IGLYO LGBTQI Inclusive Education Mentorship Programme 2026

About the Programme

Over the last decade, IGLYO has been monitoring the development and implementation of LGBTQI-inclusive education policies and practices across the Council of Europe region and globally. Through this work, we have been able to identify best practices and assess the extent to which Council of Europe Member States are implementing measures to protect LGBTQI children and young people from discrimination and harassment in schools. Despite important progress, many learners still experience hostile environments, invisibility in curricula, discriminatory policies, and resistance from authorities.

IGLYO’s Education Mentorship Programme builds on this evidence and supports Member Organisations to design and implement national-level projects that improve LGBTQI inclusion in and through education, while building a strong network of youth activists learning from and supporting each other.

This programme runs from February to December 2026 and focuses on peer-to-peer learning, cross-border exchange, and tailored mentorship. It is designed to give you the space, support, and resources to shape an initiative that creates real impact in your national context. Member Organisations can apply individually or in a consortium of organisations within the same country, in which case only the lead needs to be an IGLYO Member. We offer up to €4,000 to assist each of the selected Member Organisations or consortia in designing and implementing their proposed action plan.

Interested? Read our full call and send us your application through our form by 19 January 2026 at 23:59 CEST!

Objectives of the programme

Through IGLYO’s Education Mentorship Programme, we aim to support selected Member Organisations to design and implement advocacy projects that respond to their national, regional, or local realities. Participating organisations will lead on developing and carrying out their own action plan, while requesting the mentoring, tools, and strategic support they need from us.

The overarching objective is to drive real, positive change in education systems and schools through strategic policy, advocacy, and research actions that improve the safety and inclusion of LGBTQI children and young people.

More specifically, the programme seeks to:

• Support youth-led organisations to implement context-specific advocacy, policy, and research initiatives on LGBTQI-inclusive education.
• Equip young activists with skills, confidence, and networks to influence education debates and counter anti-rights narratives.
• Strengthen the capacity of Member Organisations to engage with public authorities.
• Promote sustainable approaches to preventing and responding to bullying, harassment, and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).

Areas of focus

IGLYO’s Education Mentorship Programme supports projects that drive systemic change in and through education. We are especially interested in initiatives that use advocacy, policy work, or research to address school bullying, harassment, and violence against LGBTQI children and young people.

Possible areas of focus include (but are not limited to):

1. School policies and whole-school approaches

• Developing, revising, or implementing LGBTQI-inclusive anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies
• Supporting whole-school or whole-institution approaches to preventing bullying and violence
• Drafting or promoting inclusive guidelines, protocols, or codes of conduct for schools and other educational settings

2. Curriculum and learning materials

• Advocating for LGBTQI-inclusive curricula at local, regional, or national level
• Piloting and evaluating new materials or workshops that can be scaled up or integrated into official curricula

3. Advocacy with duty-bearers and institutions

• Building alliances with school administrations, school boards, ministries, teacher-training institutes, and other public bodies
• Organising youth-led awareness and advocacy initiatives targeting decision-makers in education
• Engaging in advocacy for legislative or policy change to protect LGBTQI learners and address school-based violence

4. Capacity-building for professionals in education and youth services

• Advocating for and delivering institutional training on LGBTQI inclusion for teachers, school staff, and management
• Working with psychologists, social workers, counsellors, and youth services to improve institutional responses to bullying, harassment, and violence
• Promoting mandatory or standardised training modules through cooperation with public education or training institutes

5. Research and evidence-building

• Conducting research, mapping, or needs assessments on LGBTQI children and young people’s experiences in education
• Documenting gaps in protection, policy implementation, or reporting mechanisms
• Using data and evidence to inform advocacy strategies, counter misinformation, and influence public debate

6. Countering anti-rights narratives in and through education

• Challenging anti-rights, anti-gender, and anti-LGBTQI narratives that impact education policy or practice
• Developing rights-based counter-messaging and educational tools for institutions, professionals, and communities
• Supporting alliances that defend inclusive education in public discourse and policy spaces.

Projects should clearly demonstrate at least one element of how they will engage with public authorities or institutions (such as ministries, school administrations, teacher bodies, or equality institutions), except in contexts where this is not safely or realistically possible. The project only needs to have one element of cooperation with public authorities: this element does not need to be the core priority or scope of the project. 

