What to know
- Leaders at UPlift Black and Rainbow Railroad say funding reductions and uncertainty have forced organizations to scale back programs and seek alternative sources of support.
- Both organizations report rising demand for services, with Rainbow Railroad receiving more than 20,000 requests for help last year and UPlift Black struggling to maintain critical community programming.
- Advocates are calling on the federal government to restore funding for 2SLGBTQIA+ and newcomer-serving organizations, while encouraging community members to support their work through donations, volunteering, and advocacy.
As demand for Queer services continues to rise across Canada, 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations say funding freezes, reductions, and growing economic pressures are threatening their ability to support the communities that rely on them.
Pride flags are flying, the parade is approaching, but some of the organizations that work to support Queer communities year-round are struggling to continue providing services. From local grassroots groups to international organizations, leaders say they are being forced to reduce programming, lay off staff, and search for alternative funding sources as government support becomes increasingly uncertain.
Funding challenges for grassroots organizations
Shelly-Ann Skinner, founder of UPlift Black, a social justice and arts organization serving 2SLGBTQIA+ BIPOC communities in Simcoe County, says the current funding situation reflects a broader challenge facing many grassroots organizations.
“Grassroots organizations are in a constant situation where we are most fully funded by either project grants or specific initiatives,” Skinner told Queer & Now.
“It has not been easy, especially since there have been some changes to the way the federal government is funding organizations, especially 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations and Black-led organizations.”
Skinner says that while funding announcements often make headlines, many organizations are still struggling to secure the long-term support they need. Unlike project-based grants that provide money for specific programs and initiatives for a limited time, core funding helps organizations cover ongoing operational costs such as rent, staffing, utilities, and administration.
“There is a big funding gap. The majority of organizations are looking for something bigger than just a project grant. We need core funding in order to maintain a space, which is extremely important,” she explained.
UPLift Black has operated a physical community space since 2022, but Skinner says maintaining it without such core funding has become increasingly difficult. The organization has also been challenged by a decline in donations and corporate support, and the founder says that the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives has had a direct effect on the organization’s consulting and education work.
“Once Trump gained power again in the U.S., a lot of companies started pulling back on DEI efforts, and it was a ripple effect that affected a lot of folks,” they explained, adding that as a result, UPlift Black experienced a nearly 50 per cent reduction in income from consulting.
Skinner says the uncertainty has already forced the Simcoe County-based organization to lay off staff and reduce programming significantly, with UPlift Black now operating primarily through drop-in programs and the You Belong Here initiative.
“Right now the project fund that we have is for our You Belong Here program, and that funding is not guaranteed past the winter months,” Skinner shared, explaining that the You Belong Here programming operates various services for 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomers and refugees making Simcoe County home.
But the reduction in funding from government sources, donations and consulting gigs causes issues that extend far beyond the organization itself, during a time when the Queer community is facing an increase in attacks and a displacement crisis.
“So when we are dealing with the funding crisis for our organizations that are boots on the ground, I think people need to understand this work is like holding the hand of those who are in our community who desperately need a safe place to land, community mentorship, guidance, and resources,” she explained.
“Once that [programming] goes, this is where we’re really going to see the impact of our community’s wellness, our health, our mental wellness.”
Funding challenges for international organizations
The funding challenges experienced by grassroots organizations are also being felt by those operating on a global level. Rainbow Railroad is an international human rights organization with offices in Toronto and New York that supports at-risk 2SLGBTQIA+ people in accessing pathways to safety. Its Chief Program Officer, Devon Matthews, says recent government decisions have significantly affected operations, with a reduction of about 33 per cent to their government-assisted refugee pathway funding.
“This constraint in funding is actually impacting access to safety, and eroding the infrastructure that’s required to sustain this pathway through the Canadian government,” Matthews told Queer & Now, adding that while they were anticipating funding cuts, they did not think they would be so extreme.
The organization has also faced challenges posed by international funding reductions, with Matthews explaining the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office eliminated a fund that had supported Rainbow Railroad’s global crisis response work.
“Our crisis response fund has supported nearly 5,000 people, and we’ve received 592 applications for support to that program that we have to say no to,” she explained, adding that the program has been completely paused.
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Matthews adds that the funding cuts come at a time when demand for support is reaching record levels.
“Last year we received more than 20,000 requests for help, and that was a 51 per cent increase year over year, the highest in the organization’s 20-year history,” she explained.
Every year, Rainbow Railroad sees an increase in requests for help, and Matthews explains that they are seeing rising demand in new regions where they have not experienced spikes before. This is driven, in part, by wider global funding cuts that have left more refugees without support and facing increasingly urgent situations.
“[For instance] a lot more refugees have been unable to access the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) because of the funding cuts that have happened there, as a result of the way UNHCR is being funded globally,” she explained. “There’s just been so many trickle-down effects that have been impacting people and causing them to reach out with more dire situations.”
Organizations calling for support from Ottawa
But the effect of reductions in federal funding for certain programs extends beyond Queer-serving organizations, affecting newcomers on a broader scale.
“The government has cut funding to social service organizations that support newcomers on arrival, so that impacts everybody that we are bringing into Canada,” Matthews explained, also highlighting new changes requiring refugees to cover a portion of certain healthcare costs.
“They’ve cut the interim federal health plan, which is the backbone of medical support and care for refugees, and have implemented this co-pay requirement,” she explained.
“That means, for example, if trauma survivors that are our clients are looking to access mental health care, they’re going to have to pay 30 per cent of that fee.”
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Both Rainbow Railroad and UPlift Black are calling on Ottawa to take action to address the issue.
Skinner is calling for a greater investment in frontline organizations like UPlift Black, which are doing work on the ground with local communities in need of support.
“We really do have to rally,” she shared. “We really do have to look at how it’s affecting every person, and what community safety is really looking like when our organizations are out there championing for change.”
While Matthews echoes this, calling for the federal government to revert to its previous levels of support.
“We need our funding restored to the original funding that we had under the previous government,” Matthews shared. “We are asking them to also support and restore funding to our partners and organizations that are providing these life-saving services.”
“Canada has been a leader in supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and refugees and asylum seekers, and the current government is undermining that history and needs to restore funding to us, as well as other vital service providers in Toronto and across the country.”
A need for community support
Both charities also shared that there are ways that community members can help. Skinner says that UPlift Black is asking community members to volunteer at fundraising events, including its ongoing series of Thursday afternoon fundraising BBQs. She also urges allies in corporate and community spaces to invest in anti-oppression and anti-racism education by hiring the organization for training, workshops, and speaking engagements.
Matthews says those who want to support Rainbow Railroad can donate directly, volunteer, or participate in the organization’s Solidarity in Pride campaign by creating personal fundraising pages. The organization is also encouraging people to stay engaged politically by contacting elected officials, advocating for restored funding for refugee-serving programs, and pushing for stronger protections for 2SLGBTQIA+ asylum seekers.
“There’s lots that people can do,” said Matthews, emphasizing that public pressure and sustained advocacy can help protect life-saving pathways to safety.
