The State of Trans Organizing and Funding in 2016: A report from the field

About the global survey Groups that work specifically and primarily with trans people or on trans issues Both autonomous groups and programs of larger organizations Available online for 4 months in 5 languages 455 responses Only one in six (17%) report taking the survey in both 2013 and 2016.

Almost 60% of trans groups have budgets of less than $10,000. Budget increases are present, but modest. Trend shows a slight increase in budgets from 2015 to 2016, with fewer trans groups having budgets less than US$5,000 and more having budgets of US$5,000 or more. Nearly 50% had budgets of under $5,000 in each year.

More than two in five trans groups have no external funding at all. Trans groups were also asked about the amount of external funding they received in 2015 and 2016. In 2015 and 2016, more than two in five trans groups had no external funding. In 2016, more than two-thirds of trans groups had less than US$10,000 of external funding. Overall, the number of trans organizations with less than US$5,000 of external funding decreased between 2015 and 2016. During the same time period, the number of groups with budgets of US$5,000 or more modestly increased. Although there is a positive trend in funding for trans groups between 2015 and 2016, increases in annual budgets are modest and actual budget amounts remain small. External funding included government and foundation funding and excludes community funding sources (i.e.: membership fees, community fundraisers, events and individual contributions from founders or their family members).

Trans groups are deeply under-staffed. Trans programs of larger organizations were more likely to have any paid staff and any full-time paid staff than autonomous trans groups. Less than half of autonomous trans groups had any paid staff; less than a third of had any full-time paid staff.

Almost half of trans groups have no savings.

Trans groups face many barriers to finding funding. The most common barrier to finding funding reported by trans groups was that funders’ websites or open calls do not state an interest in funding trans groups (44.8%). Trans groups also reported barriers to applying for funding and implementing grants (data not shown). Of note: Almost one third (32.2%) of trans groups report funding applications are too long or too complicated. More than a quarter (27.8%) report that not being registered with the government is a barrier to applying for funding. Of trans groups that receive foundation funding, almost half (48.1%) report long delays in initial or subsequent payments.