Red Umbrella Fund is the first global fund guided by and for sex workers. It was created in 2012. You can read more about the history here.
Red Umbrella Fund makes grants to sex worker-led groups and network in any region of the world. Red Umbrella Fund believes that change will only be achieved through strong, collaborative movements of sex workers advocating for their rights, with the support of allies. Sex workers themselves are the best positioned to know what is needed for them, and best placed to do something about it.
Red Umbrella Fund educates other funders about sex worker rights and the importance of investing in self-led organising by sex workers.
Red Umbrella Fund provides funding to sex worker-led organisations and networks that are:
- based in any country;
- registered or unregistered;
- led by people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
To be considered a sex worker-led organisation or network, the following four criteria must be met (note that this definition was adjusted in 2018!):
- Decision-making body: At least 60% of the decision-making body must be sex workers. This can include former and current sex workers, but with at least an aspiration to include current sex workers.
- Spokespeople: At least 60% of the people who speak on behalf of the organisation must be sex workers.
- Staff: At least 33% of the staff are sex workers, with the same contracts and working conditions as other staff in the organisation.
Our grants are for sex worker-led groups and networks engaged in rights based work. This includes LGBTI sex workers.
No, Red Umbrella Fund provides funding to organisations and networks that are led by people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Red Umbrella Fund funds sex worker-led organisations that support sex work as work. This can include sex worker-led organisations that are part of or lead rights-based anti-trafficking initiatives
Each year the Application Guidelines, the Online Application, downloadable version of the Application and updated FAQ will be made available here.
Review the application documents carefully!
All organisations will use the same application form and may apply in either English, French, Russian or Spanish.
You may work offline but only applications submitted through the online system will be eligible for grants.
In order to support organisations that want to work offline, there is also downloadable version of the Application Form available (also in English, Spanish, French, Russian).
If you have troubles with filling in the application form please take a look at our presentation or instruction video on this.
Red Umbrella Fund grantees are selected through a global peer review process of sex worker activists. More information can be found here.
Yes, the guidelines and application are available in English, French, Russian and Spanish.
In 2023, Red Umbrella Fund will exceptionally accept applications in Chinese (simplified).
Yes. Using our offline forms, you can submit a draft requesting feedback before the deadline provided in the Application Guidelines to [email protected].
You will have to wait until our next call for applications. We are unable to accept individual requests for extensions of the deadline. We expect to have another call for applications next year – please try again then.
If you want to apply, your group, organisation or network must be led by sex workers for the benefit of sex workers. The detailed criteria are mentioned in the Application Guidelines.
Many organisations have not had funding before. You are welcome to apply if you meet our criteria.
Red Umbrella Fund does not fund organisations that have a project or programme with or for sex workers if the organisation as a whole has a broader focus
No, we can only accept one proposal per group or network. But our grants can be used to fund (or contribute to) more than one project or programme.
Yes.
Yes. Note that you may still have a gap between the two grants if you are selected, because the new funds will only be released after your final reports have been approved.
No. You can apply again in the year that your grant from Red Umbrella Fund ends but not before that.
Yes. Red Umbrella Fund makes its own grantmaking decisions.
Each application needs at least one endorsement from a sex worker organisation. Most applications also need a second endorsement, which can be from an ally or allied organisation. Note that groups that have been a grantee in the past 3 years do not require a second reference; only a sex worker reference.
If you have troubles with filling in the application form please take a look at our presentation or video on this. Please note that neither reference may be staff or board member of your organization!
Please inform your references that we may contact them and make sure their contact details are complete and correct on the application form. We may contact references through any way possible: e-mail, phone, Skype, Facebook messenger, etc.
Red Umbrella Fund requests references for all applications that appear to meet our eligibility requirements prior to being scored by our Programme Advisory Committee (PAC). Contacting references is not an indication of a grantmaking decision.
Please note that Red Umbrella Fund may seek references from other organisations (e.g. if the references provided are not known to us as a sex worker-led organisation or if your references are unresponsive).
Red Umbrella Fund grants are between €10.000 and €130.000 for two years based on organisational need, funding experience and available funds. See the table below for more details.
| Grant sizes (2 years) | Criteria |
| €10,000 – €40,000 |
|
| €16,000 – €80,000 |
|
| €30,000 – €130,000 |
|
Please note that the final grant amount awarded can differ from the initial grant request.
Red Umbrella Fund provides flexible core funding to support the general coordination, functioning and strengthening of a group, organisation or network and its members.
Flexible Core funding can be used to cover expenses such as registration costs, rent, salaries, advocacy, (peer led) capacity building, membership meetings, networking activities, programs or projects.
Our funding is flexible in that it may be adapted to the changing priorities of the grantee during the grant.
Red Umbrella Fund does not provide emergency funding.
