BTTF launches it's first capital campaign
The Black Trans Travel Fund (BTTF) is initiating a $500k capital fundraising campaign to support our mission of improving travel accessibility, mutual aid, and education resourcing for the Black trans community, prioritizing Black trans femmes. Through our efforts, we aim to address the critical safety and resource access challenges that Black trans women frequently face. This campaign will help us provide essential services and support systems tailored to their unique needs and vulnerabilities, because too often safety and access is a concern for this demographic.
- Our work, grounded in advancing the liberation of Black trans women across the African diaspora, has been supported by grants and donations up until this point. Since 2019, We are proud to have redistributed over $750,000 globally to Black trans women in need of transportation, housing, gender-affirming care, and other essential services.
- Our Goals
- Our next objective is to expand our team by hiring more Black trans individuals at BTTF to enhance our organizational capacity. For the past three years, we have operated with a team of five, but as of Fall 2024, we are now a team of four. We plan to invest in organizational development training to ensure the long-term sustainability of our efforts.
- We want to continue our current programs, offer more political education resources, connect with other Black trans-led organizations in the Global South, and facilitate our annual staff retreat. Additionally, we aim to increase our support for Black trans women and reinstate our bi-weekly ride sponsorship program, which is currently paused due to lack of available funding. We seek to expand the budget for our redistribution programs. This funding will help us engage with global community leaders who share our mission to liberate Black trans and gender-nonconforming individuals in their regions.
- Our next objective is to expand our team by hiring more Black trans individuals at BTTF to enhance our organizational capacity. For the past three years, we have operated with a team of five, but as of Fall 2024, we are now a team of four. We plan to invest in organizational development training to ensure the long-term sustainability of our efforts.
- Vision and Values
- This is the vision we have been grounded in since the founding of BTTF and it is what will anchor our movement toward the future we want to see. All of this is to ensure Black trans women are able to live autonomous lives, free from transmisogynistic violence, and are able to experience a world where both their safety and joy are prioritized. We envision a world in which there exists virtually no borders that deny Black trans women access to housing, medical care, gender affirming care, and more. We want to ensure Black trans women are provided safe and accessible means of travel and navigation throughout the world. Given the programs that we run we are trying to create a world where Black trans people experience liberation, joy, and remain curious about the ways that we can sustain ourselves.
- Since BTTF started, our vision has driven us forward, shaping the future we want to build. We dream of a world where Black trans women face no barriers to housing, medical care, and gender-affirming support. We want to make access to safe travel accommodations accessible and affordable, or even free if we can manage to. Through our programs, we aim to create a world where Black trans people can find liberation, joy, and continue to explore ways to support and sustain ourselves. With your support, we can begin building toward that vision this new year.
What would $500k in the care of BTTF Leadership look like?- $500k in the care of BTTF leadership looks like team training and seminars, hiring a grant writer, hiring a graphic designer, hosting community events, purchasing a safehouse (locally or abroad), and securing physical space for meetings and events. This is in addition to funding our Passport, Flight, TSA PreCheck Sponsorships, and Emergency Support Program.
- $500k in the care of BTTF leadership looks like team training and seminars, hiring a grant writer, hiring a graphic designer, hosting community events, purchasing a safehouse (locally or abroad), and securing physical space for meetings and events. This is in addition to funding our Passport, Flight, TSA PreCheck Sponsorships, and Emergency Support Program.
With $500k fundraised, BTTF will be able to:
- Relaunch our bi-weekly ride sponsorship program
- Purchase more vehicles, safe houses, and food stipends for our international siblings
- Hire more staff
- Host an international convening
We will continue expanding our healing justice work and service as we’ve also learned over the years that healing work is essential in order for Black trans people to thrive. We started the process of supporting Black trans leadership and we will continue with our services and assist with healing the trauma TGI folks face throughout our lives.
The Need
Over the past five years, BTTF has supported women in various situations, including those seeking asylum, wishing to obtain gender-affirming surgeries, visiting sick family members, and more. We’ve regularly redistributed funds to Black trans women in New York and New Jersey to help with safer travel options and provided sponsorships for flights, TSA Pre-Check, and passport applications on a smaller scale to women around the country.
Our programs, such as Pay It Forward, Post-Incarceration Support, Emergency Support, and Book Sponsorships, reflect our commitment to advocacy and direct services for our community. We strive to safeguard our transgender, gender-variant, and intersex community members from discrimination, both at TSA checkpoints and abroad. Many in our community have faced traumatic experiences with TSA, so we continue to fund TSA Pre-Check, flights, and other travel needs for Black trans women.
Internationally, we’ve sponsored vehicle purchases for Black trans individuals in Jamaica, Kenya, and Uganda. Through our own efforts and partnerships with community organizations, we've been able to offer financial and in-kind support across multiple countries. We've also redistributed clothing and gender-affirming items globally, led educational workshops and panel discussions, and provided food and rent support for shelters.
Our work prioritizes protecting the Black trans community from transphobic and anti-Black violence, including verbal abuse, physical harm, housing and food insecurity, and the lack of safe spaces for community building.
As we continue the fight toward abolition and getting all TGI people free, we are ready to take our work to the next step. Together we can realize the vision for abolition and provide accessible funding and travel programs for Black trans women everywhere.
We believe that strengthening and developing our team is crucial for advancing our Black trans abolitionist movement. Our goal is to create new possibilities by dismantling the barriers and oppressive structures that divide Black trans people across the diaspora. We aim to keep our community safe and free from violent institutions and systems that fail to support us.
