
Grantee-Partners Map
In the 10 years since our launch in 2012, Red Umbrella Fund has given 279 grants to 180 organisations in 68 countries. Every year we share our list of grants including the names of the grantee-partner organisations that request to be published on our website. Organisations that wish to stay anonymous do not have their name or country publicly available. Please contact us if you would like to contact any of our former-grantees or discuss their work.
In 2022 Red Umbrella Fund’s PAC awarded €1,300,000 – our first time giving more than a million in a single year – bringing total grants to €7,886,500!
Organisation Name | Country | Region | Years |
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Advocacy Normalizing Sex Work through Education and Resources (ANSWERS)
Advocacy Normalizing Sex Work through Education and Resources (ANSWERS)Canada Local English ANSWERS envisions a community of sex workers that is fully integrated, accepted, and safe so that they can enjoy equal opportunities within Canadian society. To achieve their mission, ANSWERS supports sex workers and their rights through outreach, education, and support services while working to end violence and stigma towards sex workers. Learn more
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Canada | North America/Caribbean | 2021 |
ANSWER Detroit
ANSWER DetroitUnited States Local English This sex worker-led justice collective believes in the right of all people to choose to do sex work on their own terms. As such, this collective’s work focuses on power building and political education, advocacy, harm reduction and media and culture amongst others. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2021 |
Asociacion de Mujeres Trabajadoras Sexuales 21 de Septiembre (ASOTRASEX)
Asociacion de Mujeres Trabajadoras Sexuales 21 de Septiembre (ASOTRASEX)Dominican Republic National Spanish OTRASEX first originated in 2012 and had its first Board of Directors in 2016. The organisation fights for the respect of sex workers’ human and labour rights in the Dominican Republic. With this grant, the organisation aims to train and support young activists, strengthen its organisation and organise discussions on trade unions and labour rights.
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Dominican Republic | North America/Caribbean | 2021 |
Best Practices Policy Project (BPPP)
Best Practices Policy Project (BPPP)United States National, International English This advocacy organisation is led by sex workers and dedicated to supporting sex workers’ rights across the United States. BPPP produces materials for policy spaces, addresses research and academic questions, provides organizations and advocates with technical assistance and engages in rights-based campaigns. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2014 |
Best Practices Policy Project (BPPP)
Best Practices Policy Project (BPPP)United States Local, Subnational, National English Best Practices Policy Project (BPPP) is an advocacy organisation led by sex workers and dedicated to supporting sex workers’ rights across the United States. BPPP produces materials for use in policy advocacy, addresses research and academic questions, provides organisations and advocates with technical assistance and engages in rights-based campaigns for sex worker’s rights. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2016 |
Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network
Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support NetworkCanada Local, National, International English This sex worker-led organisation based in Toronto provides support to and advocates for the rights of Asian and other migrant sex workers in several cities in Canada. Butterfly builds leadership skills and capacities of migrant sex workers through a peer-to-peer programme. Its members visit migrant sex workers in detention centres, prisons and court. The group provides legal support and interpretation services, assists with arranging bail and supports deported workers. Butterfly advocates for changes in anti-trafficking policy and immigration laws to make them less harmful for migrant sex workers. Learn more
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Canada | North America/Caribbean | 2018 |
Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network
Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support NetworkCanada Local, National, International English This sex worker-led organisation formed in 2014 as a support network for Asian and migrant sex workers in several cities of Canada. Through legal support, interpretation services and advocacy activities, the organisation fights for sex workers’ entitlement to respect, dignity, equality, basic human rights and justice, regardless of their gender, race and immigration status. Learn more
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Canada | North America/Caribbean | 2020 |
Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC)
Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC)Regional Network - Guyana Based International English This network brings together sex workers from organisations across the Caribbean with the aim to promote the health and human rights of sex workers of all genders in the region. CSWC trains its members to become peer educators on HIV and human rights, and builds leadership and advocacy skills. Learn more
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Regional Network - Guyana Based | North America/Caribbean | 2014 |
Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC)
Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC)Regional Network - Guyana Based National, International English Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC) is a network that brings together sex workers from organisations across the Caribbean with the aim to promote the health and human rights of sex workers of all genders in the region. CSWC trains its members to become peer educators on HIV and human rights, and builds leadership and advocacy skills. Learn more
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Regional Network - Guyana Based | North America/Caribbean | 2016 |
Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC)
Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC)Regional Network - Guyana Based National, International English Created in 2008, Caribbean Sex Work Coalition brings together its sex worker-led member organisations from 6 countries across the Caribbean. The network implements two strategies: advocacy for the promotion of sex workers’ rights and capacity building of its members at national and local levels. With this grant, the networks will organise a training for sex workers from the region to increase their skills on sex worker-led service delivery. Learn more
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Regional Network - Guyana Based | North America/Caribbean | 2020 |
Community United for Safety and Protection (CUSP)
Community United for Safety and Protection (CUSP)United States Local, National English Based in Alaska, this group of sex workers, people who have experienced trafficking and allies works to promote the safety and protection of all people involved in the sex industry in the US. The members include people from diverse genders, ethnicities and backgrounds. CUSP provides a place of safety and protection for sex workers where they can find support and get information about their rights. The group challenges harmful trafficking laws and aims for decriminalisation of sex work through direct lobbying, media outreach and legal action. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2015 |
Comunidad de Trans, Travestis y Trabajadoras Sexuales Dominicanas (COTRAVETD)
Comunidad de Trans, Travestis y Trabajadoras Sexuales Dominicanas (COTRAVETD)Dominican Republic Local Spanish Working at the national level and led by sex workers who are trans, the group provides health and HIV services and information to sex workers. COTRAVETD makes use of the media to address stigma and discrimination and educate the public about sex workers’ rights.
