Paul Roberts

• Consortium is delighted to have awarded £20,000 to LGBT+ organisations thanks to generous funding from a private donor.
• 20 LGBT+ organisations across the country received funding.
• Funds were awarded to user-led organisations working with diverse range of LGBT+ people of faith.

Consortium, the UKs umbrella body for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender + organisations has announced a list of the successful recipients from its latest grants programme, the LGBT+ Futures: Faith Fund.

20 LGBT+ organisations across the country shared funding of £20,000, which has now been fully distributed.

Grants ranged from £500 to £1,750 to support the delivery of core activities of LGBT+ non-profit groups, organisations and projects that are led by and for LGBT+ people of faith.

The programme of grants was made possible thanks to the donation of a private donor. A grants committee of community representatives agreed the grants, focusing on supporting the overall work of the funding organisations rather than specific projects.

This funding aimed to provide for the immediate needs of faith-based LGBT+ organisations and the light-touch application and award process represents Consortium’s commitment to ensuring funds are accessible to smaller and new LGBT+ organisations.

A list of grantees can be found here, and we will be showcasing individual grantees over the coming weeks.

Paul Roberts OBE, Chief Executive at Consortium said: “We are delighted to have been able to deliver a third iteration of funding thanks to our private donor. Thanks to their generosity, we have been able to target funds to an area of focus we know has received less financial support through our own funding. Through this fund we have been able to award grants to 20 remarkable LGBT+ organisations working across the country. Consortium remains committed to bringing new funds into the sector and providing new opportunities for smaller LGBT+ organisations who are doing such inspiring work.”

New Funding Partnership
for Trans Rights Makes First Award

Consortium is delighted to have made a grant award of £10,000 to TransActual, a trans-led organisation working to defend trans rights, thanks to funds from Global Butterflies, and a partnership with GiveOut. These vital funds will go to supporting the protection of Trans Rights in the UK at a critical time when there are multiple threats for trans and non-binary people and communities.

These funds represent the first award being made through the Global Butterflies Fund for Trans specific activity in the UK, and highlights a great collaboration between funders and those on the frontline fighting for rights.

We would like to pass on a huge thank you to Rachel Reese and Emma Cusdin at Global Butterflies who, through their work with corporates, have raised these much-needed funds.

We are excited to the partnership between Global Butterflies, GiveOut and Consortium growing so we can get more funds to where they are most needed right now.

We are really pleased to be publishing the Interim Evaluation into the LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund, which is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, thanks to National Lottery players. The programme has also been supported by Comic Relief and Barrow Cadbury Trust.

Our evaluators Civil Society Consulting CIC (CSC) explored the application process, identified the key strengths and weaknesses, and evaluated how the programme can be enhanced. This interim report will help Consortium and its Community Partners to shape the next phase of the programme, and to explore what comes next one this programme comes to its conclusion at the end of the year.

Paul Roberts, Chief Executive at Consortium said, “We are so grateful to the applicants, to our Community Panellists, our Community Collaborators and our grantees for engaging with this interim evaluation. We are absolutely delighted that it is showing a participative grant process, with those most affected by the issues we want to fund being in the driving seat for decision-making, works and can reach diverse and intersectional LGBT+ organisations. The successes highlighted really are testament to the co-production values that drive this programme. This is just the beginning and we will use this data to drive our ambitions for a sustainable LGBT+ Fund that brings new long-term funding for LGBT+ organisations, particularly those grassroots and targeted community organisations who find it more difficult to secure funds.”

Consortium will continue to work with our funding partners, our evaluators and all our community partners as we work towards the wider evaluation which will be published towards the end of 2023.

We are delighted to announce the LGBT+ Futures: Faith Fund is now open for applications. Thanks to the generosity of an individual Donor, and the success of our previous Intersections Fund, we have secured a funding pot of £20,000 that is available for non-profit groups, organisations and project that led by and for LGBT+ people of faith.

There is a total pot of £20,000 available, which will be distributed as community grants in denominations of £500, £1,000 and £2,000.
Our Community Panel will decide on the award amount, taking into consideration a geographical spread of awards, the size of the organisation, cross section of faith organisations in the awards and the priority needs of applicants.

This funding is ringfenced for LGBT+ faith-led organisations doing work specifically with LGBT+ faith communities. To be eligible, the primary purpose of your organisation or group must be to support LGBT+ faith communities—this may be focussed on one faith or be multi-faith.

To read the guidance and then apply please go to the LGBT+ Futures: Faith Fund page.

A resounding call must be heard by our trans communities this morning—we stand with you, now and always.

On the day the UK Government decided to intervene in the resoundingly passed Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, we will not let the culture war the UK Government wishes to stoke get in the way of what we will achieve—fair treatment of trans people across the UK.

Scotland has led the way for the UK when it comes to advancing trans equality. Trans communities are one of the most marginalised in our society today. The Scottish Government overwhelmingly passed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill after extensive consultation. Now the UK Government claims it must intervene because it has the potential to conflict with other Reserved Legislation, namely the Equality Act. To misunderstand what this new Legislation would achieve is egregious and simply a mechanism for political point scoring.

Last week, we saw a collective outcry from LGBT+, Trans and Ally organisations on news that the UK Government might intervene. Now they have done just this, our collective resolve will not falter.

Every LGBT+ person, every ally, wants every trans person to be able to live their life in safety as their true self. Just as we want every woman to be safe and free from abuse and discrimination. We do not believe these two things are in conflict, or ever have been. Trans people don’t want any more rights than anyone else, they just want equal treatment.

The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill is a simple Bill. No trans person has ever needed a Gender Recognition Certificate to be able to access the services that they need, and that will remain the case with this legislation.

We continue to urge the Prime Minister, the Scottish Secretary, and the entire Cabinet to recognise that trans people and communities must be protected and be valued citizens—not just through words, but through real and positive action.

The Scottish Parliament has sent a clear message of commitment to this through the GRR(S) Bill, with amendments being accepted by different Parties which created legislation that is strong and fair. We urge them all the listen to Women’s organisations across the country who understand that there is no conflict here, and who have been providing safe services for all women for many years, just as we urge them to listen to and respect our own communities.

Consortium will continue to help dispel the misinformation about trans people and communities and keep lines of communication open with UK Government, and others, on this. Together we can break down the factual inaccuracies and move towards a fairer and more equal society.