Latest news with #GlobalPhilanthropyProject
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here's how some human rights and LGBTQ+ groups prepared for major foreign aid cuts under Trump
In early 2024, Matthew Hart took a hard look at the upcoming elections around the world and worried that the outcomes did not look promising. 'What we knew was that the winds were not in our favor. The winds were not in our sail, and we saw all around the world a kind of moral panic,' said Hart, executive director of the Global Philanthropy Project, a network of funders for LGBTQ+ people internationally. Rising authoritarianism and religiously motivated political movements were mixing into a 'toxic blend" that regularly targets trans, intersex and gay people, he said in an interview with The Associated Press. Hart was among the philanthropic leaders who tried to prepare for not just changes under the Trump administration, but growing trends toward autocracy and crackdowns on human rights around the world. As a result, last year, Global Philanthropy Project quietly launched a campaign called 'Fund Our Futures' to raise money for LGBTQ+ organizations around the world. In November, they announced they had secured more than $100 million and have since raised the bar to try to bring in another $50 million. Donors will award the funds over the next three to five years and GPP will track their commitments. Funders can be slow to respond to crises While few anticipated the speed and breadth of the Trump administration's policy changes, Hart had seen funders grapple with fear and paralysis in moments of crisis. 'There's a history in philanthropy that that you sort of wait and see. What's going to happen?' he said. 'We thought, 'Oh, we have got to get ahead of this. Because if we don't secure the commitments now, we're talking two years of internal, philanthropic field work that would need to be done.' Phil Buchanan, president of The Center for Effective Philanthropy, said the early preparation will allow funders to identify and support organizations aligned with their goals. But he said, no funder can expect to always be accurate in their forecasting. 'Preparation is really important,' he said, 'And then also, so is being responsive when the context looks different than what you prepared for.' For example, few funders contemplated the wholesale termination of most U.S. foreign aid, which has had vast and cascading effects on organizations across every geography and issue. Trump singled out foundations with large endowments for investigation in one of his executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion and in a memo in February, he accused many nonprofits who have received federal funding of engaging 'in actions that actively undermine the security, prosperity, and safety of the American people." Preparation can help funders decide how to act Funders who support democracy movements in inhospitable environments have some experience adapting to these kinds of threats. Even so, Kellea Miller, executive director of the Human Rights Funders Network, said they were caught off guard. 'There are areas that Trump has very quickly shifted that we knew he would touch, but the scale and rapidity of it is beyond what most of us had imagined,' she said, adding that she had expected more action from Congress. Starting in 2021, HRFN convened funders to coordinate their responses to crises like the presidential assassination Haiti and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Those conversations grew into a framework called Better Preparedness, which encourages foundations to consider in advance of a crisis how they want to react. 'So we're not all funding the same groups and that we're also able to distribute the risk and risk appetite in a way that we can't if we're not honest and and working together,' Miller said. Miller said now in the U.S., funders of democracy and human rights movements worry the Trump administration will threaten their ability to operate. 'A lot of foundations are very, very cautious right now because they're worried that their assets could be frozen. They're concerned that they will be targeted politically,' she said. LGBTQ+ communities were still disrupted The commitments to the Fund Our Futures campaign represent a noticeable portion of the funding for groups that serve gay, transgender and intersex people around the world even as some government funding has been taken away. In 2021-2022, private philanthropy and donor governments together gave $905 million to these groups, according to the most recent research by GPP. Of that total, 20 foundations alone gave $522 million, or around 50% of the total, highlighting the importance of these private donations to supporting international LGBTQ+ communities. Sixteen governments and multilateral donors gave $175 million to LGBTQ+ groups, with the largest funder being the Netherlands. As part of its dramatic reduction in U.S. foreign aid, the Trump administration has also ended its policy of supporting the rights of LGBTQ+ people abroad, which the Biden administration had made a priority. In an exit memo from January, USAID staff under Biden wrote that the agency increased funding for programs for LBGTQ+ communities abroad from $6 million in 2021 to $25 million in 2024. The Netherlands and another major funder of LGBTQ+ communities, Sweden, both recently announced cuts to their foreign assistance. Canada, which is another major funder, has so far not changed their commitments. Even with the new resources in the pipeline, the cuts from government funders have significantly disrupted groups that serve LGBTQ+ communities, Hart said. In his view, every philanthropic dollar they can raise will help save the lives of trans, intersex and gay people around the world, who will be under greater attack as support for democracy more broadly falters. 'Gender justice, feminist movements, freedom of movement and LGBTI people are all being attacked at the same time,' Hart said. 'That is a fundamental disruption to some of the core tenets of how modern democracy was proposed to function.' ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
