About SafePlace International:
SafePlace International (SPI) is a humanitarian organization dedicated to creating ecosystems of safety, healing, and collective growth for LGBTQI+ displaced persons experiencing migration. With a commitment to intersectionality, SPI works tirelessly to affirm the unique leadership potential of marginalized communities and provide them with the resources and support needed to thrive.
What They Do:
SPI operates two core programs designed to address the security and leadership capacity of displaced LGBTQIA+ individuals:
- The Dream Academy: SPI's flagship initiative, the Dream Academy, is a community-led, 10-week intensive virtual course focusing on leadership development, socio-emotional learning, and job skills training. By encouraging participants to cultivate healing, growth, and leadership skills, the Dream Academy paves the way for sustainable social change and cultivates a sense of agency and belonging within the LGBTQI+ community.
- Global Family Initiative: Through the Global Family Initiative, SPI works directly and in partnership to connect LGBTQI+ displaced persons to essential resources such as safe housing, food and supplies, well-being support, and critical information. Additionally, SPI provides seed funding for community impact projects that contribute to economic, environmental, and social well-being, cultivating resilience and agency among marginalized populations.
Partnership with EMA Foundation:
Through the SafePlace NEXT campaign, EMA Foundation offered a challenge grant that galvanized support from donors and advocates to raise over $100K in funding for SafePlace International. By strengthening SPI's organizational capacity, the SafePlace NEXT campaign has positioned them for long-term success and sustainable growth in their mission to create ecosystems of safety, healing, and collective growth for LGBTQI+ displaced persons.
In addition to that campaign, EMA provides annual financial support, coaching for SPI leadership and staff, and support for communications and events as requested.
Their Impact:
In terms of quantitative impact, SafePlace’s flagship programs provide critical support to the most vulnerable in their communities. Their housing programs have provided hundreds of thousands of nights of safety for LGTBQI+ people experiencing migration. There are now over 1000 graduates of the Dream Academy and counting and SPI has funded over 60 social impact projects initiated by former students.
In terms of qualitative impact, SafePlace is extraordinary in that they provide safety, community, and a pathway to a more positive future for people who have experienced unimaginable hardship simply for being who they are. Click here to read stories that show the difference that SafePlace International makes.
Join the Movement:
Join EMA Foundation and SafePlace International in our mission to create safer, more inclusive environments for LGBTQI+ displaced persons. Together, we can work towards a future where all individuals are affirmed and supported to live authentically and freely.
