CONSORTIUM, the national umbrella body for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender + organisations announce the successful recipients from the first round of its new LGBT+ Futures Fund which includes four Brighton based LGBT+ organisations.
24 LGBT+ organisations across England will share the funding, with grants ranging from £1,000 to £19,000, and undertake a range of work, from engaging young LGBT+ people through to several pride organisations.
Funding will support LGBT+ communities to be more visible and organisations supporting LGBT+ communities more sustainable.
Funding for the programme is thanks to money from the Government Equalities Office, who are investing in the LGBT+ sector as a result of their National LGBT Survey—the largest survey of LGBT+ people undertaken by any Government.
The LGBT Action Plan details over 75 actions, including support for the infrastructure working with those LGBT+ people most in need.
Brighton based organisations receiving funding include:
Allsorts Youth Project: receive £12,525 to create a programme of work specifically aimed at improving BAMER/POC inclusion.
Marlborough Theatre C.I.C & New Writing South: receive £9,475 to stage The Coast is Queer, an LGBTQ writers festival in Brighton.
MindOut LGBTQ Mental Health Service: receive a £10,961 sustainability grant to build the capacity and capabilities to plan the next 3-5 years.
The Clare Project: receive £8,000 to create a TNB drop-in in Hastings, a dedicated opportunity for trans and non-binary communities.
Minister for Equalities, Baroness Susan Williams, said: “Local LGBT groups are incredibly important to the work of the Government Equalities Office and the advancement of equality in the UK. We are giving these fantastic organisations the resources to tackle the real issues faced in their communities, and to provide training and development to grow and become more sustainable. This investment will be vital in making sure our LGBT action plan brings about real, lasting change across the whole country.”
Paul Roberts OBE, Chief Executive at Consortium, added: “This is one of the first dedicated pots of funding for LGBT+ communities in England. We are delighted to be working with the Government Equalities Office to invest in some amazing organisations. The funding will help support diverse parts of our LGBT+ communities to be more visible and to help those organisations supporting LGBT+ people in need become more sustainable. Whilst a relatively small injection of money into the sector, we hope to make a big impact and we will be supporting both our grant recipients and other LGBT+ organisations to develop the skills and knowledge to get to the next level. We will also be making a further £200,000 available in the second round of the LGBT+ Futures Fund, launching in early May.
“We hope this programme is just the start of longer-term support and funding for the LGBT+ sector, not only in England, but across the whole of the UK. Consortium will be working with other funders and stakeholders to look at how we can use this opportunity to leverage further new money to support LGBT+ people and communities.”
A spokesperson for the Brighton based, Clare Project, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be receiving the LGBT+ Futures Fund Grant to extend our TNBI support service ‘TNB’ across East Sussex. Not only will this offer a chance to kick-start a sustainable support group and socialising opportunity for our community, but also enable us at The Clare Project to empower our service users into becoming volunteers”.
Projects funded will undertake their work up to March 2020, alongside further grantees that will be awarded following the second round of grant applications which will open on May 3.
For the full list of successful organisations receiving grants, click here:
Consortium runs a contract for the Government Equalities Office to deliver both a small grants programme and associated skills development and training programme up to March 2020 across England.
For more information about the programme, click here:
For details of all organisations in receipt of funding through the LGBT+ Futures Fund, click here:
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