by August 2020.
• Flexible funding: As a funder, we understand that COVID-19 may require shifts in our grantee partners work and strategy. We recognize that certain programs, meetings or other grant activities may be cancelled or postponed. We stand ready to find flexibility in our grants to help grantee partners respond to these challenges wherever possible.

The ITF’s work matters now more than ever, and we are deeply committed to supporting trans-led groups in their efforts to build our movements and promote rights, health and wellbeing. Despite the challenges that we are facing, this is also an opportunity for us to reach out and connect with each other and our communities.

On behalf of all of us at the ITF, we send our best wishes for your health and security and stand in solidarity as you continue your crucial work.

Deadline to Apply for a Grant Extended to December 6, 2019

The ITF has extended the deadline to apply for a grant to December 6, 2019 at 5pm (EST/New York time). We welcome applications from trans-led organizations with budgets below $150,000 USD based in any region of the world.

The application form can be downloaded from our website (here). The form is available in English, French, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Spanish. We have also created Application Guidelines (with tips on how to write a strong application), which you will find here.

If you have questions, please contact [email protected]

Two Weeks Left to Apply to the ITF’s Fourth Grant Cycle

The ITF welcomes applications from trans-led organizations with budgets below $150,000 USD based in any region of the world. The deadline to apply is December 2, 2019 at 5pm (EST/New York time).

The application form can be downloaded from our website (here). The form is available in English, French, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Spanish. We have also created Application Guidelines (with tips on how to write a strong application), which you will find here.

If you have questions, please contact [email protected]

Trans Pre-Conference Report

The ITF partnered with UHAI-EASHRI to hold a Trans Pre-Conference as part of Changing Faces, Changing Spaces (CFCS) VII on June 18, 2019. The Trans Pre-Conference brought together 35 participants from more than 15 countries in Africa, representing diverse trans sexual and gender minority groups. The main objective of the Trans Pre-Conference was to facilitate the participation of trans activists to engage in discussions on how to strengthen trans movement building in Africa. The agenda was structured to include a mixture of small-group activities and large-group discussions. Each area of the agenda was intentionally sequential, building on previous sessions to connect the threads of discussions and link issues and strategies. Learning was participatory and included plenary discussions, breakout sessions and opportunities to network and share experiences. Read the Trans Pre-Conference Report.