The pressures on LGBTQIA+ led organisations and their beneficiaries

On the 18th of February 2026, we held our first networking event focusing on issues affecting LGBTQIA+ led VCSE organisations in Newcastle and Gateshead. The name of the event was “Tackling Challenges Together”. We welcomed 19 attendees, representing 17 different VCSE organisations or projects.  

In the first half of our event, we shared information about funding, including a presentation from The National Lottery Community Fund. We also shared information about Connected Voice Hate Crime Advocacy.  

In the second half of the event, we listened to the challenges facing LGBTQIA+ communities and the organisations supporting them. We asked the questions: 

• What issues are the communities that you support facing? 
• What issues are your organisations facing? 

This report has been created to share the learning from this event with other VCSE organisations, funders and our own services at Connected Voice. The goal is to improve best practice across the sector as a whole and to lead on addressing common challenges. If anybody wants to take action to address any issues highlighted in this report, please contact connect@connectedvoice.org.uk so we can help you to make it happen.  

This report will share common challenges and key themes from our discussions. The views shared here are not necessarily a reflection of Connected Voice’s position, but instead a collection of the common themes identified from conversations with VCSE groups who attended our networking event.  

Please click the attachment below to read the report