State Dept to Spend $49,083 to Create a Network to Support the LGBT Community in India
(CNSNews.com) - The State Department is planning to spend $49,083 in taxpayer funds for a one-time grant [1] to establish a network to support the LGBT community in India.
The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi [2]is soliciting proposals for the grant titled, “Creating a Network to Support the LGBT Community in India,” which will create a “national network focused on LGBT issues in India.”
The grant will pay for “leadership development programs for existing LGBT organizations with the goal of providing them the tools to establish capabilities to advance LGBT access to services available to all Indian citizens including health care and government public services.”
The grant is intended to change the public perception of LGBT Indians.
It is designed to increase capacity of LGBT to take part in “organized, collaborative, networking efforts that will increase discourse between citizens and local officials about the needs of all citizens.”
“Examples of similar efforts have included, a Transgender Board in the state of Tamil Nadu that examines ‘various problems faced by the community and to formulate and execute welfare schemes for the betterment’ of LGBT citizens,” the grant stated.
As a result, the LGBT community will be “better able to promote dialogue with diverse stakeholders, such as faith leaders, local and national authorities, and others.”
The grant “was generated through a request for applications that was sent to all diplomatic posts,” a State Department official wrote in an emailed response to CNSNews.com’s request for comment. “It was awarded through the small grants program of the Global Equality Fund.
“Founded in 2011, the Fund is a public-private partnership that provides support to civil society organizations working to promote and protect the human rights of LGBTI persons. Since its founding, the Fund has contributed over $20 million to support programs in over 50 countries, worldwide,” the State Department official added.
The grant was announced on Aug. 10, 2015. The closing date for applications was Sept. 16, 2015.
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