International Trans Fund
Request for Proposals
Deadline: 17 February 2017
The International Trans Fund is pleased to announce its first Request for Proposals for trans groups,
collectives, and networks.
Introducing the International Trans Fund
The International Trans Fund was launched in 2016 to mobilise sustainable resources to help build strong,
trans-led movements and collective action, and to address and eliminate funding gaps impacting trans groups
across the globe. The purpose of the ITF is to:
1. Build and sustain a mechanism to support trans-led groups of different sizes working on a
range of issues at the international, regional, country, and local levels, with a particular emphasis on
smaller groups and/or groups with access to fewer resources.
2. Increase resources and enhance access to resources to support trans movements including:
- financial resources dedicated to trans-led organisations and groups through grant making.
- non-financial resources for trans organisations, such as skills building, organisational
strengthening, leadership development, and activist support.
- access to other and new donors.
3. Educate our peers in the philanthropic community on trans issues and influence other funders
and strategic allies on trans-related commitments and strategies.
We are currently issuing our first call for proposals, and anticipate distributing our first round of grants by
July 2017.
Who does the ITF support?
The International Trans Fund seeks grant applications from trans-led groups worldwide, including existing
and emerging trans-led organisations; collectives of trans people; and regional trans networks. There are no
geographical restrictions, and applications from any region of the world will be considered. Priority will be
given to trans communities facing greater levels of marginalisation, and those who have had limited or no
prior access to funding
Registered or unregistered groups can apply. Your annual operating budget must be less than $250,000 US
Dollars (USD).
What does “trans” mean to the ITF?
The International Trans Fund understands trans as a political term that defines the communities of people the
ITF works with.
The ITF works with people whose gender identity or expression differs from their gender assigned at birth.
Some of these people identify and present themselves as male or female; others identify with a non-binary
gender category. These identities or expressions include trans women, trans men, fa’afafine, leiti, fakafifine,
akava’ine, mahu, vakasalewalewa, palopa, Sistergirls, Brotherboys, whakawahine, tangata ira tane, muxhe,
omeguid, travesti, two spirit, hijra, bandhu, mangalamukhi, kinnar, thirunangai, thirunambi, khwaja sira,
meti, katoey, waria, mak nyah, kua xing nan, trans laki-laki, transpinay, transpinoy, kwaa-sing-bit, and
transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, gender non-binary, gender diverse, gender non-conforming, and
agender people – to name just a few.
As part of the ITF’s commitment to self-determination and decolonising bodily oppressions, we are
permanently committed and open to recognising gender identities that emerge and that our communities
claim within their socio-political contexts. These arise from the ongoing work of resistance and liberation that
involves both the remembering and reimagining of gender identities and expressions.
The ITF does not privilege any one gender identity or expression over another, including those communities
who do not have specific terms to describe who they are.
How do I know if our group is considered a “trans-led” group?
For the purposes of the ITF, a "trans-led" group is a group, organization, collective, or network where trans
people are in decision making roles, including setting the organisation's strategic and financial priorities.
Ideally trans people would make up the majority of the group's staff (paid or unpaid), spokespeople, and
decision-making body (such as a board or steering committee).
What kind of grants are available?
Groups who meet the ITF’s eligibility requirements may apply for grants ranging from USD $5,000 to
$50,000 for either core support (also known as general operating or unrestricted support) or project support.
We encourage applications that reflect the needs and priorities of local groups and activists. Applications
addressing various issues and strategies will be considered. Please note that the ITF does not fund service
delivery alone; however, groups providing service delivery to individuals as part of a broader advocacy or
movement building agenda will be considered.
Can my group submit more than 1 application?
No. Only one application will be considered per organisation. If an international or regional network submits
an application, its member organisations are still eligible to submit their own individuals applications. These
would be reviewed and considered separately.
Can we apply for multiple-year funding?
We are currently only accepting applications for a one-year grant cycle. Most grants will have a 12-month
grant period. In some cases, groups may want to apply for work that takes less than, or longer than, one year.
The length of the grant is called the “grant period”. The funding you apply for can support work that takes
longer than a year. This is called the grant period. However, you cannot receive more than one ITF grant at
the same time and individual grants may not exceed the $50,000 maximum grant amount. So, you would not
be eligible to receive another grant until the grant period for your running grant ends.
Is there anything the ITF does *not* fund?
The ITF aspires to be as open and flexible as possible, but we do not fund the following:
- Individuals;
- Organisations that are not led by trans people;
- Organisations that do not do work specifically to benefit trans people or communities;
- Groups, collectives, and networks with operating budgets above USD $250,000; and
- Groups and projects that only provide direct services to individuals without contributing to
movement building in some way.
How do we apply?
A written application is preferred, that provides the information explained in the Proposal Requirements
section below.
A request can be made to submit a video or other media application, where an organisation does not have the
capacity to write an application in English, French, Russian, Simplified Chinese, or Spanish, but could
provide a spoken application in one of these languages. The ITF will release guidelines for video applications
by late December 2016.
The Grant Making Panel will consider all applications that meet the application criterial. This includes that
the application meets all page, format, or file limits, and required supplementary materials are provided by
the application deadline. Please submit all applications in one of the following formats: doc, docx, otf, PDF,
mp4, .mov, jpeg, png. Please note that ITF will not be following up with applicants for missing
materials, so please make sure you include all information that you want to be considered. Refer to the check
list provided.
Applications and reports may be submitted in one of five languages: English, French, Russian, Simplified
Chinese, and Spanish.
All application materials will be kept confidential, and will only be accessible to the Grant Making Panel, the
Steering Committee and staff of the ITF.
