Frequently Asked Questions

ISDAO grants are currently awarded to organizations, networks and groups that:

• Are led by lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex, and transgender (LGBTQI) individuals. ISDAO considers a group to be “led by LGBTQI people” when LGBTQI people hold decision-making positions—including in setting the organization’s strategic and financial priorities—and make up at least 75% of the staff, spokespersons, and members of the board of directors or other decision-making bodies;
• Are based in at least one of the current ISDAO focal countries, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal or Togo.
• Are dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQI people at the local, state or national level.
• Are committed to engaging and strengthening the movement to promote the human rights and inclusion of LGBTQI people.
• Are open to collaborating with other LGBTQI organizations and allies and willing to share their experiences to strengthen the LGBTQI rights movement.

ISDAO DOES NOT REQUIRE A GROUP TO BE LEGALLY REGISTERED TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR GRANTS.

PROJECTS PROPOSED BY INDIVIDUALS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, OR POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR GRANTS.

ISDAO considers a group to be “led by lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex, and trans people” when lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex, and/or trans individuals make up at least 75% of the members of the governance and operations teams, as well as the executive board, and set the organization’s strategic and financial priorities.

For ISDAO, leadership includes:

1. Decision-Making Body: Members of the organization’s decision-making bodies must be lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex, and/or trans individuals.

• • If not, the group must be able to explain what mechanisms are in place to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex and/or trans people are involved in decision-making.

2. Spokespersons: Spokespersons must be lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, and/or trans individuals.

• • If not, the group must be able to explain what mechanisms are in place to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex and/or trans people are the voice of the organization.

3. Staff / Volunteers: At least 75% of staff members are lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, and/or trans individuals who have the same contracts and working conditions as other staff members of the organization, beyond serving as peer educators or volunteers.

Yes. However, if funding is awarded, the organization will need to appoint a fiscal host to receive and administratively manage the grant for them.

Yes, you are eligible to apply for funding. ISDAO welcomes applications from any organization or group that meets the above criteria.

Yes, you can apply and if the grant is approved by our AGMP, the grant funds will be sent to the bank account of your designated fiscal host.

Identifying and working with a fiscal host is a strategy commonly used by groups or organizations that have not or cannot legally register in their countries, or who have limited capacity and experience in managing grants.

• A fiscal host (or fiscal sponsor) is an organization that is legally registered and can support both non-registered and registered organizations and/or organizations with limited capacities in financial management, by hosting a grant on behalf of the organization(s) and providing technical support and advise to the hosted organization.
• The relationship should be governed by a collaborative agreement or contract between the two entities, which lays out the roles and responsibilities of the two entities and describes how the relationship will work.
• Sometimes, a fiscal host may also provide mentoring and capacity-building in financial management to assist groups or organizations in this area. The fiscal host must be legally registered in its country.

There are many ways to approach the role of a fiscal host. If you have further questions about fiscal hosting or what ISDAO requires for organizations with fiscal hosts, please send an email toinfo@isdao.org.

Yes, you can submit an application for a new grant. LGBTQI groups and organizations who have a current grant from ISDAO can submit a new application and provide an update on their current grant within the application

Please note that all groups/organizations with active grants must be up to date on their reporting obligations, in accordance with the deadlines specified in their grant agreements. New grant applications from groups that are behind on an interim or final report at the time of proposal review will be rejected.

No. Groups and organizations that were approved for multi-year funding lasting 18 to 36 months under the 8th grant cycle are not eligible to apply for the 9th regional call for proposals. They may submit a new application during the next cycle.

Grants awarded through our annual subregional call for proposals are intended for groups, organizations, and networks led by LGBTQI individuals who are committed to defending the rights of LGBTQI people. This includes groups, organizations, and networks led by LGBTQI individuals whose work focuses on the needs and advocacy for the rights of LGBTQI people. Groups, organizations, and networks that are not led by LGBTQI individuals and whose work does not focus on LGBTQI individuals are not eligible for this funding.

We note that many LGBTQI groups and organizations adopt an intersectional approach and sometimes include LGBTQI individuals who are also sex workers or people who use drugs. These groups and organizations may apply, provided they are led by LGBTQI individuals as defined by ISDAO, are primarily dedicated to LGBTQI people, and meet all other eligibility requirements.

