MISSION AND VISION
We are an organisation led by LGBTIQ+ activists inside and outside mainland China. We have a vision of a more just, equal and inclusive China where LGBTIQ+ live a life with dignity. Our mission is to bring resources to the Chinese LGBTIQ+ movement and serve as a bridge internationally.
WHO WE ARE
We are a collective consisting activists of different genders and sexual orientations. Our members are currently located in mainland China, other parts of Asia, and Europe. Our combined expertise includes grant-making, grassroots organizing, research, rights advocacy and awareness-raising on LGBTI+, women’s rights and other intersecting issues. We work in Chinese and English.
We launched the China Rainbow Collective in December 2023 and registered as China Rainbow Collective Foundation in Paris 2025 to respond to changing LGBTI+ organizational realities in China. These include a hesitancy among international LGBTI+ movements and funders to engage with domestic activists due to security-related risks; domestic LGBTI+’s need for support to keep up their work and health; and a desire of the growing group of Chinese LGBTI+ organisers based outside of China to contribute to the movement back home.
WHAT WE DO
Supporting Chinese LGBTI+ movement through challenging times and continuously empowering the community to champion change:
- Securing support for grassroots LGBTI+ activism
The foundation will provide support to grassroots LGBTI+ groups and individual activists who continue their work despite shrinking civil society space. This includes organizing community events, amplifying voices on social media, providing legal assistance, and ensuring psychological support. The foundation will help strengthen their efforts by facilitating international fundraising and ensuring that resources are securely delivered to sustain their activism.
- Support queer activists at risks
The foundation will offer protection and relief to LGBTI+ human rights defenders and community leaders in China who face growing political pressure, harassment, intimidation, detention, or forced disappearance. To safeguard their well-being and resilience, the foundation will support short-term relocation programs and mental health initiatives, helping them recover and continue their advocacy.
- Research and strategy development
The foundation will invest in research to better understand the needs and challenges of the Chinese LGBTI+ movement. These efforts will inform the international community about the realities on the ground and generate insights into laws, media, and activism tactics. Research findings will serve as a basis for developing new strategies in collaboration with local activists, strengthening the movement’s sustainability and impact.
- International advocacy and philanthropic engagement
The foundation will strengthen international advocacy by building bridges between LGBTI+ communities in China and the global community. Through amplifying local voices on international platforms, we will ensure that the realities and needs of Chinese LGBTI+ people are heard and addressed. A key priority is to advance LGBTI+ human rights within UN mechanisms and other diplomatic spaces, while also fostering partnerships in global philanthropy to channel sustainable resources and solidarity to the movement.
