LGBTQ+ organisations worldwide are struggling after major US foreign-aid cuts, with services for queer communities increasingly at risk. A new international survey finds that most groups have lost funding since January 2025, leaving vital support networks facing shrinking budgets, rising demand and the prospect of closure.

Essential Takeaways

  • Funding losses are widespread: Nearly nine in ten surveyed organisations reported losing US foreign aid.
  • Budgets have been squeezed hard: Almost half lost more than half of their total operating income.
  • Small groups are especially exposed: Nearly three-quarters now operate on less than $250,000.
  • Marginalised communities feel the impact: Trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people are among those most affected.
  • The outlook is urgent: Four in ten organisations say their existence faces serious or immediate danger.

Nearly nine in ten groups have lost US funding

The scale of the shock is striking. Outright International surveyed 229 LGBTQ+ organisations across 94 countries, and 203 said they had lost US foreign aid since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

That makes the funding crisis feel less like an isolated grant problem and more like a sudden change in the infrastructure supporting LGBTQ+ rights worldwide. According to Outright International, what began as an aid freeze has developed into a deeper restructuring of the sector.

For groups already working with thin resources, the effect is immediate. A lost grant can mean fewer outreach workers, reduced legal support or a closed drop-in centre. The practical consequences are quiet but profound: fewer people answering phones, providing referrals or helping someone navigate a hostile system.

The cuts are hitting core services, not just campaigns

Nearly half of the organisations surveyed said they had lost more than 50% of their overall operating budgets. Three-quarters reported losing at least a quarter of their funding, while 73% said they now work with annual budgets below $250,000.

That matters because LGBTQ+ groups often provide several services at once. They may offer community support, emergency accommodation referrals, health information, legal advice and advocacy under one small roof. When money disappears, there isn't always another provider ready to step in.

The wider disruption has also affected HIV services. UNAIDS has warned that community-led organisations are central to reaching people who can be missed by mainstream healthcare, making funding interruptions particularly risky for prevention, testing and treatment programmes.

Trans and queer women are bearing the heaviest burden

The organisations under greatest pressure are often serving people who already face multiple barriers. Outright's findings identify trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people as among the communities most affected, alongside lesbian, bisexual and queer women.

In countries with anti-LGBTQ+ laws, these groups may have few safe alternatives. A local organisation can be the only place offering trusted advice, a discreet referral or help after discrimination. If it closes, the gap isn't merely administrative; it can leave people isolated and exposed.

Reports from LGBTQ+ media, including GCN and the Washington Blade, have highlighted the international reach of the crisis. The concern is especially sharp in places where legal hostility is growing, because local groups are often doing essential protection work without the financial reserves of larger charities.

HIV support shows why community organisations matter

The funding story also connects to a broader health concern. PEPFAR, the US programme credited with transforming the global HIV response, has supported treatment and prevention services for millions of people, including communities facing stigma or criminalisation.

Earlier disruption to US-backed programmes led to the closure of hundreds of HIV service sites, according to coverage of the aid cuts. UNAIDS has consistently stressed that community-led services help reach people who may avoid public institutions because of discrimination, fear or lack of confidentiality.

That makes the current crisis more than a question of whether advocacy campaigns can continue. If a small organisation loses staff, its health work may disappear alongside its policy work. For someone seeking medication advice or a safe route to care, that lost service can feel frighteningly concrete.

A bleak year ahead for LGBTQ+ advocacy

The survey's financial warning is stark. Forty per cent of respondents said the cuts put their organisation at severe or immediate risk, while 10% said closure could happen at once. More than a third believed they might shut within the next year, and only 3% described their financial position as stable.

Nonprofits are also dealing with a difficult fundraising environment beyond US government support. Research from the Urban Institute found that funding disruptions can create cash-flow problems, interrupt programmes and force charities to make rapid staffing decisions, even when demand for help is rising.

The likely response will involve more appeals to private donors, regional funders and international institutions. But replacing large public grants isn't quick, especially for small groups serving communities that donors may overlook. The human cost is easy to miss until a familiar helpline stops ringing, a clinic referral disappears or a local organiser can no longer afford to keep the doors open.

What supporters can do now

For individuals, the most useful step is to support LGBTQ+ organisations with a strong local presence and transparent financial reporting. Regular donations, however modest, are often more useful than occasional bursts of attention because they help groups plan beyond the next emergency.

Organisations can also help by sharing resources, building regional partnerships and investing in flexible funding rather than narrowly defined projects. The goal is resilience: money that can cover staff, technology and basic running costs as well as headline programmes.

The wider lesson is uncomfortable but important. Rights work depends on infrastructure, and infrastructure needs sustained investment. Without it, progress made over years can become fragile remarkably quickly.

It's a small network of organisations carrying an enormous amount of work, and it needs more than applause to survive.

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