No, ISDAO only funds organizations, initiatives, or groups led by LGBTQI individuals

ISDAO works to provide resources to LGBTQI organizations in West Africa, with a particular focus in our early years on the nine countries that participated in the community consultations and mapping research that informed the creation of the fund (2014–2016). These countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo. The report is available here

The regional call for proposals is open for one month each year. Each new call for proposals is announced on our website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. Click here to sign up for our mailing list.

Priority will be given to lesbian, gay, bi, queer, intersex, and trans led associations, grassroots groups, or collectives:

• With little or no access to funding from major donors;
• Dedicated to emerging issues that have not been previously funded;
• Located in rural, remote, and/or underserved areas;
• Reflecting the diversity of communities and working with marginalized LGBTQI subgroups
• Using innovative and creative strategies in their activism (including art, music, culture, poetry, social networks, etc.)

We strongly encourage groups and organizations led by and/or working specifically with LBQ women, transgender people, and intersex people to submit an application.

Yes, all of these organizational structures can apply, provided they meet our basic eligibility criteria. These organizations should use the available application form.

• If the applicant is a group or consortium of organizations, there should be a lead organization that will submit the application on behalf of the group or consortium. The lead organization will serve as the point of contact and grant administrator if funding is awarded. The organization’s budget and the required supporting documents would be those of the lead organization.
• For groups applying together or as a consortium, we encourage you to clearly describe the structure and decision-making processes for the consortium as a whole, as well as for individual groups and organizations, in addition to the work and background of each group or organization.

Groups/organizations can only submit one proposal. However, a group submitting its own proposal may also participate in a group/ organization proposal submitted by a consortium of groups/ organizations, provided they are not the lead organization in the consortium that will submit the proposal and manage the grant if approved.

ISDAO provides flexible funding to support the overall coordination, operations and strengthening of a group, organization or network and its members.

Our funding can be used to cover expenses such as organization or group registration fees, advocacy, capacity building, organizational development, operating costs, travel/attendance at key conferences, member meetings, networking events, emergency funds, programs, and projects.

Organizations can apply for core funding, project funding or a combination of both.

ISDAO awards grants from 6 months (minimum) to 36 months (maximum). Organizations can determine the duration of the grant they require, but any grant request exceeding 36 months will not be considered.

Yes, but we recommend that you only apply for this type of grant – for a period of up to 36 months – if your organization needs it. Although we award grants of up to 36 months, we recognize that not every organization needs one. The final decision regarding the grant, including the amount awarded and the duration of the grant, is made by the Activist Grant Making Panel.

Yes, ISDAO provides flexible funding and aims to respond to the priorities identified within the movement, including core support. Groups, organizations and networks can apply for core support funding and indicate this on this application form.

Yes. We encourage organizations to include creative projects or initiatives in their proposals, if deemed relevant.

No. The Asanka Fund is now open only to individual activists. Therefore, organizations must include any projects or creative initiatives in their proposals and budgets.

ISDAO’s grants are in three tiers depending on the organization's needs, grant experience, and available funds. Our call for proposal is informed by our earlier community consultations, which mapped the varied capacities and needs of organizations in West Africa. 

There are three levels of grants you can apply for, tailored to the diversity of organizing in the region. The tiers are as follows:

TIER 1: Up to 5,000 USD (per year) ⎯ This funding is designed to provide foundational support for informal groups or organizations working at the grassroots level that have existed for at least 2 years and can demonstrate work implemented during that time. These organizations may lack formal systems or structures and are likely to be volunteer-led. The annual budget of any group or organization applying for this grant must not exceed 85,000 USD. Under this funding level, applicants can apply for up to:

• 5 000 $ for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months
• 10 000 $ for a minimum of 18 months and a maximum of 24 months
• 15 000 $ for a minimum of 30 months and a maximum of 36 months

TIER 2: Up to 20,000 USD(per year) ⎯ Funding to sustain pre-existing work or to implement new initiatives undertaken by more formalized groups that have been active for at least four (4) years, working at local, sub-national, or national levels. These organizations should have some systems and structures in place (especially their finance structure) and should be consistently staffed by either paid employees (part-time or full-time) or volunteers. Under this funding level, applicants can apply for up to:

