Resources from Funders and Allied Organisations Supporting Sex Workers’ RightsWe have organised the growing community of organisations supporting sex worker rights and provided brief introductions to strengthen the support available to the sex worker rights movement.
We have categorised them (funders, sex worker-led networks, and allied organisation) as well as created tags for key topics that intersect with our work.
African Sex Worker Alliance (ASWA) is a sex worker-led African regional network that was created in 2009 and is based in Nairobi, Kenya. ASWA has more than 70 sex worker-led organisations as members in 33 African countries. The network amplifies the voices of their sex worker members and advocates for the health and human rights of the diverse community of sex workers working and living in Africa.
AIDS Fonds is “a Dutch non-profit organisation that works internationally. Working with communities as equals is at the heart of all our work. We conduct research and ensure that HIV, AIDS and STIs remain high on the agenda worldwide. Together we are working to find a cure for HIV.”
They provide a variety of Grants and funding oportunities and provide an updated list of COVID-19 & HIV Funding Opportunities from allied organisations.
Alliance Magazine is a quarterly print magazine with an in-depth special feature dedicated to a key aspect of global philanthropy. “Essential reading for the global philanthropy sector with independent opinion, expert debate, and trusted insight. The only philanthropy magazine with a truly global focus, the latest 12 issues of Alliance are behind a paywall and are available only for subscribers, although selected articles are made freely available. The remainder of our archive is open to all visitors.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded in 1920. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures, and communities of the United States of America to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Read more about the history and mission of the ACLU.
Ariadne (European Funders for Social Change and Human Rights) is a European peer-to-peer network of more than 600 funders and philanthropists who support social change and human rights. Ariadne helps those using private resources for public good achieve more together than they can alone by linking them to other funders and providing practical tools of support.
This regional network
Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW) has 32 active organisational members in 23 countries that work together to promote the human rights of sex workers of all genders in Asia and the Pacific. APNSW conducts advocacy with regional intergovernmental bodies and the United Nations. The network provides training and technical support to its members on human rights, and quality HIV and health services, sets up sex worker-led legal services, and develops advocacy strategies.
“Every year, millions of nonprofits spend trillions of dollars around the world. Candid finds out where that money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. Through research, collaboration, and training, Candid connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to do it. Candid’s data tools on nonprofits, foundations, and grants are the most comprehensive in the world. Foundation Center (including Grantcraft) and GuideStar joined forces to become Candid, a 501c3 nonprofit organisation.”
The Count Me In! (CMI!) consortium is a strategic partner of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CMI! consists of member organisations Mama Cash (MC), the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), CREA, Just Associates (JASS), and the Sister Funds Urgent Action Fund (UAF) and Urgent Action Fund Africa (UAF-Africa). The sex worker-led Red Umbrella Fund (RUF) and the Dutch gender platform WO=MEN are strategic partners of the consortium.
“CREA is a feminist international human rights organization based in the Global South and led by women from the Global South. CREA’s work draws upon the inherent value of a rights-based approach to sexuality and gender equality. CREA promotes, protects, and advances human rights and the sexual rights of all people by building leadership capacities of activists and allies; strengthening organizations and social movements; creating and increasing access to new information, knowledge, and resources; and enabling supportive social and policy environments. Many resources are also in Bengali, Hindi, and Nepali. “
DemandAT is an interdisciplinary project addressing the challenge of understanding demand for trafficking in human beings and analysing the policy and practical measures that can influence this demand. The project feeds into recent efforts of European countries to find ways to reduce demand for the products and services provided by trafficked persons within their own economies and societies as a means of tackling trafficking. The project investigates multiple forms of trafficking and forced labour to assess the impact and potential of demand-side measures to reduce trafficking. The DemandAT project brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts across seven European countries from 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2017.
EDGE Funders Alliance organizes within philanthropy to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the interconnected nature of the social, economic and ecological crises threatening our common future. EDGE works to increase resources for communities and movements creating systemic change alternatives for a transition to a society that supports justice, equity and the well-being of the planet. “We are a community of 320 donors, foundation officers, trustees and advisors in more than 30 countries countries, passionately engaged in local, national and international grantmaking within 103 diverse institutions with differing priorities and strategies, but a shared belief that equity and justice are critical to furthering sustainable, global well-being.”
“ELAS Social Investment Fund (ELAS+) is the first independent fund that is dedicated to promoting and advancing the rights of girls and women in Brazil. “”ELAS transforms innovative ideas of thousandas of women from different ethnicities, races and sexual orientation into reality. ELAS launches “call of proposals” to select and support innovative projects of women’s groups working for women’s empowerment and rights.
We have built a pioneering methodology based on meritocracy where women’s groups and organizations use pseudonyms when submitting their proposals. We aim at brake a culture of favoritism and to ensure transparency. All groups and organizations selected participate in capacity building and dialogue meetings that promote knowledge and encourage the creation of joint strategies so its impact goes further.”””
Equality Fund robustly resources women’s rights organizations and feminist movements worldwide by partnering with organizations, coalitions, and networks focused on building power with women, girls, and trans people, especially in the Global South.
The European Network for the Promotion of Rights and Health among Migrant Sex Workers (TAMPEP) promotes the human rights of migrant sex workers at local, national and regional levels in Europe. To support its advocacy, the network documents and shares the stories, good practices and needs of its members, develops position papers, and supports sex workers’ presence in key advocacy spaces. TAMPEP actively reaches out to other migrants’ rights organisations to build alliances and collaborate for migrants’ rights in Europe.
European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance (ESWA) was formerly known as International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRSE). This sex worker-led network has a membership of 105 organisations across 35 countries of Europe and Central Asia. At national level, ICRSE supports sex workers’ self organisation though trainings, development of activities or strategic plan as well as submission to governmental consultations. At European level, ICRSE coordinates advocacy and campaigns and has been very active in building alliances with key European civil society networks across movements, and especially with migrants and LGBTI+ organisations.
