Q Chamber is pleased to be partnering with Outright International, a leading international LGBTQ+ non-profit organisation with consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council, to present this special event on “Philanthropy in Asia: LGBTQ+ Inclusion”. 

Global philanthropic funding for LGBTQ+ causes plays a crucial role in advancing the well-being, health, safety and rights of LGBTQ+ individuals around the world. These efforts have supported a wide range of initiatives including advocacy, education, healthcare, legal protection and social support services. However, it is well documented that LGBTQ+ causes are severely underfunded as a philanthropic category.

With significant economic growth in Asia, there is growing awareness and interest in philanthropy in Asia, and therefore an opportunity to encourage charitable giving and social impact that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ causes. In this event, we bring together philanthropists, charitable foundations, corporate foundations, LGBTQ+ non-profit organisations and other LGBTQ+ and ally attendees that have influence in supporting the LGBTQ+ community to come together for a dialogue on the topic of philanthropic support of the LGBTQ+ community in Asia.

Mark your calendar for 21 February 2024 (Wednesday) from 5:30 pm to 9 pm to join in this dialogue. Light bites and beverages will be provided.

  • In this presentation, we put the spotlight on the state of LGBTQ+ giving as part of the global philanthropic landscape. Our speaker will share insights from Outright’s COVID-19 Global LGBTIQ Emergency Fund to show the diversity of need and outline how major philanthropic gifts have helped to support LGBTQ+ communities internationally.

    Maria Sjödin (she/they) serves as the Executive Director for Outright International. Previously, Maria served as Outright’s Deputy Executive Director where they oversaw a period of extraordinary growth in visibility, diversification, and increase in funding, in addition to launching groundbreaking initiatives, such as Outright’s COVID-19 Global LGBTIQ Emergency Fund, Ukraine Emergency Funds and pioneering engagement with international businesses. Through their career, they have resourced advocacy and movement building through fundraising - from governments, foundations, individuals, and corporations.

  • This panel aims to shed light on the importance of financial support in bolstering LGBTQ+ communities. We bring together a diverse group of individuals from across Asia who are deeply involved in LGBTQ+ funding initiatives from grassroots efforts to larger-scale philanthropic endeavours.

    Moderated by Jennifer Lu, Director of Asia Programs at Outright International, our panelists are Man-Yee Siu of Taiwan Equality Campaign, Alan Seah of Pink Dot SG and Proud Spaces, Sri Agustini of Inclusive Legal Center Indonesia and Elise Colomer-Cheadle of Outright International.

    We aim for this to be an inspiring call to action for attendees to include LGBTQ+ causes as part of their personal and institutional giving.

  • Co-moderated by Elliot Vaughn MBE, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG, Founder & Chair of GiveOut and Board Co-Chair at Outright International and Kathy Teo, Co-Founder of Q Chamber and Board Co-Chair at Outright International, our panelists will share their philanthropic journeys and why they include LGBTQ+ causes as a giving category in their philanthropic efforts.

    Our speakers are Gigi Chao (she/her, Vice-Chairman of Cheuk Nang Holdings and Founder of Faith in Love Foundation), Simon Hague (General Manager and LGBTI Global Transformation Lead at Kerry), Keshav Suri (Executive Director of Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and Founder of Keshav Suri Foundation) and Martin Tan (Chief Executive Officer of The Majurity Trust).

This is a private event and attendance is limited to invited guests only due to event space capacity. All confirmed guests will receive an email confirmation.

This event is jointly organised by Q Chamber and Outright International and is made possible through the venue sponsorship of WeWork.

Due to wonderful response, we have now closed registration as we have reached full event capacity. Thank you for your interest!

About Q Chamber:

Q Chamber is Singapore’s first LGBTQ+ and allied chamber of commerce, and strives to connect businesses and individuals to promote our shared economic interests and values of diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe this initiative can help to build LGBTQ+ representation, allyship and leadership towards a better Singapore society and business community. For more information on Q Chamber, do visit our website or sign up to join our membership.

About Outright International:

Outright is dedicated to working with partners around the globe to strengthen the capacity of the LGBTIQ human rights movement, document and amplify human rights violations against LGBTIQ people, and advocate for inclusion and equality. Founded in 1990, with staff in over a dozen countries, Outright works with the United Nations, regional human rights monitoring bodies and civil society partners. Outright holds consultative status at the United Nations where it serves as the secretariat  of the UN LGBTI Core Group.