Regional Lead Organization

ILGA World and Global Philanthropy Project are seeking applications from eligible organizations from civil society, academia, think-tanks, and philanthropic foundations to submit expressions of interest for the Regional Lead Organization in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for the LGBTI Pathways Project.

LGBTI Pathways is a groundbreaking global project, coordinated by ILGA World and Global Philanthropy Project, which aims to identify and catalyze pathways to increased and improved funding for LGBTI communities around the world.

It will gather data from LGBTI movements across each region of the world and compare it to donor tracking data from the Global Resources Report, to bring greater focus to funding decisions that address LGBTI movement needs and priorities and to where funding gaps are most critical.

Pathways’ goals are to:

• increase the amount and quality of resources directed towards improving the lives of LGBTI persons across the world;
• develop credible, reliable and accurate evidence on the needs, priorities and funding landscape of the international and regional LGBTI movements;
• inform and influence grant makers (donor governments, multilaterals, private foundations and public foundations/ intermediaries).

In order for these surveys to capture credible, reliable, and accurate data, and for there to be political buy-in from all stakeholders, each survey will be led by a Regional Lead Organization, which will be advised by a Regional Steering Committee. Regional Steering Committees and Regional Lead Organizations, supported by the Pathways team and the Global Technical (Research) Consultants, will be best placed to advise on the regional-specific research questions, and the methodology and recruitment strategy for their region. The survey will also include common global core research questions to ensure consistency of data across all regions and enable comparative regional and global analysis once all the surveys are completed.

The project will enroll by conducting regional surveys led by regional organizations and supported by regional steering committees. Surveys will be anonymous, with participants self-selecting based on criteria, and primarily involve quantitative analysis with some possible qualitative elements. A set of core research questions, defined by the LGBTI Pathways Technical Team and consulted by a Global Steering Committee, will ensure cross-regional comparability, while local knowledge will inform additional regional questions. The data sets generated will be used for various analyses to advocate for better resources within the global LGBTI movement and potentially offer other benefits to activists and funders.

The selected organization will undergo a due diligence check prior to the signing of the grant agreement, which will outline the overall budget ranging from $60,000 to $90,000 USD. Payments will be made in three tranches, with the first advance installment comprising 30% of the total amount. Please note that the costs for organizing the LAC Regional Steering Committee meetings are not included in this amount, as these costs will be covered directly by ILGA World.

The LAC region of the Pathways project is expected to run for approximately 18 months from October 2024 to March 2026. Countries within the LAC region for LGBTI Pathways will follow ILGA World’s classification of the region here.

When organizing the logistics for the Regional Steering Committee meeting, the organization will be required to follow ILGA World’s Procurement Policy and act in consultation with ILGA World regarding the available budget. For purchasing transportation tickets, the organization may use their own logistics partner or utilize ILGA’s. Payments for meeting logistics will be made directly by ILGA World, based on invoices from the subcontractors.

The successful Regional Lead Organization (LAC) will be contracted by ILGA World to deliver the LGBTI Pathways project in the LAC region. They will receive funding as a grant to cover the costs for a Project Coordinator (part-time), Regional Researcher (part-time or a consultant), staff supervision costs, overheads and communications. Whereas costs associated with managing the Regional Steering Committee, including meeting costs and a travel budget for staff and Regional Steering Committee members, will be covered directly by ILGA World.
The researcher shall have access to the Global Technical Lead Consultants to seek guidance and advice for the regional survey questions. The Global Technical Lead Consultants will also provide data tables to analyze and a report template, peer review the regional data analysis, and draft regional report.
The Project Coordinator within the Regional Lead Organization will:

• Promote and be a point of information for the LGBTI Pathways project within the region’s existing networks and communities of practice (civil society, philanthropy, government) during key points of the project, including the initial launch and release of the LAC Regional Report;
• Manage the LAC Regional Steering Committee, including organizing one or two in person meetings;
• Liaise closely with the Pathways Regional Officer (ILGA World) on the overall aims and objectives of the Pathways project.

The Regional Researcher, who may be a staff member or a consultant, will:

• develop the regional survey methodology with guidance from the Pathways team and Global Technical Lead Consultants, incorporating the global core survey questions and the survey engagement strategy;
• If necessary, identify any additional regional-specific survey questions based on advice from stakeholders such as the Regional Steering Committee and propose how to integrate these with the global core research questions provided by the Pathways Team;
• Finalize and translate the set of survey questions for the LAC regional survey, with advice and support from the Global Technical Consultants;
• Manage the survey in the LAC region;
• Support the Global Technical Lead Consultants in analyzing the regional survey results;
• Write the LAC Regional Report.