• 20 000 $ for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months
• 40 000 $ for a minimum of 18 months and a maximum of 24 months
• 60 000 $ for a minimum of 30 months and a maximum of 36 months

TIER 3: Up to USD 30,000 (per year) ⎯ This funding is intended to support the consolidation or development of work by formal groups operating at sub-national, national, or regional levels, with at least 6 years of experience, functional organizational systems and structures, and full-time staff. Under this funding level, applicants can apply for up to:

• 30 000 $ for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months
• 60 000 $ for a minimum of 18 months and a maximum of 24 months
• 90 000 $ for a minimum of 30 months and a maximum of 36 months

Please note that the final amount of the grant awarded may differ from the amount initially requested, and that this decision is made by our Grant Activist Panel.

ISDAO provides funding for the core activities and priorities identified by groups, which could include travel expenses. ISDAO does not make separate travel grants, so groups are encouraged to include any travel that they would prioritize for the upcoming year, within their proposal.

Note: ISDAO does not provide grants for travel for individuals separate from organizations.

At this time, ISDAO does not offer emergency funding outside of its annual grant program. However, as part of the annual regional call for proposals ONLY, we make additional resources available to all grant recipients through the “RESPOND” fund, an initiative designed to address emergency situations and safety and security issues.

We encourage you to reach out to other donors who are all providing emergency support, such as: Frontline Defenders, Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights – Africa, and Freedom House (Dignity for All Program)

No, we only accept one proposal per group or organization. However, ISDAO provides flexible support, so it may be possible to request funding for several activities or projects in the context of a single application.

ISDAO receives funding from several institutional and individual donors.

For the 2026 open call, the deadline for submitting proposals is October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. GMT/Universal Time.

Download the grant application form, available in English on our website. Send the completed grant application form, the budget, and any additional documents via email to proposals@isdao.org no later than the deadline of October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. GMT/Universal Time.

We accept applications in English and French. Only the form available for this 9th funding cycle should be used. Applications submitted on forms from subsequent years will be rejected.

Please make sure your application is complete and that all questions have been answered and all supporting documents have been submitted. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete before submission.

After the deadline, ISDAO will not accept partially completed or incomplete applications. We will also not accept additional information or revisions after the deadline.

No, ISDAO is not able to provide personalized comments or ask additional questions during the review process. Therefore, we encourage you to make your application as complete and clear as possible when submitting it.

You must provide contact information for two references familiar with your organization and submit letters of recommendation written by these persons.

• Please note that these references may not, under any circumstances, be members of the staff or the board of directors of your own organization.
• If your organization has or plans to use another organization as a fiscal host, a person who is a member of the staff or board of directors of that fiscal host organization cannot be used as a reference.
• Letters must be specific to this submission, dated and signed by the referees to be eligible. Letters must be submitted at the same time as the proposal.
• At least one of these references must come from an organization led by lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, and/or transgender individuals or mustidentify as an LGBTQI person.
• The other reference can be from any group or person who is familiar with your work (for example, another donor or an NGO).
• Please note that in addition to these references, ISDAO may also speak with other groups to gather additional information about your group.

We will not accept any applications received after the deadline and will not grant extensions for the application submission deadline.

You should receive a confirmation email within 72 hours of submitting the grant application form. If you do not receive this confirmation, it means we did not receive your email.

You will be notified of the final selection by email.

ISDAO grant recipients are selected following a review process conducted by a group of West African volunteer activists, the vast majority of whom are lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex, and trans individuals.

These individuals serve on ISDAO's Activist Grant Making Panel (AGMP). Decisions are not made by a single person, but rather collectively by the panel members.

To learn more about how the AGMP works, click here.

We aim to notify all approved applicants no later than the first week of April 2027.

Once your application is approved by our Activist Grant Making Panel, notification, site visits and the grant agreement process will take between 6-10 weeks from the date you received your notification.

Yes, ISDAO aims to be as flexible as possible. Therefore, if an activity no longer serves the purpose of your group, organization or network, it is possible to make adjustments. As each situation varies, grantees must communicate with ISDAO to discuss changes and modifications

Notify us immediately after you receive your grant pre-approval email and we will discuss your new project/initiative.