To access emergency funding we recommend you to try:
- Any of your current donors
- Urgent Action fund
- Frontline Defenders
Or have a look here.
We do not make scholarship or travel grants. Red Umbrella Fund provides core funding to groups, which can be used to pay for conference participation, scholarships or travel costs if the group so decides.
Red Umbrella Fund is grateful for the support from individual donors, as well as our institutional donors.
When you submit the online application you will see a confirmation screen and you will receive an automatic confirmation by e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail, we have not received your application. We encourage you to save a draft of your application. In the online system, you may save a PDF version or print your application using “Print this page” located at the bottom of the confirmation page before you hit “Submit”.
After the application window closes, an international sex worker-led committee (Programme Advisory Committee, or PAC) will review the applications and select the new grants.
You will be contacted by e-mail to inform you of the final selection by November.
More details here and in the Application Guidelines.
| June – September: | Applications are screened by staff using criteria and references |
| August – October: | Applications are peer-reviewed by the sex worker-led Program Advisory Committee (PAC) using the criteria and priorities mentioned above |
| October: | Final selection is made by the PAC using also the funding (restrictions) available and considering geographic and gender diversity |
| October: | Grants selection is approved by the sex worker-led International Steering Committee (ISC) |
| 26 October – 1 November: | All applicants are informed of the final selection. |
| 15 December | All new grant contracts are made. |
We aim to inform all applicants of the final decision concerning their application before 1 November.
Please send a request for more information to the e-mail mentioned in your decline message.
Red Umbrella Fund wishes to affirm its commitment to sex worker-led, participatory, core, flexible funding. The global coronavirus pandemic has impacted sex workers in every region, every country, and every local community. The Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) will meet through an online platform again this year, but the remainder of our grantmaking will remain the same.
Your applications will be reviewed by individuals from your communities. Please use the space provided in the application to describe your context (Section 3) and provide links or further details in “Additional Information” (Section 8).
When determining your budget for your request (Section 7), you may also want to describe how your plans have been or may be impacted both by the pandemic and by the governmental response to the pandemic.
If you have any other questions regarding this year’s application process you may contact us at [email protected].
Red Umbrella Fund is the first global fund guided by and for sex workers. It was created in 2012. You can read more about the history here.
Red Umbrella Fund makes grants to sex worker-led groups and network in any region of the world. Red Umbrella Fund believes that change will only be achieved through strong, collaborative movements of sex workers advocating for their rights, with the support of allies. Sex workers themselves are the best positioned to know what is needed for them, and best placed to do something about it.
Red Umbrella Fund educates other funders about sex worker rights and the importance of investing in self-led organising by sex workers.
Red Umbrella Fund provides funding to sex worker-led organisations and networks that are:
- based in any country;
- registered or unregistered;
- led by people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
To be considered a sex worker-led organisation or network, the following four criteria must be met (note that this definition was adjusted in 2018!):
- Decision-making body: At least 60% of the decision-making body must be sex workers. This can include former and current sex workers, but with at least an aspiration to include current sex workers.
- Spokespeople: At least 60% of the people who speak on behalf of the organisation must be sex workers.
- Staff: At least 33% of the staff are sex workers, with the same contracts and working conditions as other staff in the organisation.
Each year the Application Guidelines, the Online Application, downloadable version of the Application and updated FAQ will be made available here.
Review the application documents carefully!
All organisations will use the same application form and may apply in either English, French, Russian or Spanish.
You may work offline but only applications submitted through the online system will be eligible for grants.
In order to support organisations that want to work offline, there is also downloadable version of the Application Form available (also in English, Spanish, French, Russian).
If you have troubles with filling in the application form please take a look at our presentation or instruction video on this.
Red Umbrella Fund grantees are selected through a global peer review process of sex worker activists. More information can be found here.
You will have to wait until our next call for applications. We are unable to accept individual requests for extensions of the deadline. We expect to have another call for applications next year – please try again then.
No, we can only accept one proposal per group or network. But our grants can be used to fund (or contribute to) more than one project or programme.
Yes. Red Umbrella Fund makes its own grantmaking decisions.
Red Umbrella Fund grants are between €10.000 and €130.000 for two years based on organisational need, funding experience and available funds. See the table below for more details.
| Grant sizes (2 years) | Criteria |
| €10,000 – €40,000 |
|
| €16,000 – €80,000 |
|
| €30,000 – €130,000 |
|
Please note that the final grant amount awarded can differ from the initial grant request.
Red Umbrella Fund does not provide emergency funding.
To access emergency funding we recommend you to try:
- Any of your current donors
- Urgent Action fund
- Frontline Defenders
Or have a look here.
Red Umbrella Fund is grateful for the support from individual donors, as well as our institutional donors.
