The Rustin Fund for Global Equality
Directly linking funding to LGBTQI+ communities
The Rustin Fund for Global Equality is a direct-giving platform that connects U.S. donors and foundations to carefully vetted LGBTQI+ grassroots organizations in low and middle-income countries.
The U.S. represents 4% of the world’s population but captures nearly 60% of global LGBTQI+ funding. Meanwhile, activists in countries with some of the harshest anti-LGBTQI+ laws are critically underfunded, doing extraordinary work with very few resources.
The Rustin Fund exists to fill this gap. We provide a way for individuals in the U.S. to put money directly into the hands of the grassroots organizations that know their communities best.
About the Board
Our global advisory board brings together human rights attorneys, public health experts, award-winning journalists, and grassroots advocates with decades of combined experience in LGBTQI+ movements worldwide.
How it Works
Direct Funding
We connect individual donors straight to grassroots organizations. No layers, no intermediaries. Funds are issued as general operating grants, so organizations can use the money where they need it most.
Rigorous Vetting
Every organization on our platform is reviewed by our global advisory board, which includes public health experts, human rights attorneys, indigenous donors and advocates with decades of experience in LGBTQI+ movements. All organizations and their leadership are screened through the U.S. government’s OFAC compliance database and the UN security database.
Crowdsourced
Our model centers on U.S.-based “champions” — people who care about a specific LGBTQI+ organization overseas and fundraise through their personal and professional networks. The Rustin Fund handles the rest: vetting, campaign setup, donation processing, tax receipts, and international wire transfers.
This approach works. When Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica in late 2025, two champions raised nearly $48,000 in weeks for LGBTQI+ Jamaicans excluded from mainstream aid — proof of what one or two committed people can do with the right platform.
Our Story
Named in memory of Bayard Rustin, the undervalued, openly gay architect of the 1963 March on Washington and a supporter of global humanitarian causes, the Rustin Fund was founded in 2015 to channel direct support from Americans to LGBTQI+ movements worldwide.
The Rustin Fund has granted over $800,000 to more than 30 grassroots organizations across 20+ countries. We’ve supported legal defense teams, health clinics, emergency relief efforts, peer support networks, scholarship funds, and advocacy campaigns in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and North Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.
We’ve done all of this with zero paid staff. The Rustin Fund has operated as an all-volunteer organization since day one, which means we don’t take overhead from your donation. The only cost to donors is the standard credit card processing fee charged by the payment processor.
The Rustin Fund is led by a global advisory board that brings together human rights attorneys, public health experts, award-winning journalists, indigenous donors, and grassroots advocates with decades of combined experience in LGBTQI+ movements worldwide. Board members are based across the U.S. and in the countries where we work, ensuring that our grantmaking is informed by people with direct knowledge of the communities we serve.
Partnerships
The Rustin Fund partners with both Global South and Global North-based networks and funders to align funding strategies, share due diligence, and coordinate support for LGBTQI+ communities. We work alongside organizations like Alturi, Outright International, GATE, KOPPA, UHAI EASHRI, the Other Foundation, ISDAO, and other allies in the LGBTQI+ funding ecosystem to maximize the reach and impact of every dollar raised.
