D.E.I. may be a dead duck in the US thanks to The Orange Man in the White House, but thank God it’s alive in the rest of the world. This past week, the global biopharma company GSK in partnership with The King’s Fund, gave the IMPACT AWARD to The Rainbow Project, an LGBTQ+ charity based in Belfast. Northern Ireland. It includes £40,000 in funding plus a spot on a leadership and development training programme.
The nonprofit is a vital resource for Northern Ireland’s queer community. In their mission statement, they state that they are “devoted to improving the health and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ people and their families in Northern Ireland, as well as those questioning their orientation or gender, through partnership, advocacy and the development and delivery of appropriate support services.”
In addition to raising awareness on a number of key issues, the Rainbow Project offers a wide range of services, including a co-cultural counselling service. This initiative was spotlighted by the IMPACT Awards judges as particularly impressive, alongside the charity’s campaign to ban so-called “conversion therapy”.
Lisa Weaks, the Senior Associate at the King’s Fund, said The Rainbow Project “stood out for its exceptional commitment to tackling deep‑rooted inequalities affecting LGBTQIA+ people in Northern Ireland.”
She continued: “It delivers compassionate care and support to those who are often experiencing high levels of mental distress and who have poorer physical health outcomes. The judges were impressed by the organisation’s sexuality and gender identity‑affirming services, strong partnerships, and strategic leadership at the system level. Its impact is profound – reaching individuals facing the greatest barriers, while also driving structural change to create a more inclusive future.”
Speaking on behalf of The Rainbow Project, the charity’s CEO, Scott Cuthbertson, said the organisation is “delighted” to receive the award. “The Rainbow Project is a charity about making change: as LGBTQIA+ people, we know that the status quo does not work for us, so our impact is vitally important to us. We have worked hard to build an organisation that meets the needs of the communities we serve, while standing resilient to the challenges faced in Northern Ireland. We are very much looking forward to the leadership development programme provided by The King’s Fund, to continue to improve our impact in future.”
Leave a Reply