Deepati Forsberg is responsible for fund administration at NIKK and is looking forward to following the projects that have been awarded funding.  

 We hope that the projects that have received funding can help to create better living conditions for LGBTI people in the Nordics. This year, organisations from all five Nordic countries and Lithuania are involved in one of the projects that have been awarded funding, which in itself is proof that Nordic cooperation really does make a difference.   

The projects will focus on gender-based killings outside heteronormative relationships, where LGBTIQ+ women and other marginalised groups are particularly vulnerable, developing organisational and individual crisis preparedness strategies for HIV and LGBTIQ+ groups, and ensuring and strengthening the long-term impact of the Nordic digital curriculum to meet the needs of LGBTQIA+ people.  

Read more about the projects approved this year below and on the LGBTI fund page, where you can find out about previously funded projects and how to apply for funding in next year’s call for proposals.  

Projects granted funding

Femicides Beyond Hetero Relations: Nordic and Baltic Mapping

The project highlights a common blind spot in Nordic-Baltic research on femicide – cases that occur outside heteronormative relationships. LGBTI women and other marginalised groups are at greatest risk, but their experiences are rarely reflected in the statistics. Differences in definitions and methods make it difficult to compare results between the Nordic countries. The lack of common standards and intersectional perspectives means that patterns of exclusion, hate crimes and gaps in protection often remain invisible. Drawing on the experience of the Centre for Violence Prevention, the project examines how sexual orientation, gender identity and social position affect vulnerability, access to justice and protection. 

To Femicides Beyond Hetero Relations: Nordic and Baltic Mapping

The Nordic HIV Preparedness Project

 The Nordic countries share similarities in their healthcare systems and political structures, and face common geopolitical threats. HIV and LGBTI groups in the region experience similar challenges, particularly in terms of stigma, exclusion and lack of targeted preparedness. This project leverages these commonalities to develop joint organisational and individual strategies for crisis preparedness.  

To The Nordic HIV Preparedness Project

Nordic Digital Curriculum for LGBTI Competencies in Higher Education Programs for Human Service Professions

The project aims to strengthen and embed the impact of the Nordic digital curriculum on LGBTI inclusion in social work in the long term. The curriculum consists of four freely available modules in Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and English and strengthens the competence of social service professionals. The follow-up project will disseminate the curriculum to Nordic universities, integrate it into social work and healthcare education programmes, and ensure continuous updates based on new research and policy. To increase accessibility, the material will be expanded with Danish and Icelandic translations and perspectives.   

To Nordic Digital Curriculum for LGBTI Competencies in Higher Education Programs for Human Service Professions