The Grant will Support Recovery and Inclusion Efforts for LGBTIQ Refugees
Minneapolis, MN (June 21, 2023): ORAM – Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration, is thrilled to announce new support from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) to advance the inclusion of LGBTIQ refugees and displaced people in the support and services of humanitarian organizations.
The $485,000 grant over the next two years will significantly expand ORAM’s organizational scope, size, and impact, particularly in advancing inclusive services for LGBTIQ refugees.
The grant will enable ORAM to provide crucial inclusion training and capacity strengthening to international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations working with LGBTIQ refugees and displaced people and strengthen the capacity of LGBTIQ community-based organizations in Europe and Kenya.
LGBTIQ refugees will be at the center of the capacity strengthening activities and included in all aspects of training, peer learning sessions, networking, and knowledge sharing with larger humanitarian organizations.
"We’re so grateful to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy for awarding ORAM this groundbreaking grant and for their ongoing commitment to equity, inclusion and localization,” Steve Roth, ORAM’s Executive Director, said. “This project will have wide-reaching impact, leading to well-rounded and holistic support and services for LGBTIQ refugees in Europe and Kenya. It will position us for sustainable success and leadership in this area that will enable us to replicate the project globally.”
“This grant will allow ORAM to provide others with the understanding and tools to work with and support vulnerable LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees,” said Anja Limon, ORAM’s Senior Program Manager. “Often the issue is not that people do not want to include the community in their services, but because they do not understand their needs and challenges and are unable to extend support to them effectively. This funding will enable ORAM to build a wider community supporting LGBTIQ refugees and through this be able to meet the needs of the community.”
CDP awarded ORAM its first grant in July 2021 for economic empowerment of LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya and Mexico through livelihoods projects and skills-building.
“We are delighted to continue to expand and deepen our partnership with ORAM into Europe, where they have an on-the-ground presence and well-established networks,” said Alex Gray, Director of International Funds at CDP. “The LGBTIQ+ refugee population from Ukraine is underserved, and the humanitarian system is failing them. Our assessments have shown that organizations need increased capacity to deliver programs tailored to this vulnerable and at-risk population. With ORAM’s specific mandate to focus on LGBTIQ+ refugees and their deep understanding of the intersecting identities and how this affects humanitarian needs, we are confident that they will leverage their unique expertise to benefit LGBTIQ+ refugee populations and the organizations serving them across Europe and in Africa.”
Interviews are available on request. Please email KyleK@ORAMRefugee.org.
About ORAM
ORAM protects and empowers LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees globally, creating sustainability and systematic change. Founded in 2008, ORAM is one of the first international nongovernmental organizations to advocate for and assist people fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and expression (SOGIE) and has since become a thought-leader in LGBTIQ migration. To learn more about ORAM’s other work, visit www.oramrefugee.org and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP)
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy mobilizes philanthropy to strengthen communities’ ability to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. It provides expert advice and resources while managing domestic and international disaster funds on behalf of corporations, foundations and individuals through targeted, holistic and localized grantmaking. Find out more at disasterphilanthropy.org and on Twitter @funds4disaster.