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Dominican Republic | North America/Caribbean | 2012 |
Desiree Alliance
Desiree AllianceUnited States Local, National English This network of sex worker organisations, communities and individuals across the US organises regular national conference for sex workers . These conferences provide unique opportunities for sex workers and allies to come together to share, learn and strategise for more effective advocacy for sex workers’ rights. Desiree Alliance engages in national and international advocacy by promoting the leadership of sex workers in combating HIV and in United Nations Universal Periodic Review processes. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2015 |
Desiree Alliance
Desiree AllianceUnited States National, International English This network brings together organisations and individuals from diverse sex worker communities across the US to strengthen their advocacy for the human rights of sex workers. Desiree Alliance supports the development of local and regional sex worker leadership in the country, so that sex workers themselves can advocate for their human, labour and civil rights. The network organises national conferences, providing space and opportunity for sex workers and allies to share, learn and strategise together for more effective sex workers’ rights advocacy. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2017 |
EntrePutxs
EntrePutxsPuerto Rico local Spanish EntrePutxs works to create alternative spaces and practices for sex workers where their wants and needs are prioritised. The organisation seeks to continue creating spaces where sex workers can be in community, collaborate, facilitate workshops & healing circles, coordinate events, panels and give not only platform but also resources to sex workers. With this grant from Red Umbrella Fund, the organisation intends to create a podcast, a cabaret and a support fund for sex workers.
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Puerto Rico | North America/Caribbean | 2022 |
Guyana Sex Work Coalition (GSWC)
Guyana Sex Work Coalition (GSWC)Guyana Local English This group provides peer-to-peer support and training to sex workers in Guyana and the wider Caribbean region to build their knowledge and confidence to stand up for their rights, including the right to be protected from police violence, to access HIV/AIDS and other health services, and for their work to be recognised as work. The group trains health providers, police, and the military as a strategy to reduce stigma, discrimination and violence against sex workers.
