Three prominent members from India’s Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community, have come together to launch India’s first corporate philanthropic Pride Fund, to help queer-led not-for-profit organisations improve the lives of India’s 140 million plus (estimated) queer community. The fund is being led by contributions from Parmesh Shahani, Head of Godrej DEI Labs from Godrej Industries Group; Keshav Suri, Executive Director of Lalit Suri Hospitality Group & the founder of Keshav Suri Foundation (KSF) on behalf of the foundation; and Radhika Piramal, Executive Director, VIP Industries and Trustee, Dasra UK in her individual capacity. Dasra and Godrej DEI Lab will serve as the anchors for the fund.
The three philanthropists have put together a Rs 2-crore fund which will initially fund eight NGOs driven by founders from the community. These eight – Payana, Chhattisgarh Mitwa Sankalp Samiti, Ya All, Basera Samajik Sansthan, Deepshikha Samiti, Vikalp, Sappho for Equality and Karna Subarna Welfare Society – were shortlisted from a list of 50 NGOs, of which 29 submitted program proposals. This fund comes at a time when international aid to the community has all but dried up. India gets barely 1% of global LGBTQIA+ funding. Among India’s top 50 philanthropic donors, only two openly support the community, while corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding is almost negligible.
Piramal said: “This fund will raise awareness and resources for the community in India. We have to assert our identities. I am looking to fundraise from the business community, tapping high-net-worth individuals and CSR of companies.” The group is looking for funders who can contribute between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 1 crore to the movement.
Suri, who also runs the KittySu nightclub chain, added: “I want accomplices to bring the community together. We have to convince 1.4 billion people that our lives matter. We will ask companies to add queer to the list of CSR initiatives.” KSF is also working on a benchmarking tool – an index for workplace equality along with Pride Circle and Stonewall.
Godrej Industries, for its part, is one of the more progressive companies when it comes to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, with nearly 250 of its 40,000 employees being open about their identities. Shahani, who leads DEI Labs at Godrej, said: “We are one of the first companies to recognize queer talent in India and we are proud of it. We want to build a stronger, more inclusive society that embodies the spirit of an Inclusive Bharat in Viksit Bharat.”
Also read: Pride Month 2024: 15 sexual orientations you should know about
Saurabh Kirpal, senior advocate, author and LGBTQ activist, who was also present at the launch of the fund, commented on how the Uniform Civil Code recently implemented in Uttarakhand has no bearing on gender justice. “It alienates more than it unites,” he said. While the code talks about “partners” in a live-in relationship needing to register the relationship, it does not offer any legitimacy to relationships within the LGBTQIA+ community, despite the reading down of Article 377 and decriminalising homosexuality.
Along with the launch of the fund, Dasra released a report titled “Against All Odds” which studies the challenges faced by organisations working in the LGBTQIA+ space in India. Some of the key findings include that there are stark funding gaps, with only 1% of global funding being received by India for LGBTQIA issues. There is very little domestic funding, with 59% of funders being international. The report also points out that 43% of non-profit organisations are eligible for international funding. And more than half the non-profits working in the LGBTQIA+ space are queer-led. With corporate India leaders coming together to support queer rights, the fund hopes to grow year after year, with more contributions pouring in through patient and intentional philanthropy.
For More Information
Headquartered in New Delhi, the company opened its first hotel here in 1988 under the dynamic leadership of Founder Chairman Mr. Lalit Suri, who spearheaded the Group’s unprecedented expansion plans.
Rapid expansion and consolidation of its leadership position continues under the enterprising stewardship of Dr. Jyotsna Suri, who took over as Chairperson & Managing Director in 2006.
All hotels within the group operated under the brand The Grand – Hotels, Palaces & Resorts. It was re-branded as ‘The LaLiT’ on November 19, 2008 as a tribute to the company’s Founder Chairman Mr. Lalit Suri.
The company offers twelve luxury Hotels, Places & Resorts and two mid market segment hotels under The LaLiT Traveller brand offering 2261 rooms.
Your safety is our priority. Please stay vigilant against fraudulent attempts misusing The LaLiT brand to solicit financial information or payments through unofficial channels.
For secure transactions, always use our official website: www.thelalit.com.
If you encounter any suspicious activity, report it to us immediately. Thank you for your vigilance.
