The ILGA-Europe Fund for Racial Justice

Register for the online Q&A session on 3 March, 14:00-15:00 (Brussels time). The questions and answers from this session will be included into the updated Q&A document.

What’s the vision behind The ILGA-Europe Fund for Racial Justice?

The political landscape across Europe continues to rapidly shift. Democratic norms are under pressure, public discourse is increasingly polarised, political and civil rights are under attack, and racialised, migrant and LGBTI communities are often placed at the centre of divisive narratives, state- and law-enforcement repression, and power struggles.

Organising and acting at the intersection of racial justice and LGBTI equality is essential. Racialised LGBTI communities have long been building activism and collective power that speak directly to these realities. The work of creating spaces of belonging, challenging harmful narratives and systems, developing new forms of solidarity and civic participation, and shaping alternatives to oppressive systems and practices sits at the crossroads of racial justice, LGBTI equality and civic freedoms.

Since 2023, ILGA-Europe has been working in close partnership with dozens of initiatives led by and for racialised LGBTI communities through our dedicated No One Left Behind Fund. This work is rooted in our understanding that advancing LGBTI equality in Europe requires confronting racism and racialisation as structural forces and recognising the leadership, knowledge and organising power of racialised LGBTI communities.

The ILGA-Europe Fund for Racial Justice builds up on that work and commitment and is set up to support organisations led by racialised LGBTI communities and working to shape current political conditions, claiming civic space, holding space for political expression, collective resistance, and dissent, exercising political rights, creating own narratives, and bringing people together to challenge harmful systems and practices or to build alternatives to them.

What are the aims and priorities of the Fund?

Our aim is to support racialised LGBTI communities in building collective power and civic and political presence.

In this call for proposals, ILGA-Europe will prioritise initiatives that:

• Create, expand and protect civic and political space for racialised LGBTI communities;
• Strengthen community organising, solidarity and collective action, including across agendas and movements;
• Increase communities’ ability to shape narratives and influence public discourse on racial justice and LGBTI equality;
• Challenge harmful and oppressive systems and practices and/or build and spread community-rooted alternatives to them;
• Contribute to stronger connections and shared learning across the LGBTI and racial justice movements, and/or other social justice movements.

We will do this by:

• Supporting up to 12 European LGBTI organisations led by racialised LGBTI people and working with and for racialised LGBTI communities;
• Creating structured spaces for exchange, reflection and collaboration among supported organisations and wider networks to deepen shared analysis and strengthen collective impact.

What does the Fund entail?

Through the current call for proposals, ILGA-Europe will partner with up to 12 organisations (up to 10 EU-based organisations and up to 1-2 non-EU-based organisations).

For partners supported by the Fund, there are two key components:

• Financial support for partners’ projects (up to €25,000 per organisation for 12 months), AND
• Partner meetings and collective learning spaces.

Who can apply?

This call is open to registered and non-registered LGBTI organisations and initiative groups in Europe that are:

• Led by racialised LGBTI people;
• Working for and with racialised LGBTI communities.

Non-registered groups must partner with a registered legal entity able to receive and manage funds.

Due to the funding source limitations, applicants must be ILGA-Europe member organisations by 1 June 2026 (or have membership applications under consideration by 1 April 2026). For more information about membership, please visit: https://ilga.org/membership/

Country eligibility notice: The main funding source limits the use of funds to organisations based in EU Member States. ILGA-Europe is working to secure additional resources that would allow us to support up to two organisations based outside the EU, as we have done in previous years. However, at this stage, we cannot guarantee that such additional funding will be secured. We share this information transparently so that organisations based outside the EU can make an informed decision about whether to apply.

What projects can be supported?

We seek projects rooted in community realities that strengthen racialised LGBTI communities’ presence, collective power and ability to address the social and political conditions that affect their lives.