The element of cooperation with public authorities can be direct cooperation, consultation, advocacy, or awareness-raising aimed at public institutions (for example, roundtables, conferences or seminars, workshops, or meetings with public officers). Relevant public authorities are: Ministries of Education, Youth, Equality, Health, Social Affairs, or any other; Regional authorities; Local councils or municipalities; Ombudspersons or equality bodies; National youth councils; Public education institutes or training centres; School boards or school administrations; Teachers’ unions; any other public authority relevant to the scope of the project. 

In highly hostile environments, proposals may instead focus on research, evidence-building, or other indirect forms of impact, with a clear explanation of the barriers to direct institutional engagement.

Benefits of the programme for Member Organisations

Each selected organisation or consortium receives:

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Assessment and tailored mentorship (Feb–Dec 2026)

IGLYO will provide a comprehensive analysis of the country’s inclusive education landscape, helping the Member Organisation identify its needs and priorities while highlighting areas that need improvement. Good practice examples will be shared to guide this process. You will also receive direct support throughout the year from IGLYO, including guidance on project design, implementation, challenges, and reporting. 

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Peer-to-Peer Learning

This is the heart of the programme. As part of a small cohort of mentees, you will:

• Connect regularly with other organisations working on inclusive education in different national or local contexts.
• Exchange practices and tools, such as advocacy strategies, research methods, training materials, and approaches to working with public authorities.
• Jointly discuss challenges and ways to approach them, finding possible solutions to difficult situations (e.g. backlash, political resistance, limited access to institutions).
• Build a cross-border community of practice, strengthening solidarity and visibility for youth-led work on LGBTQI-inclusive education across Europe.

Optional Capacity Workshops

Based on the needs expressed by the selected mentees, IGLYO will organise thematic training sessions, such as:

• Theory of Change
  
• Project planning and impact design
  
• Communications and visibility
  
• Working with public authorities
  
• Financial and administrative management
  

These workshops will be shaped together with all mentees to respond to real needs and will be open spaces to ask questions, share tools, and build concrete skills you can directly apply in your project. 

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Financial Support

This project will be funded with up to €4,000 to assist the Member Organisation in designing and implementing the different action plans. The final amount will be agreed upon with IGLYO, depending on the type of work needed in each national context. IGLYO will hold meetings with the selected Member Organisations to liaise with funders.

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Optional country visit

If helpful, IGLYO’s policy and network teams will visit the country to work closely with the Member Organisation. This includes developing a collaborative action plan, supporting implemented events or workshops, establishing connections with government representatives, and building partnerships with other local civil society organisations. 

All Member Organisations working in this programme will also be invited to an in-person meeting in Brussels in July 2026.

Key Dates

• ‍By 19 January 2026: Open call‍
• 19 January 2026: Deadline for applications‍
• 30 January  2026: Final selection announced‍
• 12 February 2026: Online Welcome Meeting (collective strategising workshop)‍
• February–December 2026: Implementation + mentorship + optional workshops‍
• 15–16 July 2026: In-person Brussels meeting (attendance required)
• 26 November 2026: Final online debriefing meeting‍
• December 2026: Final reporting and programme closure

Eligibility

• Only IGLYO Member Organisations may apply (see full list here)
• You may apply individually or as a national consortium of Member Organisations . If you apply as a consortium, only the lead needs to be an IGLYO Member
• You must commit to joining all mandatory online meetings and the Brussels gathering in July
• Organisations who participated in 2025 are not eligible

We encourage applications from organisations based in countries where LGBTQI inclusive education measures are currently not present, underfunded, not enforced, or at risk from hostile governments. We also encourage applications from youth-led, volunteer-run and small organisations.

Selection Criteria

We will assess applications based on:

1. Quality and clarity of the proposed project
   
   
2. Potential impact on LGBTQI-inclusive education in your context
   
   
3. Feasibility within your organisation’s capacity
   
   
4. Meaningful engagement with public authorities as one element of the project (unless an exception is justified)

5. Willingness to engage in peer learning and cross-border exchange

6. Intersectional perspective of the project
   

Previous Year

Have a look at the 6 mentees projects from 2025 to have more insights into the mentorship programme and example of successful projects implemented by Members.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding the application process or the programme, you can contact our Policy and Research Officer Ahmed El-Salawy (he/him) at ahmed@iglyo.org. We look forward to receiving your applications!