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Guyana | North America/Caribbean | 2013 |
Jamaica Sex Work Coalition (JSWC)
Jamaica Sex Work Coalition (JSWC)Jamaica National English This group of sex workers works to change laws that criminalise aspects of sex work in Jamaica. SWAJ promotes the rights of sex workers and aims to reduce stigma through outreach to the general public and videos that show the human face of sex work. The group organises workshops with police officers to sensitise them about how to interact with sex workers, especially street workers who are the most vulnerable to police harassment. SWAJ plans to organise a conference where sex workers will share their experiences with law enforcement. Learn more
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Jamaica | North America/Caribbean | 2018 |
Jamaica Sex Work Coalition (JSWC)
Jamaica Sex Work Coalition (JSWC)Jamaica Local, National, International English Jamaica Sex Work Coalition was created in 2007 following several reports from the Ministry of Health highlighting important gaps in service delivery for sex workers. The group advocates at national level for the rights of sex workers of all genders and pushes for legal reforms. The group organises workshops with law enforcement officers and media campaigns to end Jamaican society’s stigma and discrimination towards sex workers. Learn more
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Jamaica | North America/Caribbean | 2020 |
Maggie’s Toronto Sex Workers Action Project
Maggie’s Toronto Sex Workers Action ProjectCanada Local, National English This organisation supports sex workers in Toronto to live and work in safety and with dignity through education on safer sex and drug use. Maggie’s provides drop-in spaces, counselling and referrals to health and social services. The Red Umbrella Fund grant supports its efforts to reach out particularly to and address the needs and rights of sex workers from indigenous communities through hosting dedicated drumming groups and talking circles. Learn more
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Canada | North America/Caribbean | 2014 |
New Jersey Red Umbrella Alliance (NJRUA)
New Jersey Red Umbrella Alliance (NJRUA)United States Local, Subnational, National English This group amplifies the voices of a diversity of sex workers through media, storytelling, peer-led trainings and creative advocacy programmes, with the aim of reducing stigma, promoting human rights, increasing access to justice and personal development. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2015 |
New Jersey Red Umbrella Alliance (NJRUA)
New Jersey Red Umbrella Alliance (NJRUA)United States Local, Subnational English This alliance of sex worker activists promotes the human rights of sex workers living and working in New Jersey. In the context of rising criminalisation, NJRUA provides community support and campaigns for better policies. The group conducts outreach to street sex workers and organises community activities in various cities throughout the state of New Jersey, informing sex workers about their rights, distributing condoms and expanding its network among sex workers. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2018 |
Philadelphia Red Umbrella Alliance (PhillyRUA)
Philadelphia Red Umbrella Alliance (PhillyRUA)United States Local English Philadelphia Red Umbrella Alliancen was created in 2014 to promote sex workers’ rights through an intersectional lens in the city of Philadelphia in the United States of America. The organisation is dedicated to ending stigma and violence against sex workers through labour organising and advocacy. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2021 |
Projet LUNE
Projet LUNECanada Local French This organisation of sex workers operates in the city of Quebec. The group reaches mostly women sex workers who use drugs and those working on the streets with practical support and advice, including peer-led trainings about condom use, accessing health services, self-defence, and human rights. Through their journal ‘Les voix de la RuELLES’ (The Voice of the Streets) sex workers are able to speak out and share their experiences and demands. Learn more
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Canada | North America/Caribbean | 2013 |
Red Umbrella Project (RedUP)
Red Umbrella Project (RedUP)United States Local, Subnational English This New York-based group organises theatre, storytelling and memoir writing programmes in which sex workers of all genders share experiences with a wide audience to reduce stigma and fight discrimination. The group campaigns for improvements in legislation, such as the ‘No Condoms as Evidence’ campaign, which aims to ban the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution-related offenses. The group builds the leadership skills and capacity of sex workers through trainings that enable them to run their own advocacy campaigns. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2013 |
Red Umbrella Project (RedUP)
Red Umbrella Project (RedUP)United States Local, Subnational, National English RedUp amplifies the voices of diverse sex workers through media, storytelling, peer-led trainings and creative advocacy programs with the aim to reduce stigma, promote human rights, increase access to justice and personal development. The group founded the successful Access to Condoms Coalition in New York to fight against the use of condoms by police as evidence of prostitution. The group monitored the activities of the Human Trafficking Intervention Courts in New York City and uses the data to lobby for better laws and policies in relation to trafficking and sex work. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2015 |
SafeSpace London
SafeSpace LondonCanada Local English This community drop-in centre is run by and for women – including trans – and non-binary sex workers and allies. SafeSpace focuses on improving the living conditions of sex workers in their community. The group provides harm reduction supplies, hygiene products, educational resources and peer support. Through their ‘Not Your Rescue Project’ theatre production, SafeSpace educates students at colleges and universities about sex workers’ human rights. At national level, the group participates in the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform. Learn more
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Canada | North America/Caribbean | 2019 |
SafeSpace London
