Trans* and intersex movements are rapidly growing, and their advocacy is influencing issues and policies around the world. Increased funding attention for trans* and intersex communities is both a response to and a cause of this activism. Recognizing the need for better coordination and collaboration between donors and activists, Global Action for Trans* Equality, Open Society Foundations and Wellspring Advisors partnered to host Advancing Trans* Movements Worldwide: A Meeting for Funders and Activists Working on Gender Diversity in December of 2013.
These organizations worked in collaboration with six trans* activists as part of a working group to design the agenda, as well as identify activists to participate and speak on the key issues. As a result, 22 trans* and intersex activists, came together in Berlin with 24 foundation and bilateral donors to learn, network, and together identify ways to better collaborate and coordinate to advance the rights of trans* and intersex people. The organizers hope that this dialogue, and the resulting outcomes, will increase the amounts of funding going to support these movements and improve the way that donors and trans* and intersex activists partner to achieve their shared aims
How can I use the report?
This report serves a number of purposes.
The first is to capture the discussions, outcomes and recommendations from the meeting that support better coordination and collaboration on trans* and intersex funding. Included are concrete recommendations at the organizational level that could improve an individual donor’s approach to funding on trans* and intersex issues, as well as ideas about how to collaboratively and strategically support these movements.
The second is to document the methodology of organizing a donor/activist convening in a collaborative manner. It highlights the collaborative methodology undertaken by the meeting organizers to ensure the broadest possible participation and representation of trans* and intersex activists in the convening. A collaborative process between donors and activists resulted in a meeting that is more relevant, and that builds the capacity of donors and activists.
For funders, the report provides important recommendations on what to fund and how to fund on trans” and intersex issues, as well as an overview of the state of the trans* and intersex movements and critical challenges facing both communities.
For activists, the report outlines concrete steps for engaging donors and other activists in conversations about access to much-needed resources. In general , we hope that this report will support the growth of funding for trans* and intersex movements worldwide by laying a strong foundation of equitable and fruitful collaborations between activists and donors, and we invite you to distribute the report widely among your networks.
What has happened since the meeting?
Since the Berlin meeting donors and activists have been working to move forward the conversation on funding for trans* and intersex rights in a number of ways. First, the outcomes of the meeting and data from the report “The State of Trans* and Intersex Organizing” by Global Action for Trans* Equality and American Jewish World Service have been presented at a number of regional and international conferences, including the International Human Rights Funders Group’s 2014 San Francisco and New York Conferences; the 5th European Transgender Council, the 2nd Trans Health and Advocacy Conference in Southern Africa and the 2014 International AIDS Conference. Second, the Global Philanthropy Project, a collaboration of funders and philanthropic advisors to expand global philanthropic support to advance LGBTI human rights in the Global South and East, established a Trans Working Group with the goals of a) increasing the level of funding for trans* issues worldwide and b) increasing the effectiveness of funding on trans* issues. The Trans Working Group has begun conversations about how current trans* funders can coordinate existing funding efforts and more broadly, implement the recommendations that came out of Advancing Trans* Movements Worldwide. The group will also explore how GPP members can more effectively fund on intersex issues.
Recommendations
- Document the advocacy, service provision, capacity building, and leadership models that have been effective for your organization and movement, and make them accessible for other organizations. This includes sharing funding strategies and skills.
- Create learning tools for donors and others that clearly define the language and terms that are resonant with the communities you are serving.
- Establish formal and informal mentoring programs between seasoned and new activists.
- Participate in spaces where trans* and intersex movements can organize with other movements, such as the rights of women, migrants, sex workers, people who use drugs, and incarcerated persons.
