British LGBTQ+ Charity Faces Lean Times Thanks to U.S. Foreign Aid Cuts

Groups working for LGBTQ+ equality could be in peril thanks to U.S. cuts in foreign aid – cuts that put even Britain's advocacy charity Stonewall in a tight spot.

The BBC reported that Stonewall faces downsizing of "up to half of its staff" as support from the U.S. dries up "in the wake of US President Donald Trump's overseas aid freeze."

The BBC noted that Stonewall's "largest funder in recent years has been the Global Equality Fund (GEF), which is overseen by the US state department. It has given Stonewall more than £500,000 between 2021 and 2025."

But now, with "a freeze on funding for aid projects" while the U.S. government under Trump "undertakes a 'review' to ensure they align with Trump's priorities," Stonewall has been forced to conduct a review of its own with what the group called "an organization-wide consultation..."

Stonewall's efforts have global reach, including "projects in eastern Europe" that "help communities and law enforcement agencies to respond to anti-LGBTQ+ violence," the BBC noted, while UK newspaper the Daily Mail reported that the organization's CEO, Simon Blake, "warned Trump's decision would hit Stonewall's work in eastern Europe and the Caucasus, where it 'supports communities and law enforcement agencies to respond to anti-LGBTQ+ violence, often providing vital services to victims.'"

That work is "a good example of the type of project that may cease if funding isn't replaced," Simon told the BBC.

The aid freeze has had an immediate and dramatic impact, news reports said, such that Stonewall's staff heard last week "that only roles with dedicated funding would remain following a 'restructuring' of the charity," the Mail relayed.

The organization is scrambling to "meet the challenges of this new political era," even as "hard-won rights are being rolled back for marginalized communities across the world," the BBC said.

"The work to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality has never been more important and Stonewall is rising to meet the challenge," the charity told the BBC.

"We are seeing an unprecedented political backlash against the principles of inclusion. Stonewall is adapting to ensure that it is fit for purpose and able to meet the challenges of this new political era."