Grant Making Panel
The Grant Making Panel (GMP) is composed of trans activists from each region, who bring deep community knowledge to the heart of ITF’s funding decisions.
Their work advances equity, accountability, and the collective power of trans movements.
GMP members serve three-year terms, creating space for new perspectives and ensuring that diversity within and across regions remains central to ITF’s funding decisions.
Ale Lopez Bemsch
Pronouns: He/Him
Title/Role: Trans and Intersex Activist, Educator, Researcher Location: Argentina
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Ale approaches this with an intersectional, community-based, and rights-centered perspective.
He is the director of Argentina Intersex, an organization that promotes access to rights for intersex people—especially children—through political advocacy, regional collaboration, and the production of situated knowledge. Trained in education and gender policies, Ale combines research with grassroots action and institutional advocacy.
Ale is curious and passionate about learning and building solidarity networks. He is committed to channeling resources to strengthen the leadership and self-determination of trans and intersex people. He believes that all people deserve to live with dignity and well-being.
Alegra Wolter
Pronouns: She/Her
Title/Role: Transgender Activist and Medical Doctor
Location: Sydney/Jakarta
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As Indonesia’s first openly transgender doctor, she has led transformative advocacy and programs for LGBTIQ+ health and rights. Her work has had impact both nationally and internationally. For over a decade, Alegra has contributed to research, advocacy, and participatory projects that elevate trans voices. She also strengthens community-led systems. She has worked with organizations including Women’s Fund Asia, the Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN), Youth LEAD, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Indonesia.
Her activism spans grassroots mobilization, policy advocacy, and global health leadership. She ensures that trans, gender-diverse, and marginalized voices are centered in decision-making. As an advisory board member of Suara Kita, she helps shape trans-led initiatives in Indonesia.
Alma Aguilar Betancurt
Pronouns: She/Her
Title/Role: Advocacy Lead/Programme Officer
Location: Netherlands
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She holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Cultural Diversity from the University of Essex and has contributed to a range of regional and international organizations, including the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations (UN), ILGA World and Aidsfonds.
Alma worked within the universal human rights system to advocate for LGBTIQ+ rights during her time at ILGA World. She has also supported community organizing and advocacy efforts among Indigenous women in Abya Yala/Colombia, focusing on women with diverse ancestral gender identities and expressions.
Currently, she works with Aidsfonds on the Love Alliance project, promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights for LGBTIQ+ people, sex workers, and people who use drugs. Alma also serves on the Boards of Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) and Trans United Europe.
Jones (JFK)
Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Title/Role: Human Rights Activist
Location: Nigeria
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Working across Africa and globally, they harness data as a feminist-responsive tool to address inequalities. Their work also supports advocacy for sexual and gender minorities.
As a mathematician and MEAL Lead at the Improved Sexual Health & Rights Advocacy Initiative (ISHRAI), Jones has improved healthcare access for over 175 LGBTQI+ youth. They have supported more than 5,000 individuals through US CDC- and USAID-funded HIV projects in Nigeria. Jones has trained young LGBTQI+ activists on evidence-based advocacy and gender-based violence response. They have contributed to platforms including the Journal of the International AIDS Society, Virology Education, and The Global Health Network. Jones strengthened their advocacy through fellowships such as Leaving No Nigerian Behind and the Carrington Youth Fellowship. They ground their grantmaking work in a feminist, intersectional approach that centers transparency, accountability, fairness, and equitable resourcing.
Lilit Martirosyan
Pronouns: She/Her
Title/Role: Trans Activist, Founder & President of the Right Side HRD NGO
Location: Armenia,Yerevan
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In 2016, she founded the Right Side Human Rights Defender NGO. The organization is the first Armenian trans community-based organization in the South Caucasus. Through this groundbreaking work, she has united hundreds of trans people and sex workers across Armenia to drive forward socio-cultural and legal reforms, creating lasting solutions to improve dignity, safety, and quality of life.
