Each year the International Trans Fund (ITF) receives a high volume of applications that a panel reviews and determines who is eligible, based on specific criteria. ITF Deputy Director Chivuli Ukwimi on Thursday 11 November 2021, sat down at Iranti House with members of the trans community, friends and colleagues from South Africa and Africa, to talk about funding opportunities for trans-led organisations.

Ukwimi said all eligible applications are reviewed by at least two grant-making panel members.

“The purpose of the ITF is to build and sustain a mechanism to support trans-led organisations of different sizes, working on a range of issues at the international, regional, country and local levels, with emphasis on organisations with access to fewer resources,” she said.

Furthermore, she said the purpose of the ITF was to increase resources and enhance access to resources to support trans movements, educate peers in the philanthropic community on trans issues and influence other funders and strategic allies in trans-related commitments and strategies.

“The ITF is a participatory grantmaker, and we take an activist-led approach that engages trans people in our grantmaking process,” Ukwimi said.

The ITF grant-making panel is made up of 15 trans activists from across the globe. This panel reviews eligible applications selects grantees and the ITF Steering Committee then ratifies these decisions.

Some of the funding criteria include that an organisation must be trans-led, have an operating budget under $100,000 (USD) and be a group of people (not an individual).

“The organisation must contribute to movement building, not just providing direct services,” Ukwimi said.

The ITF does not fund individuals, organisations that are not led by trans people (even if they are working on trans issues), and organisations that do not do work specifically to benefit trans people or communities, among others.

GRANT CYCLE

The ITF is currently in its sixth grant cycle and is offering two grant opportunities. The first is called a Seed Grant. This is a one-year general support grant ranging from $10-25,000 (USD).

The second is the Thrive Grant, which is a one-year general support grant for groups previously funded by the ITF. This grant ranges from $25-50,000 (USD).

“Groups may submit only one application to either the Seed or Thrive grants. If a group submits more than one application, both may be found to be ineligible,” Ukwimi said.

HOW TO APPLY

Complete and submit your application by December 5, 2021, at 5 pm (ET/New York time).

You can find out what time that will be in your region by checking a time converter website like www.timeanddate.com.

Submit your complete application through the online form available on the ITF website,

www.transfund.org, or send it directly to info@transfund.org ­ – or itf_info@protonmail.com – if you need enhanced security in your communication.