Deadline: 30 October 2025
Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest (ISDAO) is a West African activist-led Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) Fund dedicated to strengthening and supporting a West African movement for gender diversity and sexual rights by adopting a flexible approach to grant-making, and ultimately developing a culture of philanthropy that is committed to equality and social justice.
We stand for the following values:
- Equitable representation of the LGBTQI community.
- Building and strengthening ideologically principled movements, based on a recognition of unequal power relations.
- Autonomy, inclusion, diversity, and intersectionality, allowing for self-determination at all levels.
ISDAO offers flexible grants to support the overall coordination, operations, and strengthening of groups, organizations, or networks.
The grant may be used to support initiatives such as organizational formalization (registration fees, development of strategic documents, recruitment of staff, etc.), advocacy, capacity building, membership meetings, networking events, participation in strategic conferences, programs, projects, and any other areas of interest that contribute to a West Africa free of violence, stigma, and discrimination towards LGBTQI communities.
Eligibility
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.
Grant categories
ISDAO provides flexible funding to support the overall coordination, operations and strengthening of a group, organisation or network and its members. Our funding can be used to cover expenses such as organisation or group registration fees, advocacy, capacity building, organisational development, operating costs, travel/attendance at key conferences, member meetings, networking events, emergency funds, programs, and projects.
Organisations can apply for core funding, project funding or a combination of both.
- Core and Project Funding
ISDAO provides flexible funding to address the priorities identified within the movement, including core support. Groups and organisations can apply for both core and project support by indicating this on their application form. This funding can be used for project implementation as well as operational costs. Refer to our Core and Project Funding Application Form for more details. - Core Funding Only
ISDAO provides funding aimed at strengthening the organisational structures and systems of community-led groups. Groups and organisations can apply for core funding only by indicating this on their application form. This funding is specifically for organisations already engaged in work aligned with the focus and goals of this call for proposals and who need support to enhance their overall capacity and advance their efforts. Refer to our Core Funding Only Application Form for more details.
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.)
Funding levels
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 grant tiers you can apply for, tailored to the diverse organizing in the region. They are:
Tier 1: Up to 5,000 USD (per year) ⎯ This funding is designed to provide foundational seed 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 term of 18 months and a maximum term of 24 months
- 15 000 $ for a minimum term of 30 months and a maximum term of 36 months
Tier 2: up to USD 20,000 (per year) ⎯ This funding is designed to sustain existing work or support new initiatives 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 basic systems and structures in place, particularly financial systems, and 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 term of 6 months and a maximum term of 12 months
- 40 000 $ for a minimum term of 18 months and a maximum term of 24 months
- 60 000 $ for a minimum term of 30 months and a maximum term 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 term of 6 months and a maximum term of 12 months
- 60 000 $ for a minimum term of 18 months and a maximum term of 24 months
- 90 000 $ for a minimum term of 30 months and a maximum term of 36 months
Applicant’s contact details: All communication regarding applications will be conducted via email. Please ensure that your contact information, especially your email address, is accurate. Incorrect contact details may cause delays in our communication with you about your application.
References: Two reference letters must accompany your proposal. Any proposal submitted without these letters will be deemed incomplete and ineligible for review. To be considered valid, the letters must be specific to this grant request, dated, and signed.
Grant Making process: We currently accept proposal applications submitted via email, along with the necessary supporting documents. Once an application is received, our team will verify that the group/organization and the application meet all submission requirements. Only fully completed and eligible proposals are considered for review. Proposals that meet all criteria are then submitted for decision-making
The final decisions on eligible proposals submitted during the open call are made through the review of the Activist Grant Making Panel (AGMP). If an application is approved for funding by the AGMP, the ISDAO team will notify the group or organization and initiate the required steps for due diligence, grant agreements, and disbursing funds.
Please note that this process can take up to five months from the date of submission of your application. We will keep you informed of the progress of your application once it has been finalized.
NOTE: ISDAO makes grants to both unregistered groups/organizations and registered groups/organizations. Your registration status is not a requirement for funding from ISDAO.
Checklist of supporting documents
For all applicants:
- Any governing texts for your group or organization, including your vision and mission.
- Detailed grant budget using our provided template
- Most recent annual report [if available].
- Organogram of your group/ organization [if available].
- Current strategic plan [if available].
- Administration/Human Resources Manual/Policy [if available].
For applicants requesting to receive funds directly, and not through a fiscal host:
- Grant applicant’s registration certificate [if available].
- Most recent audit report [if available].
- Finance and Procurement Manual / Policy [if available].
For fiscally hosted applicants who will receive their funding through another organization:
- Fiscal Hosting Agreement between your group or organization and your fiscal host if available at the time of submitting your application. If not available, please note that we will require this if your proposal is approved for funding.
- Fiscal Host’s registration certificate
- Fiscal Host’s most recent audit report [if available].
- Fiscal Host’s Finance and Procurement Manual / Policy [if available].
Please note that the information you share in your application will be confidential.
Applications and information provided during the application process are not shared with parties outside ISDAO. This information is only accessible by ISDAO’s staff, ISDAO’s fiscal host, translators, Activist Grant-making Panel Members, and Governing body/Interim Governing Body members.
If you have any questions or are concerned about confidentiality or the security of information provided, please contact the ISDAO staff at info@isdao.org.
To submit your grant application:
Please download the documents below and complete them:
- Application for Core and Project Funding If you are applying for both core and project funding, please download the Core and Project Funding application form.
- Application for Core Funding only If you are applying solely for core funding, please download the Core Funding application form.
- Budget Template
- Guidelines for Budget Preparation
Attach all the documents in one email and send it to proposals@isdao.org Before November 1, 2025
Grant application: Please ensure all fields of the application form are completed and all requested details are provided. Incomplete applications will not be considered, and we will not follow up on missing information.
Grant application form: Applications must be submitted using the ISDAO 2025 application template. Two application forms are available on our website. Please review them carefully and download the one that applies to you.
Applications submitted using other forms or old ISDAO application templates will not be considered.