Projects must run from 1 June 2026 to 1 June 2027, amount to €25,000 maximum and include one or more of the following types of work:

• Expanding communities’ ability to shape, occupy, and participate in public, cultural and civic life, including (re)claiming visibility, exercising rights and enabling people to come together for collective action and political resistance;
• Developing initiatives that build solidarity, shared analysis and collective political responses to racism, anti-LGBTI hostility, state repression and other forms of structural injustice;
• Amplifying community knowledge, histories and lived experiences to shift narratives, counter misinformation and challenge divisive or harmful public discourse;
• Organising public-facing actions, cultural initiatives or campaigns that assert presence, assert and strengthen political and social recognition, and contribute to broader social or another system-level change;
• Working alongside other communities or grassroots groups facing exclusion to develop joint strategies, shared alternatives or collective demands across movements and struggles;
• Mapping, documenting, and/or analysing community needs, patterns of exclusion or emerging threats, where this work is explicitly rooted in and strengthens ongoing organising, narrative work or collective action, rather than standing alone as research

We welcome approaches that combine care, direct organising and collective public engagement as interconnected elements of long-term change.

Projects can also include elements that strengthen organising structures, leadership and skills to ensure organisations are set for success over time.

What are the budget parameters?

Budgets up to €25,000 for 12 months are eligible. Only costs to be incurred between 1 June 2026 and 1 June 2027 can be included. Eligible costs include:

• Personnel
• Travel and events (physical or digital)
• External expertise or services
• Interpretation and translation
• Communication and outreach activities
• A fair proportion of administrative or core costs linked to project implementation

There is no percentage limit on personnel or consultancy costs if aligned with project objectives.

Capacity building activities may be included.

What is the time commitment in this partnership?

In addition to project implementation itself, our partnership will include the following activities requiring partners’ time:

• Three online partner meetings (June 2026, February 2027, June 2027 – 1.5 hours each)
• One in-person partner meeting (6-7 October 2026), followed by the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference (7-11 October 2026, Dublin, Ireland). All partners will be invited; participation is optional.
• Four progress calls with ILGA-Europe (June/July, September, January and April – 1 hour each)
• Interim report (November 2026)
• Final financial and narrative report (June 2027)

Meetings will be scheduled in consultation with partners.

How to apply?

• Submit proposals using the application form and budget template to anastasia@ilga-europe.org by 13 April 2026, 23:59 CEST.
• The application package with the templates is below
• Applicants will be informed of results in the week of 11 May 2026.

What to keep in mind when applying?

ILGA-Europe will prioritise projects that:

• Are led by and working for racialised LGBTI communities and work in Europe;
• Have a clear vision of how their work builds racialised LGBTI communities’ political voice, visibility, and ability to challenge oppressive and deteriorating systems, and influence civic and political space;
• Meaningfully engage their communities in collective action or organising; strengthen community presence, participation or collective capacity;
• Contribute to building or reclaiming space – socially, culturally or civically;
• Foster solidarity or shared work where relevant – across agendas, communities or social justice movements;
• Present realistic plans and awareness of risks;
• Show potential for lasting impact beyond the project period;
• Have basic financial management capacity.

Do you have any questions?

• Take a look at the Q&A document in the application package here. It covers many questions that we had received over the past years for similar calls. The updated Q&A document will be made available on 6 March after the online Q&A session.

• Join the online Q&A session on 3 March, 14:00-15:00 (Brussels time). To join, register at https://ilga-europe-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/2jRzuF3qRamGdlD0plGCiA. The questions and answers from this session will be included into the updated Q&A document.

• The application package includes an example pre-filled budget to support you in developing the budgetcomponent of your proposal. It shows how and what information needs to be featured in the budget.

• You can contact anastasia@ilga-europe.org and antonella@ilga-europe.org. All answers to the questions received via email will make it to the updated Q&A document.

Planning information for successful applicants

• Grant agreements will be signed by end of May 2026. We will appreciate if successful applicants make themselves available for questions and updates between 11 and 22 May – if any updates are required prior to us signing grant agreements.
• Projects run from 1 June 2026 to 1 June 2027.
• Online partner meetings: June 2026, February 2027, June 2027.
• In-person partner meeting: 6-7 October 2026, Dublin, Ireland.
• ILGA-Europe Annual Conference: 7-11 October 2026, Dublin, Ireland.
• Quarterly progress calls: June, September, January, April (1 hour each).
• Interim report due in November 2026.
• Final narrative and financial reports due in June 2027.