The Independent
20-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Here's how some human rights and LGBTQ+ groups prepared for major foreign aid cuts under Trump
In early 2024, Matthew Hart took a hard look at the upcoming elections around the world and worried that the outcomes did not look promising. 'What we knew was that the winds were not in our favor. The winds were not in our sail, and we saw all around the world a kind of moral panic,' said Hart, executive director of the Global Philanthropy Project, a network of funders for LGBTQ+ people internationally. Rising authoritarianism and religiously motivated political movements were mixing into a 'toxic blend" that regularly targets trans, intersex and gay people, he said in an interview with The Associated Press. Hart was among the philanthropic leaders who tried to prepare for not just changes under the Trump administration, but growing trends toward autocracy and crackdowns on human rights around the world. As a result, last year, Global Philanthropy Project quietly launched a campaign called 'Fund Our Futures' to raise money for LGBTQ+ organizations around the world. In November, they announced they had secured more than $100 million and have since raised the bar to try to bring in another $50 million. Donors will award the funds over the next three to five years and GPP will track their commitments. Funders can be slow to respond to crises While few anticipated the speed and breadth of the Trump administration's policy changes, Hart had seen funders grapple with fear and paralysis in moments of crisis. 'There's a history in philanthropy that that you sort of wait and see. What's going to happen?' he said. 'We thought, 'Oh, we have got to get ahead of this. Because if we don't secure the commitments now, we're talking two years of internal, philanthropic field work that would need to be done.' Phil Buchanan, president of The Center for Effective Philanthropy, said the early preparation will allow funders to identify and support organizations aligned with their goals. But he said, no funder can expect to always be accurate in their forecasting. 'Preparation is really important,' he said, 'And then also, so is being responsive when the context looks different than what you prepared for.' For example, few funders contemplated the wholesale termination of most U.S. foreign aid, which has had vast and cascading effects on organizations across every geography and issue. Trump singled out foundations with large endowments for investigation in one of his executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion and in a memo in February, he accused many nonprofits who have received federal funding of engaging 'in actions that actively undermine the security, prosperity, and safety of the American people." Preparation can help funders decide how to act Funders who support democracy movements in inhospitable environments have some experience adapting to these kinds of threats. Even so, Kellea Miller, executive director of the Human Rights Funders Network, said they were caught off guard. 'There are areas that Trump has very quickly shifted that we knew he would touch, but the scale and rapidity of it is beyond what most of us had imagined,' she said, adding that she had expected more action from Congress. Starting in 2021, HRFN convened funders to coordinate their responses to crises like the presidential assassination Haiti and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Those conversations grew into a framework called Better Preparedness, which encourages foundations to consider in advance of a crisis how they want to react. 'So we're not all funding the same groups and that we're also able to distribute the risk and risk appetite in a way that we can't if we're not honest and and working together,' Miller said. Miller said now in the U.S., funders of democracy and human rights movements worry the Trump administration will threaten their ability to operate. 'A lot of foundations are very, very cautious right now because they're worried that their assets could be frozen. They're concerned that they will be targeted politically,' she said. LGBTQ+ communities were still disrupted The commitments to the Fund Our Futures campaign represent a noticeable portion of the funding for groups that serve gay, transgender and intersex people around the world even as some government funding has been taken away. In 2021-2022, private philanthropy and donor governments together gave $905 million to these groups, according to the most recent research by GPP. Of that total, 20 foundations alone gave $522 million, or around 50% of the total, highlighting the importance of these private donations to supporting international LGBTQ+ communities. Sixteen governments and multilateral donors gave $175 million to LGBTQ+ groups, with the largest funder being the Netherlands. As part of its dramatic reduction in U.S. foreign aid, the Trump administration has also ended its policy of supporting the rights of LGBTQ+ people abroad, which the Biden administration had made a priority. In an exit memo from January, USAID staff under Biden wrote that the agency increased funding for programs for LBGTQ+ communities abroad from $6 million in 2021 to $25 million in 2024. The Netherlands and another major funder of LGBTQ+ communities, Sweden, both recently announced cuts to their foreign assistance. Canada, which is another major funder, has so far not changed their commitments. Even with the new resources in the pipeline, the cuts from government funders have significantly disrupted groups that serve LGBTQ+ communities, Hart said. In his view, every philanthropic dollar they can raise will help save the lives of trans, intersex and gay people around the world, who will be under greater attack as support for democracy more broadly falters. 'Gender justice, feminist movements, freedom of movement and LGBTI people are all being attacked at the same time,' Hart said. 'That is a fundamental disruption to some of the core tenets of how modern democracy was proposed to function.' ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Here's how some human rights and LGBTQ+ groups prepared for major foreign aid cuts under Trump
