Raise funds from U.S. donors. Keep 100% of what you raise.
The Rustin Fund for Global Equality is a web platform for LGBTQI+ organizations based in low and middle-income countries to fundraise in the United States. We set up a fundraising campaign on our website, connect you with a U.S.-based champion to promote it, and handle all the logistics: tax receipts, payment processing, and international wire transfers.
You keep everything you raise. We take no fees, no overhead, and no percentage. The only cost is the standard credit card processing fee charged by the payment processor.
How it works
Find a champion
Campaigns work best when there’s a U.S.-based champion actively promoting them. A champion is someone who cares about your cause and is willing to share the campaign with their network. This could be a professional contact, a supporter, an ally, or someone from the diaspora community.
Get in touch
Send an email to info@rustinfund.org letting us know your organization is interested in running a campaign. Tell us a bit about your work and, if you have one, who your fundraising champion is.
Complete a pre-grant inquiry
We’ll ask you to fill out a short form so we can confirm your organization meets our basic eligibility criteria. You’ll need to be a registered nonprofit (or work through a fiscal sponsor), and your directors and key staff will be screened through the U.S. government’s OFAC database and the UN security database. This is standard due diligence and typically takes just a few days.
Build your campaign
We’ll work with you to set up a campaign page on rustinfund.org. You’ll want to share your organization’s story, provide photos or video, set a fundraising goal, and give us a sense of what different donation amounts can accomplish (e.g., “$100 funds one month of peer counselor support”). We can help you shape all of this.
Launch and fundraise
Once the page is live, your champion promotes it through social media, email, events, and personal outreach to their U.S.-based network. We handle donation processing and tax receipts automatically.
Receive your funds
When the campaign wraps up, the Rustin Fund develops a grant with your organization and then wires the full amount raised directly to your organization’s bank account, typically within 15 to 25 days. We cover wire fees on our end, though your bank may charge its own receiving fee. The funds come as a general operating grant, meaning you can use them however your organization needs.
What you’ll need to get started
Certificate of formation or nonprofit registration (or a fiscal sponsor arrangement) for your organization. Governing documents or bylaws. A bank account that can receive an international wire transfer. Your organization’s story, mission, and photos for the campaign page. A fundraising champion in the United States (strongly recommended). A sense of your fundraising goal and what different donation amounts can accomplish.
What if we’re not formally registered?
We understand that LGBTQI+ organizations in many countries face barriers to formal registration because of discrimination. If your group isn’t formally registered, you may be able to work through a fiscal sponsor, which is a registered nonprofit in your country that can receive funds on your behalf, typically for a small fee. We can talk through this process with you.
What makes campaigns successful?
We understand that LGBTQI+ organizations in many countries face barriers to formal registration because of discrimination. If your group isn’t formally registered, you may be able to work through a fiscal sponsor, which is a registered nonprofit in your country that can receive funds on your behalf, typically for a small fee. We can talk through this process with you.
Which countries are eligible?
We work with LGBTQI+ organizations in low and middle-income countries globally. There’s no fixed list of eligible countries. We’ve supported organizations in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and North Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. The key factors are that your organization is doing work that supports LGBTQI+ communities, you meet basic nonprofit registration requirements (or have a fiscal sponsor), and your leadership passes OFAC and UN screening. If you’re unsure whether your organization qualifies, reach out and we’ll talk it through.
What happens after we receive funds?
We’ll ask you to submit a brief narrative and financial report on how the money was used. The funds are unrestricted, meaning you can put them toward whatever your organization needs most, but we do ask for accountability so we can share results with donors and maintain trust in the platform.
Have questions?
Check our FAQ or reach out at info@rustinfund.org.