PLEASE NOTE: FOR SECURITY PURPOSES WE WILL ONLY ACCEPT APPLICATIONS THROUGH OUR ONLINE SYSTEM
Review our documents carefully! Our procedures have been updated to improve accessibility, security and safety of our applicants.
Take Eligibility Questionaire
This is an eligibility questionaire to make sure that your organisation meets our eligibility criteria and therefore is eligible to apply for funding.
Fill in the online form
Submit a completed application online in English, French, Russian or Spanish by 27 July 2025 (24:00 CET).
You can save your online application and return to the system later. You may resume using the link at the top of the online form. You will also receive an email with a link to your online form.
If you are not sure how to answer any of these questions, you may contact us at [email protected].
If you want advice on your draft application, email us before 4 July 2025 at [email protected]. You may use the offline form to submit a draft for feedback but you must use the online system to submit your final application to be considered. (English, French, Spanish, Russian).
Work Offline
You may work offline, using these forms, but only applications submitted through the online system will be considered. To work offline, download the Application Form here: English, Spanish, French, Russian.
Remember that you must copy the content into our online application and submit it through the online system.
Who Can Apply?
Red Umbrella Fund provides funding to sex worker-led organisations and networks that are: based in any country in the world; registered or unregistered; led by sex workers of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Our Criteria
If you wish to apply, your group, organisation or network must fulfill each of the following criteria:
- Be led by sex workers.
- Mission focused on sex work and on supporting sex workers’ rights.
- Strengthen the sex workers’ rights movement.
- Agree with all the values and operation principles of Red Umbrella Fund.
We do NOT fund:
- Organisations that are not led by sex workers;
- Organisations that seek to abolish or criminalise sex work;
- Organisations exclusively providing social or medical services, income-generating activities or credit programmes;
- Organisations founded by or structurally dependent on political parties, government agencies or religious institutions;
- Organisations that are businesses or whose main strategy is making a profit;
- Academic research;
- Individual requests;
- Organisations that have a project or programme with or for sex workers, while the organisation as a whole has a broader focus.
What Kind of Grants Do We Give?
TYPE OF FUNDING
Red Umbrella Fund provides flexible core funding to support the general coordination, functioning and strengthening of a group, organisation or network and its members. Core funding can be used to cover self identified needs of the grantee partner including registration costs, rent, salaries, advocacy, (peer led) capacity building, membership meetings, activities, etc. Our funding is flexible, therefore grantees can adjust their plans during the grant.
HOW MUCH FUNDING CAN BE REQUESTED?
Red Umbrella Fund currently provides two-year grants of between €20.000 and €80.000 (up to €130.000 for regional networks). The average grant size has been about €40.000 for two years. Please be realistic in your request and do not automatically request the maximum amount.
More details and tips in the 2025 Application Guidelines.
Do you still have questions?
Check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) here.
You can also take a look at our presentation or instruction video on this. You can also contact us at: [email protected].
Resources for Sex Workers
Our Resources include Publications & Tools as well as Funders, Networks, and Allied Organisations. Sex worker-led organisations that want to learn more about Red Umbrella Fund, sex workers’ rights, and participatory grant making begin here.