A charity battling a rising tide of hate crime, domestic abuse, sexual violence and so-called ‘conversion therapy’ against LGBT+ people has received a seven-figure funding boost.
Galop will be able to offer one-to-one and group therapy to hundreds more Londoners who have experienced violence or abuse, thanks to a £300,000 grant from City Bridge Foundation – the capital’s biggest independent charity funder.
The charity’s national LGBT+ Hate Crime Helpline has seen a 65% increase in calls this past year from LGBT+ survivors looking for support, advice or advocacy.
Meanwhile, a further £993,700 has been awarded to support Galop to undertake an in-depth study of specialist LGBT+ abuse and violence support services in the capital.
YouGov research commissioned by Galop found almost one in five LGBT+ people had been subject someone trying to change, ‘cure’ or suppress their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Giles Shilson, City Bridge Foundation Chairman, said:
“It’s truly shocking to think that in the supposedly enlightened 21st century, so many LGBT+ people still face appalling abuse because of their sexuality or gender identity.
“Against this backdrop, frontline charities such as Galop play a vital role, and this funding means they can offer a lifeline to hundreds more people who often have nowhere else to turn.
“The longer-term funding means the charity will have the time and the space to identify how support for LGBT+ people looks now and to play a leading role driving improvement in provision in the future.”
The five-year funding for therapy services will enable one-to-one trauma processing counselling and group support sessions, alongside safety and stabilisation courses.
These will allow LGBT+ people to have a confidential space run by LGBT+ people to explore their experiences and be provided with practice knowledge to manage trauma from abuse and violence.
Meanwhile, the eight-year, £993,700 grant, which will support three key roles in Galop’s policy and research team, comes from City Bridge Foundation’s Anchor Programme, which offers long-term funding to organisations which support frontline charities tackling inequality.
It is part of almost £14 million awarded under the programme to charities across London, with other organisations receiving grants including £1,408,400 over 10 years to Consortium LGBT to support key strategic roles for the development of LGBT+ sector organisations and £1,003,000 over seven years to Spectra CIC to support its work building capacity among charities supporting trans communities and sex workers.
The Galop funding will enable it to identify gaps in provision for people of different LGBT+ identities and across different London boroughs, model what future services should look like and strengthen partnerships with other charities.
Galop CEO Leni Morris said:
“We are so thankful to City Bridge Foundation for their generous funding of our valuable LGBT+ therapeutic services and our new policy and research team.
“Galop has been supporting LGBT+ people who have experienced abuse and violence for over 40 years. City Bridge Foundation’s support is enabling us to both grow our own services to include therapeutic support for LGBT+ survivors and to work on the bigger picture of support for LGBT+ people in London.
“Our therapeutic services have been described by clients as ‘life-changing’, so this funding will make a tangible difference for LGBT+ people experiencing abuse and violence.
“The generous eight-year funding for our policy and research work will enable us to address the systemic barriers that LGBT+ victims and survivors face when accessing support.”
Galop runs four national helplines respectively for LGBT+ people who have experienced hate crime, domestic abuse, conversion practices and rape or sexual abuse.
