What's Next for Asanka?
Update on our Creative Initiatives Fund

Recognizing the important role that creative expression plays in building a more just and inclusive society for LGBTQI people and communities, ISDAO created the Asanka Creative Initiatives fund to support individuals and organizations in exploring innovative, experimental approaches to advocacy and movement-building. Since its inception in 2021, the Asanka Fund has been a vital resource for creative and artistic advocacy in West Africa.

Over the past three years, ISDAO has awarded 30 Asanka grants to organizations and individual activists. In our first funding cycle, we proudly supported 12 projects—from film productions and memoir publications to the establishment of safe artistic spaces. The second and third cycles each funded 9 innovative initiatives, including podcasts, theater, a film festival, documentaries, music, and visual art.

The third cycle marked the end of Asanka’s 3-year pilot phase, prompting us to reflect on its future direction. To learn from our partners' experiences and share these insights with the movement and the philanthropic community, we have commissioned a case study on Asanka.

We are also working on an exciting new project to support and amplify the media and other projects created by Asanka grantee partners so that they reach wider audiences and inspire more initiatives across the region. We look forward to telling you more about this in the coming months.

During this transition phase, there will be no call for concept notes for Asanka grants in 2024.

Instead, we are preparing to launch the call early in 2025, with some key changes for the 4th cycle, including:

• Grants reserved for individual activists: From 2025, Asanka grants will be used exclusively to support individual activists, and will no longer be awarded to organizations or groups. This change reflects our commitment to providing LGBTQI activists with a dedicated fund that is tailored to their unique needs and creative advocacy efforts. We invite organizations to integrate their creative advocacy projects into proposals submitted under our regional call, which offers the possibility of core and/or flexible project funding.
• Increased grant amount: Individual applicants will now be able to receive up to 7,000 USD for their project.

We encourage activists and creatives from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo—including those based in the diaspora—to start envisioning potential projects for the Asanka Fund’s 4th cycle.

We are eager to see bold, innovative ideas that push the boundaries of advocacy and contribute to movement strengthening in our communities.

Creative advocacy initiatives can take many forms, including audiovisual media production, digital and print publication of books, comics, zines or handbooks, photography, music, visual arts, theater, digital campaigns, and the creation of artistic spaces.

We look forward to seeing your unique interpretations of what creative advocacy can achieve, and how it can inspire change within our communities when we launch the next Asanka call in 2025.

Thank you for your continued trust and commitment to strengthening our movements together.