BCG-backed non-profit GiveOut named top charity start-up

12 October 2018 Consultancy.uk

After just nine months of being a registered UK charity, international LGBTQI human rights group GiveOut has won ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ at the Third Sector Awards. The organisation was lauded for its role distributing solidarity funds to campaign groups across the world, including in a number of countries still hostile to LGBTQI rights.

Launched in 2017 by Boston Consulting Group Partner Elliot Vaughn, GiveOut is UK charity which aims to help redistribute solidarity and financial backing to LGBTQI campaigners across the world, including those based in some of the most hostile environments left in the 21st century. The London-based charity supports a portfolio of causes including grassroots organisations which are currently inaccessible to mainstream donors, and as such, became the first organisation to enable donors to give to activist-led country and regional organisations outside of the UK, as well as international NGOs.

As well as strengthening its ties to BCG, with Rupert Abbott, GiveOut’s Executive Director taking part in the group’s latest Pride@BCG conference in Madrid, GiveOut has spent the following year expanding its efforts for the LGBTQI community. Earlier in 2018, it launched a brand new fund to support Trans activism globally, sponsored by Trans businesswoman Antonia Belcher – someone the Financial Times once called one of the most influential LGBTQI figures in business – and her wife Andrea, while planning to launch another new special fund, in collaboration with Suki Sandhu, a prominent role model in the UK LGBT community and a successful business person. The Suki Sandhu LGBT Asia Fund will support activists working across Asia.

On top of this, over the past year, the group has already received a great deal of recognition from the LGBTQI community. This has included support from LGBT parliamentarians like Nick Herbert, Michael Cashman, and Liz Barker, as well as civil society organisations including the Kaleidoscope Trust, OutRight and ILGA, LGBTQI media such as Pink News, along with LGBT advocates themselves.

Now, GiveOut has received further plaudits for its hard work, landing the ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ prize at the 2018 Third Sector Awards. The annual ceremony is aimed at recognising those who give back to the community and celebrate organisations and social leaders from across the charity sector.

At the event, hosted at the London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square, GiveOut’s trophy was presented for innovation in the UK charity sector. In collecting the trophy, GiveOut was commended as a ground-breaking model for bringing new resources into the global LGBTQI movement. The award was decided by a panel of 37 judges comprised of senior charity professionals.

Commenting on the triumph, GiveOut’s Rupert Abbott said, “We’re delighted to be recognised as Breakthrough of the Year by the Third Sector Awards. We’re passionate about bringing new resources into the global LGBTQI movement and this award will help us connect to even more people and groups who can support our work.”

Elliot Vaughn, Founder and Chair of GiveOut, added, “Thank you to our wonderful supporters, Board, and team, for everything they’ve done to get us to this point. Special thanks to Antonia Belcher and Suki Sandhu for establishing funds with GiveOut, and to sponsors The Boston Consulting Group and Camm & Hooper for all their help in our launch year. We look forward to showing the positive impact of our work together in the coming months.”