If the Regional Lead Organization decides the Regional Researcher will be a consultant role, please outline the plan for this procurement process. Keep in mind that this process must be coordinated with ILGA World and GPP, and it should adhere to ILGA’s Procurement Policy.

ILGA World and GPP seek candidates who ideally met the following criteria:

• Experience in coordinating, developing and/or participating in movement-based research and surveys at the global, regional or sub-regional level, similar to what is envisaged for the LGBTI Pathways project;
• Strong knowledge of, and engagement with the LAC regional LGBTI movement, including main actors, movement infrastructure and political dynamics, and current civil society priorities;
• Sufficient organizational capacity to manage a coordinator, a sub-contracting researcher and acquit any contractual obligations with the global coordinating partners;
• Sufficient organization capacity to facilitate a diverse regional steering committee that will likely meet 3 times over an 18-month period, both online and offline;
• Strong credibility and trust among LGBTI civil society and philanthropy within the LAC region, and experience in stakeholder management, including inter-movement conflict resolution.
• Legal and fiscal registration that enables the organization to enter into binding contracts and manage funds in compliance with local and international regulations. The selected organization will undergo a due diligence check prior to the signing of the grant agreement.

Please note: The applicants for the Regional Lead Organization do not need to submit a budget proposal as part of the initial proposal. Budget development will be done in consultation with ILGA World after the selection process, based on the LGBTI Pathways project budget.

The work of the LAC Regional Lead Organization as it intersects with the Pathways team, Global Technical Lead Consultants and Regional Steering Committee will be in English and Spanish. However, the internal working language of the Regional Lead Organization may be in any LAC regional language.
The selection committee for the regional lead organization will consist of the Pathways partners (GPP and ILGA World) and Global Steering Committee members who work in the LAC region.

September 5, 2024	Call for expressions of interest
September 25, 2024	Close of expressions of interest
October 8, 2024	Selected members are notified

To apply for the LAC Regional Lead Organization position, please submit your proposal to yuri@ilga.org no later than 23.59 CET, September 25, 2024. Submissions can be in English or Spanish.

Application should include the following:

• A cover letter that outlines your organization’s motivation for applying for this role, and how LGBTI Pathways aligns with your mission and vision. Please explain your connections in the LAC region and experience in collaborating with national and other LAC regional organizations.
• Information about your organization’s registration/non-registration status and your ability to receive funds.
• Your organization’s capacity in research and project management, as well as the names and roles of the team members who will be involved in the project, including supervisory staff. The Coordinator is expected to commit up to 50% of their time over 18 months during the project’s duration;
• The CV of the Coordinator, highlighting how their skills align with the project’s requirements;
• The CV of the Regional Researcher, demonstrating their relevant skills and experience. If there is no proposed Regional Researcher, please outline your organization’s plan to fill this role on a consultancy basis;
• A clear indication of your team’s language proficiency in English, Spanish, and/or Portuguese.

In pursuit of more and better resources for the international LGBTI movement, in recent years several research projects have been undertaken to highlight current funding levels, the needs and priorities of specific parts of the movement, and critical funding gaps, in order to influence funder decisions and the donor field in general.

These include:

• the Global Resources Report (global donor tracking);
• the State of Intersex Organizing and the State of Trans Organizing reports (global CSO surveys); and,
• ILGA-Europe’s European and Central Asia LGBTI funding assessment (regional CSO survey).

When GPP and ILGA-Europe undertook a comparative analysis between the Europe and Central Asia data from the 2015-16 Global Resources Report and the European and Central Asia LGBTI funding assessment, the new insights gained from comparing the supply and the demand side of LGBTI resourcing in the region were significant and have opened up opportunities for new streams of funding from donor governments and foundations in Europe that have not traditionally prioritized funding LGBTI organizations.

These projects point towards the potential of a global project that gathers data from the LGBTI movement across each major region of the world and compares it to donor tracking data from the Global Resources Report. A project that would provide pathways for current and future funders to direct their resources to address the needs and priorities identified within the different parts of the international LGBTI movement and to where funding gaps are most critical, impact can be best had, and synergies can be created for shared advocacy with grantmakers and CSO movements.

The Pathways project represents a significant opportunity for LGBTI civil society organizations worldwide. By gathering and analyzing data from the LGBTI movement across different regions, the project aims to identify critical funding gaps, prioritize needs, and provide actionable insights that can influence donor decisions. For CSOs, this means increased visibility of their challenges and opportunities, as well as the potential for new and more targeted funding streams. Pathways will empower LGBTI CSOs to advocate more effectively for the resources they need, strengthening their capacity to drive change and support their communities on a global scale.