Human Rights Campaign Foundation Announces Recipients of 2021 Global Small Grants on International Human Rights Day

by Meghan Olson •

20 organizations in 20 countries around the world will receive small grants from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation to support their efforts LGBTQ+ protections in their country

WASHINGTON -- Today, in honor of International Human Rights Day, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF), the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, announced this year’s recipients of small grants as a part of the organization’s Global Partnerships Program. The 2021-2022 Global Small Grants Program will award 20 grants up to $5,000 to 20 recipient organizations around the world to support a range of innovative and impactful programs to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in these countries. This announcement coincides with International Human Rights Day which marks the date in 1948 when the newly formed United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration was the first time the global community spelled out a set of inalienable rights everyone is entitled to have, including LGBTQ+ people.

The grants support alumni of HRC’s global programs - a growing network of 180 LGBTQ+ advocates from 90 countries. All of them have participated in one of the HRC Foundation’s global programs, including the flagship annual Innovative Advocacy Summit, fellowships partnerships program. Through this network, the HRC Foundation works with a wide range of LGBTQ+ organizations, across regions and issues, selecting organizations that are well-established, have accountability mechanisms, and have a successful track record of creating innovative programs.

During a particularly challenging time for our movement, this Small Grants Program is an opportunity for the Human Rights Campaign to give back. The work being done by these 20 organizations to protect their communities from violence and discrimination, push back against hate and violence and advance legal and social acceptance for LGBTQ+ people is saving lives and advancing acceptance and inclusion for LGBTQ+ people worldwide."

Jean Freedberg, Director of Global Partnerships at the Human Rights Campaign

This year’s recipients include Open Mind Spectrum Albania (Albania), Right Side Human Right Defender NGO (Armenia), Somos - Communication, Health and Sexuality (Brazil), CamASEAN Youth’s Future (Cambodia), Diálogo Diverso (Ecuador), Alliance for Dynamics Initiative (Ghana), Red Dot Foundation (India), Helem (Lebanon), Lesbian Intersex Trans and other Extensions (Malawi), Rekonekt (Mauritius), Nassawiyat (Morocco), Namibia Diverse Women’s Association (Namibia), Track-T (Pakistan), Hombres Trans Panama (Panama), PRESENTE (Peru), Youth Voices Count, Inc. (Philippines), IGNITING YOUNG MINDS TANZANIA (Tanzania), UniKuir (Turkey), Queer Youth (Uganda) and one organization that requested to remain anonymous.

Right Side Human Rights Defender NGO team wants to sincerely express their gratitude for HRC’s support and help to the Transgender LGBIQ+ community in Armenia. We sincerely appreciate HRC’s contribution to the educational development of our movement and we are very thankful for all the resources HRC has devoted to our community to advance our rights, education level and well-being, to promote activism and human rights framework in our country and foster our work for achieving our goals and objectives during this challenging time for all of us. HRC’s contribution is making our movement stronger.

Lilit Martirosyan, President of Right Side NGO

This grant will greatly reinforce the work that we have been doing from Hombres Trans Panamá, by allowing us to strengthen trans men, trans woman and non-binary people nationwide to be able to work together on a national plan of action and work towards trans laws to overcome intersectional and systematic barriers and guarantee our basic rights as human beings. We deserve a dignified life where our identity and gender expression are respected and we can have access to education, employment, health, proper identification, and to have all human rights without any discrimination, and this grant will help us be closer to that goal.

Pau Gonzalez, Vice President of Hombres Trans Panamá

First launched in 2014, The Global Partnership Program at the HRC Foundation leverages the knowledge, resources and expertise of HRC to support and strengthen the global movement for equality. The HRC Foundation does this by partnering with members of an ever-expanding HRC Global Alumni network who have participated in HRC’s capacity-building and leadership development skills-building programs in the U.S. and around the world.

To learn more about HRC’s Global Partnerships Program, visit TheHRCFoundation.org/Global.

The Human Rights Campaign reports on news, events and resources of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation that are of interest to the general public and further our common mission to support the LGBTQ+ community.

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