Red Umbrella Fund wishes to affirm its commitment to sex worker-led, participatory, core, flexible funding. The global coronavirus pandemic has impacted sex workers in every region, every country, and every local community. The Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) will meet through an online platform again this year, but the remainder of our grantmaking will remain the same.
Your applications will be reviewed by individuals from your communities. Please use the space provided in the application to describe your context (Section 3) and provide links or further details in “Additional Information” (Section 8).
When determining your budget for your request (Section 7), you may also want to describe how your plans have been or may be impacted both by the pandemic and by the governmental response to the pandemic.
If you have any other questions regarding this year’s application process you may contact us at [email protected].
Red Umbrella Fund provides funding to sex worker-led organisations and networks that are:
- based in any country;
- registered or unregistered;
- led by people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
To be considered a sex worker-led organisation or network, the following four criteria must be met (note that this definition was adjusted in 2018!):
- Decision-making body: At least 60% of the decision-making body must be sex workers. This can include former and current sex workers, but with at least an aspiration to include current sex workers.
- Spokespeople: At least 60% of the people who speak on behalf of the organisation must be sex workers.
- Staff: At least 33% of the staff are sex workers, with the same contracts and working conditions as other staff in the organisation.
Our grants are for sex worker-led groups and networks engaged in rights based work. This includes LGBTI sex workers.
No, Red Umbrella Fund provides funding to organisations and networks that are led by people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Red Umbrella Fund funds sex worker-led organisations that support sex work as work. This can include sex worker-led organisations that are part of or lead rights-based anti-trafficking initiatives
If you want to apply, your group, organisation or network must be led by sex workers for the benefit of sex workers. The detailed criteria are mentioned in the Application Guidelines.
Many organisations have not had funding before. You are welcome to apply if you meet our criteria.
Red Umbrella Fund does not fund organisations that have a project or programme with or for sex workers if the organisation as a whole has a broader focus
No, we can only accept one proposal per group or network. But our grants can be used to fund (or contribute to) more than one project or programme.
Red Umbrella Fund grants are between €10.000 and €130.000 for two years based on organisational need, funding experience and available funds. See the table below for more details.
| Grant sizes (2 years) | Criteria |
| €10,000 – €40,000 |
|
| €16,000 – €80,000 |
|
| €30,000 – €130,000 |
|
Please note that the final grant amount awarded can differ from the initial grant request.
Red Umbrella Fund provides flexible core funding to support the general coordination, functioning and strengthening of a group, organisation or network and its members.
Flexible Core funding can be used to cover expenses such as registration costs, rent, salaries, advocacy, (peer led) capacity building, membership meetings, networking activities, programs or projects.
Our funding is flexible in that it may be adapted to the changing priorities of the grantee during the grant.
Red Umbrella Fund does not provide emergency funding.
To access emergency funding we recommend you to try:
- Any of your current donors
- Urgent Action fund
- Frontline Defenders
Or have a look here.
We do not make scholarship or travel grants. Red Umbrella Fund provides core funding to groups, which can be used to pay for conference participation, scholarships or travel costs if the group so decides.
Red Umbrella Fund wishes to affirm its commitment to sex worker-led, participatory, core, flexible funding. The global coronavirus pandemic has impacted sex workers in every region, every country, and every local community. The Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) will meet through an online platform again this year, but the remainder of our grantmaking will remain the same.
Your applications will be reviewed by individuals from your communities. Please use the space provided in the application to describe your context (Section 3) and provide links or further details in “Additional Information” (Section 8).
When determining your budget for your request (Section 7), you may also want to describe how your plans have been or may be impacted both by the pandemic and by the governmental response to the pandemic.
If you have any other questions regarding this year’s application process you may contact us at [email protected].
Each year the Application Guidelines, the Online Application, downloadable version of the Application and updated FAQ will be made available here.
Review the application documents carefully!
All organisations will use the same application form and may apply in either English, French, Russian or Spanish.
You may work offline but only applications submitted through the online system will be eligible for grants.
In order to support organisations that want to work offline, there is also downloadable version of the Application Form available (also in English, Spanish, French, Russian).
If you have troubles with filling in the application form please take a look at our presentation or instruction video on this.
Red Umbrella Fund grantees are selected through a global peer review process of sex worker activists. More information can be found here.
Yes, the guidelines and application are available in English, French, Russian and Spanish.
In 2023, Red Umbrella Fund will exceptionally accept applications in Chinese (simplified).
Yes. Using our offline forms, you can submit a draft requesting feedback before the deadline provided in the Application Guidelines to [email protected].
You will have to wait until our next call for applications. We are unable to accept individual requests for extensions of the deadline. We expect to have another call for applications next year – please try again then.
No, we can only accept one proposal per group or network. But our grants can be used to fund (or contribute to) more than one project or programme.