In early 2024, Matthew Hart took a hard look at the upcoming elections around the world and worried that the outcomes did not look promising. 'What we knew was that the winds were not in our favor. The winds were not in our sail, and we saw all around the world a kind of moral panic,' said Hart, executive director of the Global Philanthropy Project, a network of funders for LGBTQ+ people internationally. Rising authoritarianism and religiously motivated political movements were mixing into a 'toxic blend' that regularly targets trans, intersex and gay people, he said in an interview with The Associated Press. Hart was among the philanthropic leaders who tried to prepare for not just changes under the Trump administration, but growing trends toward autocracy and crackdowns on human rights around the world. As a result, last year, Global Philanthropy Project quietly launched a campaign called 'Fund Our Futures' to raise money for LGBTQ+ organizations around the world. In November, they announced they had secured more than $100 million and have since raised the bar to try to bring in another $50 million. Donors will award the funds over the next three to five years and GPP will track their commitments. Funders can be slow to respond to crises While few anticipated the speed and breadth of the Trump administration's policy changes, Hart had seen funders grapple with fear and paralysis in moments of crisis. 'There's a history in philanthropy that that you sort of wait and see. What's going to happen?' he said. 'We thought, 'Oh, we have got to get ahead of this. Because if we don't secure the commitments now, we're talking two years of internal, philanthropic field work that would need to be done.' Phil Buchanan, president of The Center for Effective Philanthropy, said the early preparation will allow funders to identify and support organizations aligned with their goals. But he said, no funder can expect to always be accurate in their forecasting. 'Preparation is really important,' he said, 'And then also, so is being responsive when the context looks different than what you prepared for.' For example, few funders contemplated the wholesale termination of most U.S. foreign aid, which has had vast and cascading effects on organizations across every geography and issue. Trump singled out foundations with large endowments for investigation in one of his executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion and in a memo in February, he accused many nonprofits who have received federal funding of engaging 'in actions that actively undermine the security, prosperity, and safety of the American people.' Preparation can help funders decide how to act Funders who support democracy movements in inhospitable environments have some experience adapting to these kinds of threats. Even so, Kellea Miller, executive director of the Human Rights Funders Network, said they were caught off guard. 'There are areas that Trump has very quickly shifted that we knew he would touch, but the scale and rapidity of it is beyond what most of us had imagined,' she said, adding that she had expected more action from Congress. Starting in 2021, HRFN convened funders to coordinate their responses to crises like the presidential assassination Haiti and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Those conversations grew into a framework called Better Preparedness, which encourages foundations to consider in advance of a crisis how they want to react. 'So we're not all funding the same groups and that we're also able to distribute the risk and risk appetite in a way that we can't if we're not honest and and working together,' Miller said. Miller said now in the U.S., funders of democracy and human rights movements worry the Trump administration will threaten their ability to operate. 'A lot of foundations are very, very cautious right now because they're worried that their assets could be frozen. They're concerned that they will be targeted politically,' she said. LGBTQ+ communities were still disrupted The commitments to the Fund Our Futures campaign represent a noticeable portion of the funding for groups that serve gay, transgender and intersex people around the world even as some government funding has been taken away. In 2021-2022, private philanthropy and donor governments together gave $905 million to these groups, according to the most recent research by GPP. Of that total, 20 foundations alone gave $522 million, or around 50% of the total, highlighting the importance of these private donations to supporting international LGBTQ+ communities. Sixteen governments and multilateral donors gave $175 million to LGBTQ+ groups, with the largest funder being the Netherlands. As part of its dramatic reduction in U.S. foreign aid, the Trump administration has also ended its policy of supporting the rights of LGBTQ+ people abroad, which the Biden administration had made a priority. In an exit memo from January, USAID staff under Biden wrote that the agency increased funding for programs for LBGTQ+ communities abroad from $6 million in 2021 to $25 million in 2024. The Netherlands and another major funder of LGBTQ+ communities, Sweden, both recently announced cuts to their foreign assistance. Canada, which is another major funder, has so far not changed their commitments. Even with the new resources in the pipeline, the cuts from government funders have significantly disrupted groups that serve LGBTQ+ communities, Hart said. In his view, every philanthropic dollar they can raise will help save the lives of trans, intersex and gay people around the world, who will be under greater attack as support for democracy more broadly falters. 