Lilit was recognized for her advocacy in 2020 when she received the Human Rights Tulip, an international award from the Dutch government. The award honors individuals and organizations that promote human rights through peaceful and innovative means. She used the €100,000 prize to establish a safe and secure space for trans and LGBTI+ people in Armenia.
Lilit views her role on the Grant Making Panel as directly supporting trans people pushing boundaries and building safer futures. She believes a thriving movement is one where trans communities have the tools, safety, and power to lead.
Lukas Berredo
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Title/Role: Trans Advocate, Researcher, and Communications Designer
Location: Germany
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Before relocating to Germany in 2016 to work at Trans Europe and Central Asia (TGEU), he lived in Chile and China, where he collaborated with local communities to expand access to information and resources, advance trans rights, and raise awareness of trans realities.
Lukas’s connection to trans movement building spans multiple countries and roles. He has contributed to organizing and advocacy efforts in Brazil, Chile, China, and Germany, with a focus on capacity strengthening, strategic visual communications and alliance building. Whether through direct action or creative behind-the-scenes support, he remains deeply committed to amplifying trans-led efforts.
Mari Kurtanidze
Pronouns: They/She
Title/Role: Queer Feminist Activist
Location: Georgia
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They hold a Master’s degree in European and International Human Rights Law from Leiden University and an MA in Gender, Society, and Representation from University College London.
Mari previously worked as a strategic litigation lawyer at Union Sapari, where they litigated cases before the European Court of Human Rights and the CEDAW Committee. They later served as Litigation Coordinator at the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and as Regional Programme Officer at the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, supporting human rights defenders and women’s movements across the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
They have served as a board member and advisor to organizations including IGLYO, EL*C, FRIDA Feminist Fund, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, and Equality Movement. Mari is also the co-founder of the queer techno series HOROOM Nights and the queer feminist collective Lesbian Resistance, contributing to community-building and cultural work within queer feminist spaces.
Mia Sofia Vargas
Pronouns: She/Her
Title/Role: Lawyer / Activist
Location: Cochabamba, Bolivia
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She works to amplify the presence of LGBTIQ+ youth in academic and decision-making spaces. A lawyer by profession and currently an Anthropology student at the Universidad Mayor de San Simón, she authored the first report on access to justice for trans people in Bolivia, as well as the situational report on trans people for the Universal Periodic Review.
She holds a diploma in Feminist Studies from the Center for Advanced University Studies. She also earned a diploma in Collective Health from the Latin American Council of Social Sciences. Mia has volunteered at the Ombudsman’s Office and worked in a court addressing violence against women. Currently, she serves as Legal Advisor for Casa Trans and the Transfeminist Movement Foundation.
Nim Ralph
Pronouns: They/He
Title/Role: Educator, Speaker and Activist
Location: London, UK
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They have led campaigns for queer and trans liberation within Britain’s hostile cultural landscape. Additionally, Nim has also collaborated with trans activists globally to develop organizing and communications strategies that respond to authoritarian populist movements.
Beyond trans organizing, Nim brings nearly 20 years of experience across anti-racism, disability justice, women’s rights, and climate justice movements. Nim held senior strategic roles within the UK’s anti-racist, LGBTQI, women’s, and disability sectors. He co-founded QTIPOC London (Queer, Trans, and Intersex People of Colour) and the Purple Rain Collective. They are an inaugural member of the Edge Fund. They also previously co-founded and directed So We Stand, supporting frontline communities and linking environmental, social, and racial justice. As a result, this work earned an Olive Morris Memorial Award and recognition as a Guardian “Youth Climate Leader.”
Nim works as an educator in social movements, designing training programmes focused on anti-oppression, political education, and relationship-centred strategy. They regularly speak on panels about organizing, trans experience, and political strategy. Nim’s work appears in Gay Times, GQ, and on Jameela Jamil’s iWeigh podcast. He actively builds organizing strategies and cross-movement alliances to strengthen the trans movement in the UK and beyond.