SafeSpace LondonCanada local English SafeSpace is a drop-in centre and community collective operated for, by and with sex workers (past and present), allies, and women and gender-nonconforming individuals in London, Canada. Through its work, SafeSpace supports sex workers by fostering relationships of trust, transparency, and empowerment, and mitigating the impacts of criminalisation, discrimination, violence and stigma in the lives of sex workers. The group provides harm reduction supplies, hygiene products, educational resources and peer support. Learn more
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Canada | North America/Caribbean | 2022 |
Sex Worker Advocates Coalition (SWAC)
Sex Worker Advocates Coalition (SWAC)United States local English The Sex Worker Advocates Coalition (SWAC) was formed in October 2016 as a small working group discussing the status of sex workers’ rights in Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America. SWAC believes that sex work is work and that people in the sex trades are worthy of full economic, political and social empowerment, and humanity. This is the first time the organisation receives a grant from Red Umbrella Fund. The funding will be used entirely for the sex work decriminalisation campaign in Washington D.C. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2022 |
Sex Workers Advisory Network of Sudbury (SWANS)
Sex Workers Advisory Network of Sudbury (SWANS)Canada Local English This group, located in northeastern Ontario, provides frontline services and community building to women sex workers (cis and trans), many of whom are Indigenous people, in an area removed from major city centres. Mainstream service providers in rural areas have limited awareness of sex workers’ realities and needs, and SWANS fills this gap. SWANS’ core activity is a drop-in centre in Sudbury, which offers capacity building opportunities to sex workers through a peer education model on legal, health, economic, and personal issues, while also offering direct psychosocial support and health services. Learn more
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Canada | North America/Caribbean | 2017 |
Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP)- USA
Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP)- USAUnited States Local, National, International English This national social justice network is dedicated to promoting the human rights of sex workers and their communities. The network consists of 27 local chapters that vary in size and include both sex workers and allied activists. SWOP-USA focuses much of its attention on ending stigma and violence against sex workers through education and advocacy. The network is active at local levels through its SWOP chapters, as well as at the national level. Through a dedicated website and related communications, SWOP actively encourages and supports sex workers in the United States and worldwide to honour December 17 as the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2015 |
Street Youth Rise Up (SYRU)
Street Youth Rise Up (SYRU)United States Local English This organisation aims to change the ways in which institutions see and treat homelessness in Chicago, United States of America. Working primarily with young, homeless, street-based sex workers, this sex worker-led group conducts peer-to-peer outreach and leadership development programmes locally. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2020 |
Suriname Coalition of Sex Workers (SUCOS)
Suriname Coalition of Sex Workers (SUCOS)Suriname National English This sex worker-led group was created to promote the human rights of sex workers by pursuing decriminalisation of sex work and combating stigma in all its forms. With the Red Umbrella Fund grant, SUCOS will launch a two-year media campaign to illustrate sex workers’ stories and put sex workers’ demands forward. The group reaches out to law enforcement agencies, community and religious leaders to educate them about sex workers’ rights. SUCOS unites diverse sex workers including transgender people, migrants, and people living with HIV in Suriname. Learn more
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Suriname | North America/Caribbean | 2017 |
Suriname Coalition of Sex Workers (SUCOS)
Suriname Coalition of Sex Workers (SUCOS)Suriname National English Created in 2015, this group unites diverse sex workers including trans people, migrant workers, and people living with HIV. SUCOS promotes the human rights of sex workers by pursuing decriminalisation of sex work and combating stigma against sex workers in Suriname. The group educates community members, law enforcement officers and religious leaders about sex workers’ rights. By training its members in how to engage with media, the group aims to raise visibility for their messages. Learn more
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Suriname | North America/Caribbean | 2019 |
Suriname Coalition of Sex Workers (SUCOS)
Suriname Coalition of Sex Workers (SUCOS)Suriname National English Created in 2015, this group unites diverse sex workers including trans people, migrant workers, and people living with HIV. SUCOS promotes the human rights of sex workers by pursuing decriminalisation of sex work and combating stigma against sex workers in Suriname. The group educates community members, law enforcement officers and religious leaders about sex workers’ rights. By training its members in how to engage with media, the group aims to raise visibility for their messages. Learn more
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Suriname | North America/Caribbean | 2021 |
Together in Service (SWOPLA)
Together in Service (SWOPLA)United States local English SWOPLA (Sex Worker Outreach Project Los Angeles) is a grassroots non-profit organisation that is led, organised and supported by and for sex workers. SWOPLA’s vision is to usher in the reality where all sex workers? labor and body are valued and respected. Amongst other important work, SWOPLA maintains a resource list on its website and cultivates relationships with service providers to provide referrals useful to sex workers in the Los Angeles area of the United States of America. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2022 |
Whose Corner Is It Anyway (WCIIA)
Whose Corner Is It Anyway (WCIIA)United States Local English This local weekly community initiative has been self-funded through a crowdfunding campaign since 2017. Members are current or former low income sex workers who either use drugs, have experienced homelessness, or have engaged in street-based work. WCIAA offers transportation assistance, a stipend, childcare, toiletry items, clothing, access to harm reduction supplies and bail emergency response. Meetings include workshops addressing members’ self-determined needs. Learn more
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United States | North America/Caribbean | 2019 |