Call for micro-grants application: supporting LGBTI digital inclusion

For people of diverse SOGIESC, the online space has helped create community, spearhead movements, and provide tools to be heard — including in very hostile environments.

However, these possibilities are not equally available for everyone. To date, 2.6 billion people across the world remain offline. For the rest of the global population, accessing digital resources depends on overcoming barriers based on intersecting aspects of their identities.

Researchers have mapped the complexities of the digital divide across multiple perspectives. However, little to no global research has explored the hurdles it poses to LGBTI people.

To fill in this gap, ILGA World partnered with The Engine Room — a non-profit supporting civil society in its use of technology — for a pioneering research project. Released in February 2024, Accessing Connection analyses the complex interplay between disparities in digital access and the unique experiences of LGBTI individuals and communities.

The research showed that there is no single narrative around how LGBTI people around the world access connection. While online connectivity has transformed our work as organisations and presence as individuals, it created a vicious cycle as well: those who are most vulnerable and economically deprived are also the most difficult to reach and support. They are at the same time most affected by the harms of online surveillance, censorship, and harassment, and this deprives them of crucial opportunities for advocating their rights and building community. Follow this link to read the main findings of the Accessing Connection report.

The projects supported by these micro-grants must aim to

• reduce the impact of the digital divide on LGBTI communities and organising
• equip rightsholders to address local advocacy and movement-building gaps created by the digital divide through training, technical support, research, and monitoring

and/or to

• empower local and national organisations to conduct advocacy at multiple levels

Project proposals must

• be submitted by organisations led by or focusing on the rights of persons of diverse SOGIESC at the local or national level, based in any country or territory worldwide
• include an outline of proposed activities, and describe how the project would benefit the target communities.

All proposed projects will have to be developed between 2 September and 15 November 2024, with reports to be submitted before 5 December 2024.

Examples of projects that would be taken into consideration

To better help you propose your projects, we are providing just a few examples of initiatives that might be considered for these micro-grants:

• purchasing devices and data packages for grassroots LGBTI community members or organisations
• improving the accessibility of an organisation’s online platforms and content to better serve LGBTI community members living with disabilities
• offering material, psychological, and legal support to LGBTI survivors of online harassment and gender-based violence
• organising trainings to improve local LGBTI communities’ digital security and literacy
• hiring translators and designers to make LGBTI content more accessible for local communities and overcome a few languages’ predominance over others on the internet
• organising awareness campaigns or outreach initiatives targeting LGBTI people and communities in rural, remote, or least-connected areas.

The call is open to any organisation led by — or focusing on — the rights of persons of diverse SOGIESC.

Although we particularly encourage organisations from the Global South and East to present their projects, groups seeking to receive support through this micro-granting initiative can based in any country or territory across the world.

Proposals submitted by a coalition of organisations are also eligible. Organisations may also submit more than one project proposal, although only one project proposal per organisation will be taken into consideration.

Among the criteria to select projects to assign micro-grants to, ILGA World will consider:

• relevance to the subject matter
• engagement with under-represented populations within the LGBTI community, including
  • LGBTI people living in rural or remote areas, or locations with limited internet connectivity
  • LGBTI people with disabilities
  • Racialised LGBTI people
  • Lesbian, bisexual, trans, and intersex women
  • LGBTI sex workers
• previous experience in organising initiatives to support LGBTI or other communities’ digital inclusion
• feasibility of the project between 2 September and 15 November 2024
• proven understanding by the proposing organisation(s) of how intersectional dimensions of the digital divide are affecting the communities they serve
• key indicators about the digital divide in the area or country targeted by the project — including those related to infrastructure, affordability, and gender

Thursday 1 August: opening of micro-grant applications
Monday 19 August (9 AM CEST): deadline to submit project proposals
Monday 26 August – Sunday 1 September: project proponents are notified of the selection outcome
Monday 2 September – Friday 15 November 2024: organisations awarded with micro-grants develop their projects
Thursday 5 December 2024: deadline for organisations awarded to submit their final report about the project.