Pinty Dludlu
Pronouns: She/Her
Title/Role: Executive Director
Location: Eswatini
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She is the coordinator for the Southern Africa Trans Forum and serves as a trans ambassador working with the Ministry of Health. Her past roles include work with CHAI as a transcriber and clinical data collector, PSI as a data clerk and receptionist, and Rock of Hope as a peer research assistant. Pinty was the 3rd runner-up for Miss Trans Africa 2023/24, and is the recipient of the 2022 African Feather Award, the 2012 Rainbow Personality Award (PSI Eswatini), and a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow.
She holds a BA in Humanities and is currently pursuing a BA in Creative Writing at the University of South Africa. A mobilizer, organizer, mentor, advocate, and leader in the trans movement, Pinty aims to represent trans people from Southern Africa and advocate for funding on their behalf. She envisions a world with legal gender recognition, bodily autonomy, freedom from violence, and economic justice for all trans people.
Pronouns: She/They
Title/Role: Artist, Artivist, Community Organizer, Project Manager, Film Director, Performer, Thinker
Location: Morocco
Sophie Khaly
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Since 2017, Sophie has actively engaged in the trans and LGBTIQ+ movement in Morocco and across Africa. They are the co-founder of SAQFE NGO and lead initiatives focused on youth community building and empowerment. Sophie has contributed to the RM Taskforce of Frida The Young Feminist Fund since 2022 and to the AAC team of the Love Alliance Program since 2023.
Through their advocacy and artistic work, Sophie centers trans voices and promotes inclusivity and intersectional justice. They strive toward a world where the rights and freedoms of LGBTIQ+ people and all individuals are recognized and upheld.
Sosthène
Pronouns: They/Them
Title/Role: Community Organizer
Location: Burundi
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Sosthène began their advocacy in 2014 as a peer educator. They focus on issues affecting Intersex, Transgender, and Gender Non-Conforming (ITGNC) individuals and sex workers.
In 2024, they were awarded Best Sex Work Activist, recognizing over a decade of impactful work in human rights advocacy. Sosthène currently serves as Program Lead for Francophone Countries at the African Sex Workers Alliance (ASWA). They are also a member and co-chair of the Communications Task Force at the African Queer Youth Initiatives.
Their published work amplifies ITGNC issues and the experiences of sex workers, ensuring marginalized voices are represented in public discourse. Sosthène holds a Bachelor’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation.
Toryn Caitríona Glavin
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Title/Role: Movement Builder
Location: Ireland
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Over the last decade, she has held professional and voluntary roles across the LGBTQI+ sector, nationally and across Europe. She currently serves as Communications and Network Officer at the International LGBTQI Youth & Student Organisation (IGLYO) in Brussels.
Previously, Toryn was Operations & Development Manager at Outhouse LGBT Community Centre in (her native) Dublin. She spent four years at Stonewall in the UK as Trans Communities Manager. She has also worked for Transgender Equality Network Ireland. Toryn served on the board of Transgender Europe (2016–2019) and on IGLYO’s board (2020–2023), prior to her current role.
Toryn believes in the fundamental power of inclusion and representation within the movement. She is also personally committed to the liberation of fat, working-class, disabled, and autistic queer people. Her entire adult life has been dedicated to serving trans communities. She focuses particularly on advocating for trans youth and disabled trans people.
Vihaan Vee
Pronouns: He/His/Him
Title/Role: Writer, Campaigner, Storyteller, Activist, Trainer and Researcher
Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
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Working at the intersections of gender, sexuality, caste, and climate justice, he engages as a writer, researcher, and campaigner with a strong intersectional feminist lens. Vihaan hosts MasculiniTea: Kuch Mardani Gupshup, a podcast that centers transmasculine experiences and explores evolving ideas of masculinity.
His work focuses on amplifying marginalized voices, documenting everyday realities, and building collective visions of justice, dignity, and resistance. He also serves on the boards and advisory groups of several feminist and queer community-based organizations, to continue building solidarities across caste, class, gender, sexuality, religion, region, and ethnicity.