U.S. Mission to India Empowering LGBTQI+ Community Leadership across India

Overview

The Embassy of the United States of America, New Delhi, announces an open competition to implement a program to promote equal access for LGBTQI+ communities by strengthening leadership capacity. This program is built upon the foundation of promoting inclusivity, equality, and accessibility of government services for the trans and intersex communities, recognizing their unique challenges in accessing education, healthcare, employment, and legal recourse against discrimination. Through a cascading 'train the trainer' model, this initiative aims to empower leaders within these communities to disseminate critical information and skills, creating a ripple effect of increased community engagement and awareness that will benefit India and the United States through improved health, education, economic strength, justice, and equality.

Project Goal:

To promote the democratic value of equal access for all peoples, including minorities and marginalized groups, this project aims to build the capacity of trans and intersex community leaders in India, enabling them to effectively access, utilize, and advocate for government services and rights. Utilizing a peer education model, the project will create a sustainable model that empowers the trans and intersex communities from within, fostering resilience, awareness, and inclusivity.

Project Objectives:

Objective 1: Train at least 200 LGBTQI+ community leaders, at least 40 in each consular district (Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and New Delhi), with preference given to trans and intersex community leaders, with leadership, professional development, and organizational management skills and specific information on promoting access to government services, including healthcare, education, legal identity documents, and recourse against discrimination practices.

Objective 2: Develop comprehensive training materials, for free distribution in the public domain, tailored to the needs of LGBTQI+ communities, with emphasis on trans and intersex communities, including guides on navigating government services and legal rights. To ensure wide accessibility, all materials will be translated into the major languages spoken in the consular districts (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and Marathi.),

Objective 3: Establish a peer-to-peer training network where trained leaders can educate and empower their community members, reaching at least 2,000 additional individuals within the first year.

Objective 4: Monitor and evaluate the program's impact, with specific metrics for knowledge increase, access to services, and community empowerment, adjusting strategies as needed to ensure effectiveness and reach.

Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement

Number of awards anticipated: one award.

Anticipated program start date: August 20, 2024

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less. The Department of State will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.