To sustain our efforts effectively, we need organizations, businesses, and individuals to commit to recurring donations rather than one-time contributions. This will allow us to focus on advocacy, resource distribution, and community building, rather than constantly fundraising. We also require allies who can provide physical resources and space that benefit both our team and the broader community.
Beyond financial support, we need access to ongoing self-defense training, fresh produce for those living in food deserts, educational resources, mental health tools, and stable housing. These resources are essential for our community's well-being and for maintaining our movement's momentum. By addressing these needs, we can better support our mission and ensure that our work continues to make a meaningful impact.
- Obstacles
- Over the years, our work has taught us valuable lessons about providing support and building connections. From our interactions with our international siblings, we've learned that long-term support and partnerships are crucial. They allow us to leverage our combined networks to address urgent needs and solve problems collaboratively.
- Many of our global community members face intense isolation, similar to experiences in the U.S., which forces them to rely heavily on their chosen families. These chosen families often confront civil and human rights abuses due to inadequate protection from their governments. This underscores the importance of building international solidarity—connecting with people across borders, sharing resources and strategies, and supporting each other.
- We’ve encountered challenges in redistributing funds and resources, such as transaction limits on platforms like CashApp, issues with fiscal sponsors, and limitations due to our non-501(c)(3) status, which restricts access to certain funding. Beyond financial constraints, people outside the U.S. need more tangible resources, not military bases. They require protection of their land, clean water, food, and shelter, and deserve support systems tailored to their needs.
- The harsh reality is that many Black trans individuals around the world face severe conditions. In Cuba, for instance, U.S. sanctions have led to a dire shortage of basic resources, while in Uganda, transphobic laws put our siblings at constant risk of violence and persecution. Globally, our community suffers from housing and food insecurity.
- Through our international efforts, we’ve seen the impact of the U.S. dollar and recognized our relative privilege, despite our marginalization in the U.S. We acknowledge that this privilege is linked to global exploitation and oppression. Therefore, we believe it is our responsibility to allocate some of our resources to support Black trans individuals outside the United States, addressing the broader inequalities and contributing to global solidarity. We have a duty as we fight to dismantle the whole system, and make sure the resources are there when TGI people outside the U.S. are navigating their respective countries.
- Over the years, our work has taught us valuable lessons about providing support and building connections. From our interactions with our international siblings, we've learned that long-term support and partnerships are crucial. They allow us to leverage our combined networks to address urgent needs and solve problems collaboratively.
Happy Black trans History month!
To Celebrate Black History Month, or as we prefer to call it #BlackTransHistoryMonth, we wanted to offer folks something fun to do, while still honoring many of community members we hold so dear. We launched our first series of Black Trans History puzzles back in 2020. It was time for an update! Enjoy working through these clues. Then share it with your friends! Can you guess them all?
Link to play: puzzel.org/en/crossword/play?p=-OJUY7yY6jj46WqnnuH3
Link to play: puzzel.org/en/crossword/play?p=-OJUY7yY6jj46WqnnuH3
ANSWER KEY: DON'T LOOK IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED YET
BTTF's 5 YEar anniversary - Community appreciation gala
The recent #BTTFgala held on November 7th, 2024 was nothing short of magical! We had a time and everybody SHINED! Visit http://linktr.ee/BlackTransTravelFund to see all the gorgeous pics from our official photographer Lexi Webster
Applications for bttf's advisory commitTee are now Closed
Are you a Black trans person passionate about your community, and looking for a way to lend support to an organization invested in advocacy and mutual aid initiatives that prioritize Black trans women and femmes on a global scale? Apply to Join Black Trans Travel Fund's Advisory Committee!
Link to application: BTTF Advisory Committee Application
Deadline to Apply: September 16th
Applicants we receive a response regarding the status of their application by September 27th.
First meeting will be held during the second half of October.
The Advisory Committee meets Via Zoom with the BTTF Team for 2 hours on a quarterly basis. (1 session every 3 months, totaling session 4 per year) Committee Members are compensated $200 per session.
Advisory Committee Members:
- Act as a direct connection to community and organizational leadership
- Offer expertise, advising on key areas such as fundraising, program development, or community engagement based on their specialized knowledge or expertise.
- Provide feedback and recommendations on the organization’s strategic plans, programs, and policies
- Promote the organization’s mission and initiatives within their networks and communities to raise awareness and support
Ideal candidates:
- Have strong ties to community
- represent the community that we serve
- Share alignment with BTTF's values as an organization
- Have a history of supporting mutual aid work
Link to application: BTTF Advisory Committee Application
Deadline to Apply: September 16th
Applicants we receive a response regarding the status of their application by September 27th.
First meeting will be held during the second half of October.
The Advisory Committee meets Via Zoom with the BTTF Team for 2 hours on a quarterly basis. (1 session every 3 months, totaling session 4 per year) Committee Members are compensated $200 per session.
Advisory Committee Members:
- Act as a direct connection to community and organizational leadership
- Offer expertise, advising on key areas such as fundraising, program development, or community engagement based on their specialized knowledge or expertise.
- Provide feedback and recommendations on the organization’s strategic plans, programs, and policies
- Promote the organization’s mission and initiatives within their networks and communities to raise awareness and support
Ideal candidates:
- Have strong ties to community
- represent the community that we serve
- Share alignment with BTTF's values as an organization
- Have a history of supporting mutual aid work
BTTF Webinar + Q & A Hosted July 23rd 2024
Link to the recording of Black Trans Travel Fund's latest webinar + Q & A : Link
Check out a few highlights regarding Black Trans Travel Fund's work in Fall 2022.
Click here to read the full piece "On Abolition" by Skylar Mottley, highlighted in our Fall Newsletter.