Each application needs at least one endorsement from a sex worker organisation. Most applications also need a second endorsement, which can be from an ally or allied organisation. Note that groups that have been a grantee in the past 3 years do not require a second reference; only a sex worker reference.
If you have troubles with filling in the application form please take a look at our presentation or video on this. Please note that neither reference may be staff or board member of your organization!
Please inform your references that we may contact them and make sure their contact details are complete and correct on the application form. We may contact references through any way possible: e-mail, phone, Skype, Facebook messenger, etc.
Red Umbrella Fund requests references for all applications that appear to meet our eligibility requirements prior to being scored by our Programme Advisory Committee (PAC). Contacting references is not an indication of a grantmaking decision.
Please note that Red Umbrella Fund may seek references from other organisations (e.g. if the references provided are not known to us as a sex worker-led organisation or if your references are unresponsive).
Red Umbrella Fund grants are between €10.000 and €130.000 for two years based on organisational need, funding experience and available funds. See the table below for more details.
| Grant sizes (2 years) | Criteria |
| €10,000 – €40,000 |
|
| €16,000 – €80,000 |
|
| €30,000 – €130,000 |
|
Please note that the final grant amount awarded can differ from the initial grant request.
Red Umbrella Fund provides flexible core funding to support the general coordination, functioning and strengthening of a group, organisation or network and its members.
Flexible Core funding can be used to cover expenses such as registration costs, rent, salaries, advocacy, (peer led) capacity building, membership meetings, networking activities, programs or projects.
Our funding is flexible in that it may be adapted to the changing priorities of the grantee during the grant.
We do not make scholarship or travel grants. Red Umbrella Fund provides core funding to groups, which can be used to pay for conference participation, scholarships or travel costs if the group so decides.
When you submit the online application you will see a confirmation screen and you will receive an automatic confirmation by e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail, we have not received your application. We encourage you to save a draft of your application. In the online system, you may save a PDF version or print your application using “Print this page” located at the bottom of the confirmation page before you hit “Submit”.
After the application window closes, an international sex worker-led committee (Programme Advisory Committee, or PAC) will review the applications and select the new grants.
You will be contacted by e-mail to inform you of the final selection by November.
More details here and in the Application Guidelines.
| June – September: | Applications are screened by staff using criteria and references |
| August – October: | Applications are peer-reviewed by the sex worker-led Program Advisory Committee (PAC) using the criteria and priorities mentioned above |
| October: | Final selection is made by the PAC using also the funding (restrictions) available and considering geographic and gender diversity |
| October: | Grants selection is approved by the sex worker-led International Steering Committee (ISC) |
| 26 October – 1 November: | All applicants are informed of the final selection. |
| 15 December | All new grant contracts are made. |
Please send a request for more information to the e-mail mentioned in your decline message.
Each year the Application Guidelines, the Online Application, downloadable version of the Application and updated FAQ will be made available here.
Review the application documents carefully!
All organisations will use the same application form and may apply in either English, French, Russian or Spanish.
You may work offline but only applications submitted through the online system will be eligible for grants.
In order to support organisations that want to work offline, there is also downloadable version of the Application Form available (also in English, Spanish, French, Russian).
If you have troubles with filling in the application form please take a look at our presentation or instruction video on this.
Yes. Using our offline forms, you can submit a draft requesting feedback before the deadline provided in the Application Guidelines to [email protected].
Many organisations have not had funding before. You are welcome to apply if you meet our criteria.
Yes. Red Umbrella Fund makes its own grantmaking decisions.
Yes.
Yes. Note that you may still have a gap between the two grants if you are selected, because the new funds will only be released after your final reports have been approved.
No. You can apply again in the year that your grant from Red Umbrella Fund ends but not before that.
Yes. Red Umbrella Fund makes its own grantmaking decisions.
When you submit the online application you will see a confirmation screen and you will receive an automatic confirmation by e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail, we have not received your application. We encourage you to save a draft of your application. In the online system, you may save a PDF version or print your application using “Print this page” located at the bottom of the confirmation page before you hit “Submit”.
After the application window closes, an international sex worker-led committee (Programme Advisory Committee, or PAC) will review the applications and select the new grants.
You will be contacted by e-mail to inform you of the final selection by November.
More details here and in the Application Guidelines.
| June – September: | Applications are screened by staff using criteria and references |
| August – October: | Applications are peer-reviewed by the sex worker-led Program Advisory Committee (PAC) using the criteria and priorities mentioned above |
| October: | Final selection is made by the PAC using also the funding (restrictions) available and considering geographic and gender diversity |
| October: | Grants selection is approved by the sex worker-led International Steering Committee (ISC) |
| 26 October – 1 November: | All applicants are informed of the final selection. |
| 15 December | All new grant contracts are made. |
We aim to inform all applicants of the final decision concerning their application before 1 November.
Please send a request for more information to the e-mail mentioned in your decline message.