Successful projects and organisations will be informed of the outcome of the proposals on Monday, 24 August 2026. Thereafter, selected projects and organisations will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with ILGA World to commence the implementation of their projects by Monday, 31 August 2026. The project implementation period will run from September to December 2026, with the possibility of certain activities extending into the first quarter of 2027, depending on the project proposal and type of advocacy activity.

Applicants may request grants between CHF 3,000 and 15,000.

The final amount awarded will depend on the scope of the proposed activity, the strength of the advocacy strategy, the expected impact, and available resources.

Grant funds may be used for eligible costs such as:

• Travel, accommodation, and per diem related to advocacy activities;
• Meeting, convening, or consultation costs;
• Interpretation, translation, accessibility, or communication support;
• Training, accompaniment, mentorship, or technical assistance;
• Materials, documentation, or advocacy tools;
• Coordination, facilitation, or staff time directly linked to the proposed advocacy work;
• Research, data collection, evidence generation, policy analysis, and the preparation of submissions, statements, briefings, or other advocacy materials;
• Design, printing, publication, dissemination, documentation, and the development of advocacy tools and resources;
• Security, digital security, safeguarding, and wellbeing measures necessary to support the safe and meaningful participation of human rights defenders;
• Monitoring, evaluation, learning, and documentation of advocacy activities, results, and outcomes; and
• Other reasonable and necessary costs directly connected to the approved advocacy objectives (recognising that not all costs can be anticipated in advance and that some flexibility may be required, provided that the costs are clearly justified within the proposal).

This call is open to ILGA World member organisations.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate:

• A clear connection to LGBTIQ+ communities and movements;
• Experience, interest, or readiness to engage in advocacy;
• A defined advocacy goal or opportunity;
• The ability to implement the proposed activities within the grant period;
• A commitment to community-led, rights-based, feminist, intersectional, and inclusive approaches.

Collaborative proposals involving more than one ILGA World member organisation are welcome. Proposals that foster regional solidarity, South-South exchange, and shared advocacy learning are strongly encouraged.

Preference will be given to proposals that:

• Are clearly focused on advocacy impact rather than one-off participation;
• Seek to influence systems, policies, institutions, or decision-making spaces;
• Demonstrate a strong theory of change or pathway to change;
• Respond to a timely advocacy opportunity;
• Strengthen the leadership and participation of activists from underrepresented, marginalised, or historically excluded communities;
• Support regional, local, or South-South advocacy strategies;
• Contribute to longer-term movement capacity, collaboration, and sustainability;
• Include realistic, measurable outcomes.

Examples of activities that may be supported include:

1. Preparing activists to participate in a UN review process, treaty body session, Universal Periodic Review, Human Rights Councilan inter-governmental body within the United Nations which has the responsibility to promote and protect human rights. It is comprised of 47 member States, each elected to 3-year terms by the 193 member States of the United Nations. More session, or other multilateral mechanism;
2. Supporting a delegation of activists to engage in regional advocacy spaces;
3. Following up on recommendations issued by UN, regional, or other human rights mechanisms, including advocacy for their acceptance, implementation, monitoring, and reporting;
4. Developing implementation and follow-up plans, recommendation-tracking tools, indicators, scorecards, or advocacy roadmaps;
5. Convening communities and stakeholders to review implementation progress, identify gaps, and hold public authorities accountable for commitments made.
6. Engaging relevant ministries, parliaments, national human rights institutions, national implementation and reporting mechanisms, and other decision-makers on the implementation of recommendations;
7. Developing a policy brief, community submission, or advocacy tool targeting decision-makers;
8. Collecting and documenting evidence, community experiences, case studies, and data to assess progress and support continued advocacy;
9. Training activists on how to engage with national, regional, or international human rights mechanisms;
10. Supporting peer accompaniment between organisations in the Global South;
11. Coordinating advocacy toward law or policy reform at national or regional level;
12. Building a coalition to respond to anti-rights movements or restrictive policy developments.

The examples above are illustrative and not exhaustive.

Looking for inspiration? Applicants are also encouraged to consult ILGA World’s 2026 SOGIESC UPR advocacy toolkit and Good practices guide for follow-up on United Nations recommendations for additional inspiration. Together, these publications provide practical tools, examples, templates, and good practices that can help organisations identify advocacy opportunities, engage effectively with United Nations human rights mechanisms, and strengthen follow-up and implementation of recommendations at the national and regional levels.

Applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

1. Advocacy relevance and clarity: The proposal identifies a clear advocacy issue, target, opportunity, and objective.
2. Potential for impact: The project has a realistic pathway to influence change, strengthen accountability, or shift systems, policies, practices, or narratives.
3. Community leadership and inclusion: The proposal is grounded in the priorities and leadership of affected LGBTIQ+ communities.
4. Strategic approach: The proposed activities are coherent, timely, and connected to a broader advocacy strategy.
5. Feasibility: The timeline, budget, and implementation plan are realistic and appropriate for the requested amount.
6. Movement strengthening: The project contributes to longer-term advocacy capacity, collaboration, solidarity, or learning within and across movements.
7. Sustainability and organisational alignment: Applicants should explain how the proposed advocacy relates to the organisation’s existing mandate, strategic priorities, programmes, or longer-term advocacy plans. This does not exclude organisations from pursuing a new advocacy opportunity. However, where the proposal introduces a new area of work, the applicant should clearly explain why the opportunity is strategically relevant and how the work, relationships, recommendations, and outcomes generated through the grant will be integrated into the organisation’s future work. This criterion recognises that advocacy, particularly engagement with UN and other international mechanisms, often requires sustained follow-up beyond a single grant period. For example, recommendations secured through a mechanism such as CEDAW are more likely to lead to meaningful change where they can be incorporated into existing organisational programmes, national advocacy strategies, partnerships, and monitoring processes. The intention is therefore not to limit innovation, but to ensure that proposals demonstrate a credible pathway for continuity, ownership, and longer-term impact.
8. South-South, regional, or local relevance: Additional consideration will be given to proposals that strengthen South-South advocacy, regional collaboration, or locally rooted advocacy efforts.

Selected grantees will be expected to provide a brief narrative and financial report at the end of the grant period. These reports will document the activities undertaken, progress towards the advocacy objectives, key outcomes, challenges, lessons learned, and any planned follow-up.

ILGA World may also invite grantees to participate in collective learning spaces to share advocacy strategies, outcomes, challenges, and lessons with other member organisations. This participation will take into account the capacity, safety, confidentiality, and accessibility needs of grantees, and information will not be shared or attributed externally without their consent.

Reporting will be designed to be light and proportionate to the size of the grant, while supporting accountability, learning, and movement strengthening.