Rainbow World Fund

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OVERVIEW: The Rainbow World Fund supports humanitarian aid organizations in both LGBTQ and other vulnerable communities around the world with grants, donations and volunteer efforts. RWF also works in LGBTQ advocacy and outreach.

IP TAKE: Grantmaking is only a small part of the Rainbow World Fund’s work, which includes volunteer support, donations of critical supplies, advocacy and engagement. Grants have supported organizations of all sizes in countries of every continent. While RWF does not accept grant applications, it offers many opportunities for nonprofits and others to volunteer with the organization or travel with its humanitarian relief efforts. Keep up with new opportunities by joining its mailing list.

PROFILE: Established San Francisco in 2000, the Rainbow World Fund (RWF) was created by Jeffrey Cotter, who has worked in the HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ rights fields since 1987. Its mission is to “promote peace, unity and hope by leading the LGBTQ movement in participating in humanitarian relief efforts.” The fund describes itself as the “first and only all-volunteer, LGBTQ-based humanitarian aid organization.” The Rainbow World Fund offers grants, emergency food aid, medicines, and other supplies, such as art and school supplies, to people in need both domestically and abroad. Giving is responsive to geographic areas of need. A significant portion of the fund’s engagement consists of volunteer support and advocacy. Its four main programs are Humanitarian Aid, Actions, the Rainbow Bus and the World Tree of Hope.

Grants for Humanitarian Aid, Disaster Relief, LGBTQ Communities and Refugees

The fund’s Humanitarian Aid giving is comprised of grants, donations and tens of thousands of hours of volunteer service, prioritizing LGBTQ communities in times of dire need.

  • In Ukraine, RWF has “has funded the evacuation of members of the LGBTQ+ community” from affected areas and provided funding to LGBTQ organizations so that they can “can continue to function during the current crisis.”

  • In Assam, India, the fund supports the Rainbow Home of the Seven Sisters, a shelter and support center for marginalized transgender people.

  • In the Middle East, the RWF has helped LGBTQ+ refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria obtain asylum and relocate to Canada, Europe or the U.S.

RWF’s Actions program aims to “increase positive LGBTQ+ visibility by demonstrating the LGBTQ+ community’s compassion, concern, and leadership by building bridges with the international LGBTQ+ and world communities.” The program’s engagement includes “relief activities,” which overlap with the fund’s Humanitarian Aid giving. Programmatic partners include Cuba’s Oscar Romero Foundation, Uganda’s Miele Foundation, Nepal’s Blue Diamond Society and America’s Second Harvest.

The Rainbow Bus is a signature program established by the fund in 2007. Since then, it has made dozens of trips to deliver humanitarian aid and medical supplies to locations in California and Mexico. The bus is also used “as an outreach tool at community events and during LGBTQ+ Pride.”

And in San Franciso, the fund has created the World Tree of Hope, an annual “symbol of global unity to promote peace, love, and humanitarianism.” According to the fund’s website it is “the largest origami decorated holiday tree in the world” and is “decorated with over 17,000 origami cranes and stars each hand folded and inscribed with wishes for the future of the world.”

Important Grant Details:

The fund’s grants typically range between $5,000 and $25,000.

  • A significant portion of RWF’s work consists of product and supply donations and volunteer engagement.

  • The fund does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding.

  • Grantseekers can sign up for the Mailing List in order to get updates on grant opportunities.

  • To learn more about the types of organizations the fund supports, explore its Humanitarian Aid and Actions pages.

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