Frequently Asked Questions

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

• Are led by lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex and trans* (LGBTQI) people. ISDAO considers a group to be "LGBTQI-led" when LGBTQI people are in decision-making positions, including setting the organization's strategic and financial priorities and representing at least 75% of staff, spokespersons, and board members 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 SUBSIDIES.

PROJECTS PROPOSED BY INDIVIDUALS, GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS OR POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING.

ISDAO considers a group to be “led by lesbian, gay, bi, queer, intersex, and/or trans* people” when at least 75% of the governance and operational team is led by lesbian, gay, bi, queer, intersex, and/or trans in decision-making roles, including in defining the organization’s strategic and financial priorities.  For ISDAO, leadership and direction issues include:

1. Decision-making body: Members of the organization's decision-making bodies must be lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex and/or trans people.

• 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 people.

• 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.

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

Yes ISDAO only funds groups, organizations and networks that are led by lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex and trans* people through the sub-regional call for proposals.

However, there are opportunities for organizations run by sex workers and drug users in Burkina Faso and Nigeria, through a special initiative called the Love Alliance. Please see our website and social media pages for more information.

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

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 the fiscal host. If you have any further questions about fiscal hosting or what ISDAO requires of fiscal host organizations, please email info@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 All groups with current grants must be up-to-date on their reporting, according to the deadline dates included in their grant agreement. Proposals from groups with an outstanding interim or final report at the time of the proposal review will not be eligible for consideration.

If you have multi-annual regional funding (18-36 months) that has been approved by the grant panel in 2025, you will not be able to submit a grant application under this regional call for proposals. We invite you to submit a new application in 2026.

Grants awarded through our annual sub-regional call are intended for groups, organizations and networks led by LGBTQI people who are committed to defending their rights. This includes groups, organizations and networks led by and focused on LGBTQI needs and advocacy. Other groups, organizations and networks that are not led by and focused on LGBTQI are not eligible.

However, we do provide grants to organizations run by sex workers and people who use drugs in Burkina Faso and Nigeria as part of our Love Alliance initiative. Please check our website periodically, as opportunities relating to this call will be posted on our website. Please continue to visit our website and social media pages.

No, ISDAO only funds organizations, initiatives or groups that are led by LGBTIQ people.

ISDAO is working to make resources available to LGBTQI organizations throughout West Africa, with particular attention in our early years of grant-making to the nine countries that participated in the community consultations and mapping research that informed the fund's creation (2014-2016). These countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.

The grant application window opens every year for 4 weeks. Each new call for proposals is announced on our website, as well as on Facebook and X.

Priority will be given to associations, grassroots groups, or collectives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex, and trans people:

• 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.)

Groups and organizations led by and/or working specifically with LBQ women, trans* and intersex people are strongly encouraged to apply.

Yes, all of these different types of structures can apply, as long as they meet our core eligibility criteria. It is the same proposal form. If a group or consortium of organizations, there should be a lead organization that will submit the proposal and be the main contact and manager of the grant, if awarded. The organizational budget and supporting documents required would be for the lead organization. For groups applying together, or in a consortium, we encourage you to clearly describe the structure, and decision-making processes for the consortium overall, as well as for the individual groups/organizations, in addition to the work and backgrounds of each group/ 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 36 months - if your organization needs it. Although we do award grants of up to 36 months, we realize that not everyone needs one. The final decision on the grant, including the amount awarded and the duration of the grant, is made by the Grant Activist 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.

No. ASANKA is now only open to individual activists. Therefore, organizations must include any creative projects or initiatives in their regional call application and budget.

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.

For the time being, ISDAO does not offer emergency funds outside its annual grant-making system. However, as part of the annual regional grants ONLY, we are making additional resources available to all grant recipients in the form of the RESPOND! fund, an initiative designed for emergency situations and safety and security issues. We encourage you to get in touch with other donors, all of whom offer emergency support, such as Frontline Defenders, Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights - Africa, Freedom House (Dignity for All programme).

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.

We accept applications in English and French.

For the 2025 open call, the deadline for submitting proposals is October 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM GMT/universal time.

Download the grant application form from our website. Send the completed application form, budget and additional documents by e-mail to proposals@isdao.org by the deadline of October 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM GMT/universal time. Only the form available for this 8th grant cycle should be used. Applications submitted on forms for subsequent years will be rejected.

Please ensure that your application is complete and that all questions and supporting documents are submitted. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the application is complete before it is submitted. After the deadline, ISDAO will not be able to consider applications that are partially complete or missing. We will also not be able to 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 should provide the contact details of two referees who are familiar with your organization, and submit letters of recommendation written by these referees. Please note that under no circumstances may these referees be staff or board members 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 RUN BY LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, INTERSEX AND/OR TRANS PEOPLE * OR MUST IDENTIFY AS AN LGBTIQ PERSON.

The other reference may come from any group or be someone who knows your work well (e.g. another donor or an NGO). Please note that beyond these references, ISDAO may also talk to other groups to gather additional information about your group.

We are unable to accept any proposals received after the deadline, and we are unable to honor any requests to extend the deadline.

You should receive an acknowledgement of receipt by email within 72 hours after you send the grant application form. If you do not receive this acknowledgement, it is because we have not received your email. You will be informed of the final selection by email.

ISDAO grantees are selected via a review process by a volunteer panel of West African activists who are primarily lesbian, gay, bi, queer, intersex, and/or trans* people and they serve as the Activists Grant Making Panel of ISDAO. Decisions are not made by a single person, but rather collectively by this panel.

We aim to notify all approved applicants by the first week of April 2026.

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.