CAISO & Astraea Caribbean Responsive Funding

CAISO and Astraea have joined forces to support Caribbean LGBTIQ organisations through a shared vision for responsive grantmaking that is regionally operated. These responsive grants are intended to support LGBTQI organisational sustainability and capacity needs, community building, strategic advocacy actions and policy-shaping opportunities, unexpected networking and alliance building opportunities, and COVID-19-based responses and needs. We believe that this type of support is critical for enabling organisations to adapt to changing conditions and continue to respond  to the needs of community members on the ground. This includes capacity building that promotes sustainability and community building, as well as advocacy actions and cross-regional alliances and collaborations, among others.

The CAISO-Astraea Caribbean Responsive Funding Mechanism will offer grants through cycles of applications. All Caribbean LGBTQI+ organisations (in countries listed below) are eligible to apply but priority will be given LBTQ women-led organisations. Also, priority will be given to small grassroots organisations and community groups. Details on eligibility and criteria below. Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL)-Caribbean multi-year LBTIQ organisation grantee partners are also eligible for grants. Applications will be reviewed by a panel comprising CAISO board members and LGBTQI+ leaders from across the region.  

Eligibility Requirements and Criteria

• LGBTI+ led organisations in the Caribbean region (with mission/vision that includes advancing/advocating LGBTI+ rights and/or providing services and support for LGBTI+ persons/community). | Eligible Countries: Anguilla, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Sint Maarteen, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. 
• Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL)-Caribbean multi-year LBTQI+ organisation grantee partners are encourage to apply.
• Priority will be given to LBTIQ women-led organisations and small grassroots organisations and community groups (who have had little to no funding streams).
• Range - USD 2,500 min to 10,000 max | Term - no more than 12 months. 
• Bank Account is required but if the organisation does not have one - they can use another organisation as a fiscal sponsor (grants will NOT be given or awarded to individuals).
• Collaborations are welcome and encouraged (but not required). 
• NGO/NPO registration is NOT mandatory. 
• Two References are required. 
• Organisations can apply for more than one grant only if the total amount requested and awarded does not exceed the max USD 10,000 (in the first two cycles).  

WHAT WILL WE FUND?

Organisational Sustainability and Capacity Needs

Short-term / Crisis Support 

• Support for COVID-19 responses and/or needs
• Organisational development (Board and/or Staff) for the long-term resilience 
• Organisational leadership transitions and sustainability 
• Organisational/movement security planning 
• Strategic planning
• Fundraising strategy development
• Communications strategy development
• Technology assessments and upgrades in response to COVID-19
• Conflict resolution and transformative justice planning 
• Healing, integrated/holistic security, self/collective care 
• Media and communications campaigns 
• Enhancing monitoring, evaluation and learning design, methodology and tools 
• Financial management 

Policy Advocacy, Community Building, Collaboration 

• Networking and alliance building opportunities – particularly those which focus on  strengthening LGBTI+ organisations and collaborations
• Attending and/or Organising national, regional and/or international gatherings (trainings, convenings, workshops,  etc.); Please note particularly in the context of COVID-19 that this includes the labour/resources required to organize virtual meetings  (e.g. video conferencing software, technology support, hiring online facilitation, etc.)
• Launching regional or international peer-to-peer exchanges (in person/virtual);  
• Holding regional and international activist-led strategy sessions (in person/virtual);  
• Strategic opportunities to participate in policy spaces and engage with duty bearers (e.g.  Government Ministers, Policy Makers, Judges, Police, Service Providers, etc.);  
• Initiating regional or international collaborative campaigns and joint action (in person/virtual);
• Creating spaces for cross-regional conversations on holistic security, policy advocacy, social and cultural reformation programmes, public education, leadership, etc. (in person/virtual); 
• Creating community-led infrastructures to withstand political and natural disasters, particularly ones that are intersectional (e.g. being inclusive of other marginal groups identities - such as ability, race, class, etc.) .