Following its launch in June this year, applications for grants from Pride in London’s Unity Fund are now open for grassroot LGBT+ organisations to receive much-needed financial support.
The Unity Fund will provide grants to those who need it most, with the aim of tangibly changing the lives of marginalised LGBT+ people in the UK for the better. Pride in London has raised an impressive £50,000 for the fund to date, achieved through generous donations from individuals, community groups and businesses. Groups can apply for grants up to the value of £1,000 to support their work – additionally there will be two larger grants of £5,000 that groups can apply for.
To qualify, organisations must demonstrate that their work and/or projects directly address the needs of LGBT+ communities, or provide frontline support to them during crises or major incidents. Pride in London is keen to hear from organisations specifically working with underrepresented groups, including people of colour, trans and non-binary communities.
Having been a long-standing goal for Pride in London since the organisation began, the Unity Fund aims to reach and support more diverse communities than ever before. Pride in London recognises that there are many grassroot organisations that address the needs of the UK’s LGBT+ communities, but are now in more desperate need of funding than ever to support their efforts.
Alex Talcer, Director of Fundraising for Pride in London, said: “The Unity Fund has been a collective vision for all of us at Pride in London for some time now, because we truly believe that helping to build up smaller grassroots organisations will have the biggest impact for our communities. We know this year has been especially tough for LGBT+ groups big and small, and we hope that with a grant from the Unity Fund they can continue their phenomenal work that directly improves the lives of queer people in the UK.
Christopher Joell-Shields, Director of Community Engagement for Pride in London, said: “The Unity Fund is our commitment to supporting the initiatives and projects that are making positive change in our communities from the ground up. The response to our donation drive has been incredible so far, and just goes to show the good we can do for one another when we rally together as allies to one another. As we continue through 2020 and beyond, marginalised groups such as our queer black communities and trans communities need more support than ever, and we are particularly interested to see applications from groups championing the rights of these underrepresented groups.”
The Unity Fund is part of Pride in London’s ongoing commitment to provide a platform to unite, support and celebrate all LGBT+ communities, amplifying their voices and allowing people to lift each other up and stand as one. This follows on from the organisation’s 2020 campaign You!Me!Us!We, which calls on all communities to show allyship to one another.
Grassroots LGBT+ organisations should visit prideinlondon.org/unity-fund/apply to submit their application for funding, while those wishing to donate to the Unity Fund can visit donate.prideinlondon.org for more details.
