PlanetRomeo Foundation in 2015 and our wishes for 2016

The Foundation Board. From left to right: Renate Hartman, Karen Kraan, Jan Bouwens, Pieter Brokx

We look back on 2015 with pride. With our donor’s support we gave in total, an astonishing €143,631 to 34 LGBTI projects around the world. Compared to 2014, we’ve almost funded 50% more! This makes the Foundation Board proud and even more determined to continue our efforts to fund small LGBTI initiatives. We make a difference.

You Romeos also made a difference for the international LGBTI community this year by donating! I’d therefore like to extend our immense gratitude to all the Romeos who made this possible.

We supported
The Foundation supports educational, safety & shelter, and sports & culture projects. While we prioritize projects in countries and continents where it is needed most, we have funded projects all over the world, because in most countries LGBTI (sub)groups need support. Here is a brief overview of the number of projects per continent:

We connected
In 2015, PlanetRomeo Foundation was more present among other funders. I attended an international LGBTI funders meeting in Athens and connected with representatives of other LGBTI funders. This confirmed that PlanetRomeo Foundation has a very important role to play. Because we fund small initiatives and have relatively simple procedures, we are a stepping-stone to other funding.

We grew
Becoming better known means receiving more funding requests. In 2015, we received 151 funding requests – an increase of over 60% compared to 2014! Receiving more funding requests means that we’d like to fund more projects, so we’d like to continue to grow financially as well.

We are grateful
PlanetRomeo Company donates 10% of all advertising revenue to PlanetRomeo Foundation, an incredibly generous gesture. Together with the donations from the PlanetRomeo community, we raised enough to be able to support all project applications that we thought had both quality and good potential. The Foundation board is very grateful for this ongoing financial support. Thank you!

We hope for 2016
So again, I am incredibly proud of all that PlanetRomeo Foundation achieved this year with the support of the Romeos. But, we also have a real sense of urgency to continue to support as many initiatives as we can. The contribution we make to the lives of LGBTI people around the world is real and needed. So I count on your continued support next year and we hope to attract more Romeos who help us fund brave LGBTI initiatives around the world. The Foundation Board is determined to continue working towards achieving our vision: a world in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people enjoy equal rights, equal opportunities and respect.

I wish you a splendid 2016!

Karen Kraan
Chair, PlanetRomeo Foundation

Do you want to continue or start contributing to a better life for LGBTI people around the world by supporting us? Click ‘Donate Now’ from the Foundation section of the PlanetRomeo homepage. As a thank you, we will show your commitment by displaying the Foundation logo on your profile. Of course you will also be updated regularly about the activities of PlanetRomeo Foundation.