'Gender justice, feminist movements, freedom of movement and LGBTI people are all being attacked at the same time,' Hart said. 'That is a fundamental disruption to some of the core tenets of how modern democracy was proposed to function.' ___
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How the U.S. is betraying LGBTQ+ communities worldwide
Just two weeks ago, the director of a Ugandan LGBTQ+ crisis center watched helplessly as their last reserves ran out following the U.S. aid freeze. With no emergency funding in sight, they were forced to turn away desperate individuals seeking shelter from life-threatening violence. In Peru, a trans women's shelter that provided food, medical care, and legal support shut its doors overnight, leaving residents with nowhere to go. In Côte d'Ivoire, a life-saving HIV prevention program collapsed, putting thousands at immediate risk. These are just a handful of the stories we heard in All Out's global partner survey, a rapid assessment of the damage being done by the Trump regime's reckless and cruel decision to freeze all U.S. foreign aid. The U.S. action stems from Trump's Executive Order 14169, titled Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, which mandates a 90-day pause on all U.S. foreign development assistance programs. The order claims the U.S. foreign aid system is "not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values." But what values does the United States government truly believe in when a policy decision leaves thousands of marginalized people without shelter, healthcare, or a chance at survival? The aid freeze has not safeguarded American interests—it has simply endangered the lives of some of the world's most vulnerable communities. For years, the U.S. has played a critical role in supporting LGBTQ+ organizations worldwide, bridging the financial and political void left by foreign governments that fail to safeguard the rights of their LGBTQ+ citizens. But in one stroke of a pen, that support has disappeared. The results have been catastrophic. According to the Global Philanthropy Project, the total LGBTQ+ aid likely cut by the U.S. and the Netherlands alone is estimated at $105 million - one in every four dollars of government funding for causes worldwide. The impact is immediate and devastating: our partner survey reveals that 75% report increased risks to community members' lives, health, or safety due to the aid freeze. Over two-thirds have already had to shut down programs or lay off staff. Nearly a third are on the brink of closure. The consequences are particularly dire in places where LGBTQ+ people already face criminalization, violence, and social exclusion. Shelters for LGBTQ+ refugees and survivors of homophobic and transphobic violence have been shuttered across multiple countries. One of our Ukrainian partners shared, "Many individuals are now without a safe place to go, and we are seeing an increase in homelessness and violence." In Sudan, activists who provided emergency aid to LGBTQ+ people fleeing war and persecution are now unable to help. In Colombia, a program offering economic inclusion programs for trans migrant women has had to close, forcing many into dangerous and exploitative conditions just to meet their basic needs. The Trump regime justified the aid freeze as a 90-day review of spending priorities. But for people on the frontlines, 90 days without funding can be a death sentence. And while Trump's spokespeople have tried to dismiss the freeze as temporary, organizations have already begun receiving termination notices. The intent is clear: this is part of a broader rollback of human rights commitments. And the vacuum left by U.S. disengagement is already being filled by authoritarian regimes that weaponize homophobia and transphobia for political gain. While the U.S. government is abandoning its commitments, the rest of the world cannot afford to do the same. Governments that claim to champion LGBTQ+ rights must now step up at pace to fill the funding gap. Private donors must also act, including corporations that have long benefited from rainbow capitalism. For years, activists have built movements on shoestring budgets, navigating impossible conditions with resilience and determination. However, resilience is not a funding model; our communities deserve better. If we do nothing, decades of progress could unravel in months. And make no mistake: more lives will be lost. Governments, philanthropists, and the broader international community must act now. This is not just a political decision—it is a moral one. The brave partners we spoke to are running out of options. The question is whether the world will stand with them or turn away as they are left to suffer and die. is the Executive Director of All Out, a global nonprofit striving to build a safer, fairer, and tolerant world. is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ and Allied community. Visit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@ Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.
