GATE’s Innovation Lab is a bold and strategic approach to reducing financial dependency and fostering economic resilience among trans and gender diverse organizations around the world.
The Brain Trust is a diverse and dynamic Strategic Advisory Group that unites stakeholders from different sectors such as community representatives, donors and social enterprise experts.
On 12-13 September 2025, GATE convened an in-person meeting of the Brain Trust in Mexico City, Mexico, to support the implementation of GATE’s Innovation Lab. This meeting comes at a time when many trans-led organizations are experiencing shrinking resources, rising political hostility and attacks from anti-gender movements.
The meeting of the Brain Trust in Mexico City confirmed the value of this strategic advisory group in providing a multidisciplinary space for diverse perspectives to inform the direction and outputs of the GATE Innovation Lab. Brain Trust members identified priorities for the Social Enterprise Handbook (being developed) and gave direction on the design of the mentorship and funding phases.
In practice, this meeting was essential for:
- The development of a Social Enterprise Handbook – a repository of best practices documenting successful sustainability models used by grassroots trans and gender diverse organizations – coming soon
- The future mentorship & tailored support to organizations to shift from dependency to sustainability
- The creation of a transparent mechanism that directly connects donors with trans-led organizations to streamline support and reduce barriers to funding.
GATE’s Innovation Lab is all about fostering financial resilience of the trans and gender diverse movement and ensuring social justice.