Proposal Requirements
Applications shall include the following information:
Eligible applicants who are not well positioned in writing proposals can submit part of the application by
means of video. Please see the video guidelines
PART 1: Organizational Background (1-3 pages or its equivalent)
REQUIRED IN WRITING FOR ALL APPLICANTS
1. Name and location of the group applying for funds_____
2. Contact information for the group (including two contact people’s names,
roles, email addresses, skype, and phone/WhatsApp, and any website or social media
platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr etc.______
3. Please describe how your group meets the ITF’s definition of trans-led
organisations. Who is part of the organisation? Describe your structure and attach a list of
key decision-making staff and/or leaders, including their name, role and a sentence about
what they do.
4. Is the group formally registered? (Yes) or (No).
CAN BE IN WRITING OR IN VIDEO FOR ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
5. VISION: Please consider the following questions to give us specific
information about the vision: What is the vision for your group? For example, what do you
hope to accomplish in 5 or 10 years?
6. MISSION: Please consider the following questions to give us specific
information about the mission: What is your mission? Please describe your group’s purpose.
7. When and why did you begin to organize? What was the issue that inspired
your work?
8. CONTEXT: Please consider the following questions to give us specific
information about the context: What is the context in which you work? Please describe the
situation facing trans people in your area, and the need or problem you are trying to address.
9. Please describe the key strategies or activities that you use to realise your
group’s mission.
10. What progress have you already made towards your group or project’s
goals? What activities have you engaged in and what impact have you made already?
11. Are there other trans groups in your region? (Yes) (No). If so, how is your
work different, unique, or complementary to existing groups or programs?
12. Please describe your networks. Who else are you working with? List
affiliations for partnering groups you have worked with in the last year.
PART 2: Funding Request (1-3 pages or its equivalent)
REQUIRED IN WRITING FOR ALL APPLICANTS
1. Amount of funding requested from the ITF: _____
2. What was your organisational budget for 2016: how much money did your organisation raise in 2016
and how much money did your organisation spend in 2016?
3. Preferred grant period: ______
Groups may want to apply for work that takes less than, or longer than, one year. The length of the
grant is called the “grant period”. The funding you apply for can support work that takes longer
than a year. However, you cannot receive more than one ITF grant at the same time and individual
grants may not exceed the $50,000 maximum grant amount. The preferred grant period should begin
on or after July 1st 2017.
4. Type of support requested: (Core/Unrestricted) or (Project)
5. Has your group received funding before? If yes, please list the names of your current or former
funders and the purpose of those grants.
CAN BE IN WRITING OR IN VIDEO FOR ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
6. Please describe the work you would like to undertake during the grant period, including your goals,
strategies, and activities.
7. Where will this work take place, and at what level?
▢ Local (please describe______)
▢ Country (please describe______)
▢ Regional (please describe______)
▢ International
▢ Other ((please describe______)
8. If funded, how would this grant impact your group?
PART 3: Attachments
The following attachments are required:
1. If you are applying for GENERAL SUPPORT or CORE FUNDING: Annual organisational budget
(note that the ITF gives grants in US Dollars (USD) and so proposal budgets should be done in both
your local currency and USD, with an exchange rate noted.) Refer to the Sample Budget Template. It
will be optional to use. You can use your own budget format – it should indicate your own currency
and USD.
2. If you are applying for PROJECT FUNDING: Project budget
3. Two letters of recommendations addressing the applicant’s work.
4. Bios of your leadership team, including their names, roles, and background
If you cannot provide any of the required documents, please explain why.
You are also welcome to submit, if available:
1. Prior year financials or audited reports
2. Copy of registration document (REGISTERED GROUPS ONLY)
3. Photos, videos or other media
Who will decide what grants get funded?
A Grant Making Committee consisting of trans activists will review grants submitted to the ITF. Please note
that the person reading your application may not have in-depth knowledge of your work, your region, or the
problems that your group wants to address. When preparing your application, please remember to provide as
much detail as possible. It is always best to assume that the person who will read your proposal will know
nothing about you, your organisation or your work and so you need to provide a very detailed description to
help them understand.
When will I know if my proposal has been successful or not?
All applicants will receive communication from the ITF within a week of their submission notifying them that
their application has been received by the ITF. Groups will be notified by May 2017 if their application has
been selected for review by the Grant Making Panel.
Applicants selected for review by the Grant Making Panel will be informed by July 2017 of the outcome of the
ITF’s review process.
If my grant is approved, when and how can my group expect to receive
funds?
Given the grantmaking timeline for the ITF, funded groups should expect to be notified and start their grant
period in July 2017. Groups that are selected for funding will be sent a grant contract and information regarding
reporting requirements. This is when funded groups identify the best means to receive grant payments from the
Astraea Foundation, the ITF’s host. Once the contract is signed by the grantee and returned to the ITF, groups
should receive funds (in US dollars) within 2-3 weeks. Distribution of funds will be made in consultation with
the funded organisation, and may be paid via cheque, wire transfer, or alternate means based on the needs of
the group and the regional context.
Can we get help with our application? What if I have questions?
The ITF is a new fund and, at this stage, we have limited staff. So we are unable to provide substantial
support to organisations seeking assistance to submit their application. We plan to provide some regional
webinars in English and Spanish in January 2017. As the Fund grows, our aim is to provide more support.
If you do have any questions, please review our Frequently Asked Questions attached to this Request for
Proposals. In case your question is not included, please email us at [email protected] and we will respond
as soon as we are able. Please allow at least one week for a response.
While we do receive applications for funding in English, French, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Spanish,
the ITF staff work in English and Spanish only. This means the ITF may need to use google translate to
respond to questions.