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.
Humanity United is “a philanthropic organization dedicated to cultivating the conditions for enduring peace and freedom. We recognize that we live in a deeply interconnected world, where we are all united by the challenges and opportunities we face.”
The International Trans Fund (ITF) is a participatory grantmaking fund made up of trans activists and donors. The ITF aims to increase the capacity of the trans movement to self-organize and advocate for trans people’s rights, self-determination, and wellbeing.
“JASS is a feminist movement support organization. In this movement moment, when people across the world are rising up against inequality, violence, planetary destruction and corruption, it is not a surprise that women – those most impacted by these crises – are also at the forefront demanding change.
But mobilizations can fade away. Real change takes time.
JASS equips community-based women activists to organize effectively and support feminist movement leadership to turn outrage and grief into lasting change. We offer tools, training, knowledge and on-going accompaniment to women and their organizations so they can build and sustain resilient and powerful movements. We build bridges, open doors and stand in solidarity with them to challenge and change the policies, practices, structures and norms that perpetuate injustice.”
The Levi Strauss Foundation’s philanthropic work is “grounded in the company’s values of originality, integrity, empathy and courage. Our mission is to advance the human rights and well-being of underserved people in places where Levi Strauss & Co. has a business presence. For more 65 years, the foundation has embraced the energy and events of our time to advance pioneering social change in the areas of HIV/AIDS, worker rights, worker well-being and social justice.”
Mama Cash is the host organisation for Red Umbrella Fund and in 2021 became the largest participatory grantmaker. “Courageous women’s, girls’, trans and intersex people’s human rights organisations worldwide need funding and supportive networks in order to grow and transform their communities. Mama Cash mobilises resources from individuals and institutions, makes grants to these self-led, feminist organisations, and helps to build the partnerships and networks needed to successfully defend and advance women’s, girls’, trans and intersex people’s human rights globally.”
Since the start in 1989, Nationale Postcode Loterij has supported charities dedicated to people and planet. Therefore it plays a pioneering role in the quest for a fair and enterprising, green and responsible world.
The Numun Fund is “a feminist technology response during COVID-19. It aims to support feminist groups, organizations and networks led by women, non-binary and trans people who use technology to advance feminist organizing and gender-just outcomes.” Feminist groups, organizations and networks led by women, non-binary and trans people are eligible to apply to Numun Fund.
Oak Foundation is “family led and reflects the vision and values of its founders. In all its work Oak pursues rights-based approaches, gender equality and partnership with the organisations we fund. We support civil society as a pillar of democracy and justice and nurture innovation and visionary leadership within it. We value diversity both within Oak and among our partners; we seek to be inclusive, flexible and engage with different points of view. We believe that the best grant-making reflects both careful due diligence and the willingness to take risks.”
The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. Open Society Foundation (OSF) is one of the funders that supported the formation of Red Umbrella Fund. “The Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, are the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights. We provide thousands of grants every year through a network of national and regional foundations and offices, funding a vast array of projects—many of them now shaped by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.“
“The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is an independent non-profit organization committed to advancing global Internet freedom. OTF supports projects focused on counteracting repressive censorship and surveillance, enabling citizens worldwide to exercise their fundamental human rights online. Through the research, development, implementation, and sustainability of technologies that facilitate the free flow of information, increase at-risk users’ digital security, and enable free expression, the OTF community is working to shape the Internet as a platform that fosters unimpeded connection and collaboration – facilitating positive social progress and reinforcing core democratic values.
Open Technology Fund has four different funds including Internet Freedom Fund and Rapid Response Fund.”
“The Peace Development Fund is more than a grantmaker: our model of philanthropy involves direct funding, advocacy where appropriate and partnerships built around mutual respect, sharing of resources, and transparency of planning and decision-making. We endeavor to be a key “go-to” foundation on issues of peace, human rights, social justice and environmental protection. We work to counter-balance dominant power structures by moving resources and sharing decision-making with activist groups and communities.
PDF has five programs including grantmaking, technical assistance, fiscal sponsorship, and rapid response funding. They fund in the United States and Mexico.”
Protect Defenders is the European Union Human Rights Defenders mechanism. The consortium of 12 NGOs “Operates a permanent and rapid response mechanism to provide urgent assistance and practical support to Human Rights Defenders in danger, their families, and their work. Manages a programme of temporary relocation for Human Rights Defenders at risk to relocate inside their country, within their region, or abroad in case of an urgent threat. Supports the creation of shelters for HRDs at risk and coordinates an exchange platform for stakeholders working on temporary relocation for Human Rights Defenders, the EU temporary relocation platform. Provides training, financial support, accompaniment, and capacity-building to Human Rights Defenders and local organisations. Monitors the situation of human rights defenders, including in the field, and advocates for a protection agenda for Human Rights Defenders at local, regional, and international level. Promotes coordination between organisations dedicated to support for Human Rights Defenders, EU institutions and other relevant actors.”
Red Umbrella Fund (RUF) is the first and only global fund dedicated to supporting the rights of sex workers. It was established in 2012 to respond to the lack of funding available for sex workers’ rights organising. In line with its core values of autonomy and ownership, Red Umbrella Fund is a sex worker-led, participatory fund.
“The Robert Carr Fund is the world’s leading international fund focused on funding regional and global networks led by and involving and serving inadequately served populations (ISPs).
As a cooperative effort of donors and civil society, the Robert Carr Fund is structured to maximize participation, empowerment, equity, transparency and accountability in our fundraising and grant making.
The Robert Carr Fund works to mobilize and deliver core and strategic funding for regional and global networks to achieve four outcomes:
Protecting and promoting human rights
Improving access to HIV services
Mobilizing and monitoring national and international funding for human rights and health
Building capacity of civil society and community networks”
“The SWGC is a cross-class, multi-racial, intergenerational giving circle made up of a group of Fellows with current or past experience with sex work or the sex trade. The Fellows make all high-level funding decisions and grantmaking recommendations, and lead many of our fundraising activities.”
