Outright International has conducted new research examining the consequences of Trump’s 90-day U.S. aid freeze on LGBTQIA+ organisations and communities worldwide. The freeze, implemented on the 24th of January 2025, has already led to widespread staff layoffs, program closures and increased violence and discrimination towards LGBTQIA+ groups.

Drawing on survey data and interviews, the report, Defunding Freedom: Impacts of US Foreign Aid Cuts on LGBTIQ People Worldwide, employs President Roosevelt’s framework of the ‘four freedoms’—freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom of speech and conscience, and freedom to live with dignity—to illustrate the short—and long-term consequences of the funding cuts.

Recommendations for philanthropy

The report offers timely recommendations and urges private funders to step up to meet the compounding crisis in LGBTQIA+ funding.

‘Private philanthropy has a critical role to play in this moment of crisis’ Sjödin tells Alliance. ‘Now more than ever, funders must take deliberate steps to integrate LGBTIQ issues into their broader grantmaking – ensuring that efforts focused on human rights, economic inclusion, public health, and democratic resilience genuinely reflect and respond to the needs of LGBTIQ communities worldwide’.

Amongst the 11 recommendations for private funders, the report urges philanthropy to:

  • Make strategic investments in the global LGBTQIA+ movement by prioritising funding that supports core advocacy, visibility, fundraising, and grassroots initiatives.
  • Invest in data collection and research by funding ongoing studies to document the impact of the U.S. funding freeze, strengthening advocacy and funding strategies.
  • Coordinate a unified response among private funders by acknowledging the collective responsibility of private funders in addressing the growing crisis and developing shared funding, advocacy, and visibility strategies.
  • Strengthen LGBTQIA+ movement building and advocacy by funding efforts to protect and advance LGBTQIA+ rights. Use an intersectional, long-term grant-making approach that balances flexible funding for movement-building with rapid-response grants for urgent needs.
  • Increase support for developing economic independence by expanding investment in flexible funding models that strengthen movement resilience, promote autonomous resourcing, and enhance the economic independence of LGBTQIA+ organisations.
  • Co-create a long-term financing strategy for the LGBTQIA+ movement by partnering with key LGBTQIA+ groups to develop a five- to 10-year plan for sustainable infrastructure and resilience.

Read the full article about the impact of US aid cuts on LGBTQIA+ groups by Kit Muirhead at Alliance Magazine.