The First U.S. Sex Worker-Led Fund Announces $550,000 in Grants

Third Wave Fund’s Sex Worker Giving Circle (SWGC), the first sex worker-led fund housed at a U.S. foundation, announced last week, December 14,  $550,000 in grants to 24 nonprofit groups led by and for queer, trans, BIPOC, disabled, HIV+, working-class, and other sex workers. Grants will bolster key organizational operations for sex worker-led groups working at the intersections of racial justice, reproductive justice, decriminalization, and other aligned movements.

Grantees receiving funding from the Sex Worker Giving Circle address issues including racial and economic justice, Black liberation, queer and trans liberation, reproductive rights and justice, etc. Past grantees include: Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo, Support Ho(s)e, WeCareTN, Red Canary Song, Under the Red Umbrella, The Black Sex Worker Collective, and G.L.I.T.S.

Artwork by JB Brager. Three BIPOC people of different genders, sizes, and skin tones are standing or squatting defiantly in front of four red roses. The words “Sex Worker Giving Circle” and “Third Wave Fund” appear in black at right. One person in pink clothing stands with walking forearm crutches, another person wearing black pants and bandana stands with their shirt off and holds a sign that reads “Decriminalize SW”, and the third person squats between them in teal high heels and a miniskirt, with a red umbrella tattoo on their leg and a phone in their hand.

Friday, December 17 marked the 18th International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers (IDEVASW), a day when sex workers and allies call attention to the violence, discrimination, and stigma faced by sex workers. The SWGC resources sex workers organizing to upend and wipe out the root causes of this violence and discrimination.

“Sex workers are experts on our own lives, but far too often, philanthropy ignores our expertise and excludes us from decision-making,” says SWGC Program Officer Christian “Chicklet” Giraldo. “The SWGC is disrupting that trend at all levels, from our staff to our grantees. From supporting unemployed sex workers with mutual aid, to intervening in harmful policing practices, to confronting racism in the adult entertainment industry, our grantee partners have shown us exactly what they can do with a bit of funding and a lot of trust.”

While sex workers have lived experience and knowledge of how to transform oppressive conditions impacting their lives, sex worker-led movements remain critically under-resourced. Grantees receiving funding today from the SWGC include MO Ho Justice, BIPOC Collective, Trans Sistas of Color Project, and Sex Workers Outreach Project – Los Angeles (SWOP-LA). A full list of grantees can be found on the SWGC’s website.

Artwork by artist Kae Gabrielle. Image Description: A rectangle-sized header image that reads “Supporting Sex Workers’ Safety, Self-Determination, and Liberation  – Today and Always” on a light aqua colored background. To the right is an illustration of 5 people of color in a group facing the text; one holding a red umbrella, one with their fist up, one shouting with their hands at the sides of their mouth, and two others standing boldly.

According to BIPOC Collective Founder and 2018-2020 SWGC Fellow, Kamilah Rouse, “The stigma and discrimination sex workers experience when seeking traditional employment, government benefits, and health care can retraumatize individuals and keep them from seeking support. Funding from the SWGC means BIPOC Collective will be able to resource culturally competent programs started during the pandemic that support Black, Indigenous, and other sex workers of color, including sex work-positive, trauma-informed therapy and helping members escape violent situations without leaning on harmful anti-trafficking organizations.”

The SWGC is an annual cross-class, multi-racial, intergenerational giving circle made up of around 12 Fellows with current or past experience with sex work or the sex trade. The SWGC Fellows make all high-level funding decisions, grantmaking recommendations, and lead fundraising activities.

The SWGC has distributed $1.55 million to 36 sex worker-led organizations across the U.S. since 2018, with 2021 marking the largest grantmaking amount to date. In addition to financial support, the SWGC grantees have access to Third Wave’s capacity-building resources to ensure they can grow, scale, and fully participate in movement and power building. Current and former grantees include: Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo, Support Ho(s)e, WeCareTN, Red Canary Song, Under the Red Umbrella, The Black Sex Worker Collective, and G.L.I.T.S.

Indigo Hann, co-founder of MO Ho Justice, a new SWGC grantee for the 2021-2023 cycle, shares, “MO Ho Justice is harnessing the wisdom of our community to care for our collective safety and well-being. The SWGC’s funding empowers MO Ho Justice to actualize our commitment to healing justice as we build a hub of sex-worker centered wellness supplies, workshops, and peer support.”

The SWGC is part of a growing movement of over 2,000 giving circles across the globe that have donated $1.29 billion to date, led by Philanthropy Together. Giving circles are groups of people who pool donations and decide together where to allocate their money.

To democratize and diversify philanthropy, Philanthropy Together’s network of everyday donors strives to create more equitable communities by supporting giving circles whose members include people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ people, youth, people in rural communities, and religious minorities. As the philanthropic landscape shifts, collective giving will continue to play a transformational role in creating a stronger and more inclusive society. Philanthropy Together seeks to scale the network of givers to 350,000 people in 3,000 giving circles by 2025.

About Third Wave Fund’s Sex Worker Giving Circle
Third Wave Fund resources youth-led, intersectional gender justice movements to advance the community power, well-being, and self-determination of young Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) most directly impacted by and best positioned to end gender oppression. Third Wave’s Sex Worker Giving Circle (SWGC) is a community-led participatory grantmaking fund and Fellowship program that resources sex worker-led organizing, leadership development, and community building.