New West Africa grantmaker ISDAO launches first its first call for applications

Application deadline: 22^nd November 2018

ISDAO (Sankofa Initiative for West Africa), is West Africa’s first activist-led and managed fund. ISDAO is dedicated to building a West African movement for gender diversity and sexual rights through a flexible approach to grantmaking and the strengthening of a culture of philanthropy committed to promoting human rights and social justice.

The first call includes three grant categories you can apply for, tailored to the diverse organising in the region. These include:

• Up to USD 5,000 ⎯ Foundational seed support for informal start-ups between 0-2 years, working locally at the grassroots. These organisations might lack formal systems or structures and have most, if not all, their work led by volunteers.
• Up to USD 15,000 ⎯ Funding to sustain pre-existing work undertaken by more formal groups that have been active for at least two years, working at local, national, or regional levels. These organisations should have some systems and structures in place, and a consistent team of part-time staff and should be consistently staffed by either paid employees (part-time or full-time) or volunteers.
• Up to USD 20,000 ⎯ Funding to consolidate or develop work by formal groups working at national or regional levels that have at least 3 years’ working experience and have functional systems and structures and full-time staff.

The call is open to LGBTQI-led and LGBTQI-focused organisations from any of the nine West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.

Find out more here: www.isdao.org/callforproposals.

The Baring Foundation gave a grant to support the development of ISDAO as a regional grantmaker to LGBTI communities as one of its first grants in West Africa earlier this year.