LBQ+ Research Reports Worldwide

On his first day in office, Trump claimed that trans and intersex people didn’t exist, erased non-discrimination provisions, and branded work with marginalized communities in the U.S. and abroad as un-American. Four days later, on January 24, Trump issued a 90-day freeze on nearly all foreign assistance. Organizations around the world that received U.S. government funds for work with LGBTIQ communities began to receive stop-work orders instructing them to immediately halt all programmatic work and cease all expenditures on their grants. LGBTIQ organizations and their allies were forced, with no notice, to shut down programs, lay off staff, suspend crucial research and advocacy work, and turn away beneficiaries from services. By February 7, some recipients of U.S. funds began to receive termination notices from the U.S. government, cutting off their U.S.-funded programming entirely.

Intermediary funders have been the subject of increased support and attention in recent years. According to The Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit consulting firm, the number of organizations that can serve as intermediaries has increased substantially over the past 15 years. Intermediary grantmaking institutions have been established and funded — often with support from foundations — for a number of reasons, including but not limited to their proximity to communities, efficiency, expertise, and ability to facilitate collaboration across donors.

Based on a mixed-methods approach, this report presents findings from surveys conducted in 2018 with 378 LBQ groups from all regions of the world and 67 donors, including public and private foundations, as well as follow-up interviews resulting in four case studies of LBQ groups.