The Democracy Lab: LGBTI movements enhancing democracy

Purpose and scope

The Democracy Lab is a new ILGA-Europe programme aimed at supporting LGBTI organisations working to protect democracy, for prominent participation of LGBTI organisations in the wider pro-democracy movement and discourse, and at building knowledge and skills in our movement to be strategic and impactful in this work.

The last few years have been marked by increasing restrictions on LGBTI rights, alongside numerous coordinated attacks on the foundations of human rights and democracy in Europe and Central Asia. As democracy weakens around the world, attacks on human rights of LGBTI people and LGBTI movements are also on the rise, with anti-LGBTI policies, legislation and discourses being used as a gateway to dismantle rule of law, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and the very foundations of democratic societies.

The LGBTI movement in Europe and Central Asia is strong and resilient, and has long played an integral part in the progressive movement ecosystem. In recent years, as many countries have faced democratic backsliding, LGBTI organisations have been at the forefront of civic participation and the defence of democratic values.

ILGA-Europe seeks to support and partner with LGBTI organisations aiming to strengthen their engagement in broader pro-democracy agendas and better connect their LGBTI-specific strategies with wider democratic organising and discourse.

At the heart of the programme will be a two-year partnership with eight LGBTI organisations across Europe and Central Asia[1]. 

Through funding, convenings, and opportunities for learning and capacity building, the programme will resource, strengthen and amplify diverse national strategies of LGBTI organisations, supporting their role in broader pro-democracy efforts. This will include integrating LGBTI-specific strategies into wider democratic organising and discourse, and fostering greater civic participation of LGBTI people.

Building on our collective learning and experience with the programme grantee partners, we will consolidate and share knowledge and skills with the wider movement to support strong and impactful strategies.

Programme highlights and timeline

The Democracy Lab is designed as a partnership that combines funding, learning, strategising and networking activities, and relies on partners’ interest and commitment to the collective.

As a grantee partner, you will get:

• Funding for your work: Up to €50,000 over two years towards specific projects rooted in your socio-political reality, aimed at strengthening democracy and enhancing the integration of LGBTI organisations into broader pro-democracy organising and discourse. Funds are awarded in two consecutive annual grants of up to €25,000 each, subject to a successful renewal process;
• A learning community: You will be part of a group of eight partner organisations working on diverse projects, and we will learn alongside each other at both online and in-person learning and strategising events;
• Amplification and networking opportunities: Share your lessons and successes at the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference and other movement convenings, and contribute to collective learning across the LGBTI movement.

For the Democracy Lab, weare seeking partners ready to drive impactful, locally grounded work at the national level that strengthens democracy and promotes the deeper integration of LGBTI organisations into broader pro-democracy movements and discourse within their country.

Eligibility

The Democracy Lab invites proposals from LGBTI organisations that:

• Are rooted and actively working in Europe and Central Asia.
• Have a strong connection with LGBTI communities in their countries of work.
• Have a clear vision of their role in broader pro-democracy efforts within their national context, demonstrate awareness of their strengths and limitations, and approach these strategically.
• Have an established role within the local pro-democracy and broader progressive movement ecosystem, with strong connections and active working relationships with other civil society organisations.
• Work in countries where democracy is under attack and human rights, fundamental freedoms and rule of law are under threat, and demonstrate how their work addresses and responds to this context.
• Demonstrate the capacities, resources and skills needed to implement such a project in their national context. Specific projects may require particular capacities and skills, for example, work around narratives, messaging and framing should be supported by demonstrated experience in these areas.
• Have other funding sources. Participating organisations must show confirmed funding for 2026 that exceeds the annual grant amount provided by this programme for that year (€25,000). This is not a co-funding requirement, but rather a condition to ensure that this grant is not the organisation’s sole source of income.
• Demonstrate capacities to manage funding. Applicants should have recent experience handling grants of a similar size and scope, with established systems to manage a two-year funding cycle effectively.
• Are interested in and committed to learning alongside other partners, while contributing to their experience to the movement. Participation in programme learning and knowledge-sharing activities is expected.

Joint applications are possible but do not automatically increase chances of your success. Joint applications should be rooted in already existing cooperation. Applicants are expected to provide details, including information about the role’s distribution.

Through this call for funding, we aim to find grantee partners who are already actively working to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. This call is not intended for LGBTI organisations or groups that are only beginning to strategise or consider new activities in this area. We expect project proposals to be grounded in work that is already being implemented.

What we Fund

The Democracy Lab will fund eight LGBTI organisations across Europe and Central Asia who will propose a project that:

• Advance stronger democracy and better integration of LGBTI organisations into broader pro-democracy movements and discourses and/or insure greater civic participation of LGBTI people;
• Focus on specific aspects of work towards stronger democracies while addressing critical needs and opportunities within their national context;
• Propose concrete and well-defined initiatives aimed at achieving tangible and measurable change;
• Build on their organisation’s past and current work, leveraging existing expertise, relationships and insights.

The funding is intended to support initiatives that are both strategic and actionable, contributing to sustainable progress within their national context.

A successful proposal is rooted in the organisation’s strategy and ongoing work, addresses the unique socio-political realities of your country, and sets out clear, tangible goals. Proposals can focus on different aspects of work to defend democracy, enhance the participation of LGBTI organisations in broader pro-democracy agendas and discourse, and/or promote more active civic participation of LGBTI people, such as:

• A project focused on cooperation with other civil society organisations to support specific aspects of democratic systems in national contexts. For instance, it can be a project focused on freedom of assembly bringing together various national stakeholders;
• A project aimed at strengthening your organisation’s position within national pro-democracy movements and discourse. This could include strategic work with stakeholders, refining framing and messaging, or shaping the role and image of your organisation or the broader LGBTI movement in your national context;
• A project aimed at opening more channels for LGBTI people’s civic participation in your national contexts, such as enabling LGBTI people to exercise their active and passive electoral rights, involvement in governance, or broader civic participation.
• A project focused on narratives and messaging that connect LGBTI human rights with broader pro-democracy agendas and discourse. For example, in the contexts of democratic backsliding, the project could shift the perception of Pride from being seen exclusively as an event supporting LGBTI rights to one that defends the freedom of assembly of all citizens.
• A project aimed at building partnerships with unconventional allies and expanding pro-democracy work beyond already established connections. This could include strategies, messaging, framing, and other aspects of collaborative efforts.

NB. The list of activities is not closed, these are just examples of work that can be considered by applicants.

How to apply

Note that the deadline for this call has been passed. All applicants will hear from us in the week of 13 October.

• To apply, submit a filled application form and the budget form using the templates below by Sunday September 28, 2025 (23:59 CEST) to ILGA-Europe’s Senior Programmes Officer Svetlana Zakharova: svetlana@ilga-europe.org
• All applicants will be notified of the selection outcomes via email during the week of October 13-17, 2025. We expect selected applicants to be available at that time to work on potential revisions to activities or budgets, and on contracting.
• The projects are expected to launch on November 1, 2025.

Questions and answers

• Q&A about the call
• Main information about the call
• Information about the finance and admin steps of the call

Reach out with your questions to ILGA-Europe’s Senior Programmes Officer, Svetlana Zakharova, svetlana@ilga-europe.org

[1] For this call Europe and Central Asia is considered to include the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.