The Robert Carr Fund (RCF) is an international grantmaking body based in The Netherlands that channels large-scale donor resources to left-of-center LGBT-interest and HIV-activist networks. Established in 2012 and named after a Caribbean man who died from HIV/AIDS, it pools government and private funding to provide long-term support to advocacy groups representing populations it describes as marginalized or “inadequately served.” Rather than funding direct medical services, RCF emphasizes left-of-center movement-building. ¹

The fund promotes a community-led grantmaking model that shifts decision-making authority away from traditional donor institutions and toward civil-society coalitions. Since 2012, the RCF has distributed over $125 million across more than 130 countries. Major contributors include the United States government, the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the Gates Foundation, and Gilead Sciences. ¹

Activities

The Robert Carr Fund publishes statistics on the grantees it funds. During the 2022-2023 grantmaking year, the RCF claims to have issued 20 percent of its grants to “people who use drugs;” 18 percent to “sex workers;” 14 percent to “people living with HIV;” and 11 percent to LGBT-interest groups. ²

The RCF issues grants to other pro-LGBT and HIV activist groups, including the MPact Global Forum on Men Who Have Sex With Men and HIV. In 2024, the RCF issued MPact a $1,187,698 grant “to promote awareness about the HIV needs of men who have sex with men.” ³

In January 2025, the Robert Carr Fund announced its 2025-2027 grantmaking plan, during which time it intends to issue $23,380,000 to 25 grantees worldwide, providing multiyear, core, and flexible funding for increasing access to HIV services. The RCF also announced plans to provide bridge funding in the amount of $500,000 to support 10 current grantees. ⁴

In February 2025, the RCF and its partners, Aidsfonds and the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), conducted a survey of 564 HIV and LGBT activist organizations surveyed across 25 countries on the impact of the Trump administration’s freezes on and cuts to foreign aid, most notably to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The survey concluded that 95 percent of organizations reported direct impacts from the U.S. funding freeze, as 43 percent of their programs had paused implementation, while 35 percent fully suspended operations. ⁵

In December 2025, the editor-in-chief of The Independent, Geordie Greig, wrote an open letter to United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging him to protect the remaining British funding for the global HIV response and to support the Robert Carr Fund. ⁶

Leadership

As of 2026, Felicia Wong was the director of the Robert Carr Fund. She previously worked at Frontline AIDS (formerly the International HIV/AIDS Alliance) in a variety of roles, including as head of the innovation team and member of the senior leadership team. ⁷ Wong received her bachelor’s in physical anthropology from Emory University and her master’s of public health in communication and social mobilization from the Tulane University School of Medicine. ⁸

Financials

For the 2022-2024 grantmaking cycle, the Robert Carr Fund received $39.2 million in contributions which it distributed to its grantees. Of its total revenue, the United States government contributed 35 percent ($13,720,000), followed by the United Kingdom which contributed 25 percent ($9,800,000). The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs contributed 18 percent ($7,056,000), and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation contributed 14 percent ($5,488,000). The Gates Foundation contributed the remaining eight percent of the Robert Carr Fund’s total revenue ($3,136,000). ¹

In January 2025, the Robert Carr Fund announced its plans for the 2025-2027 grantmaking cycle, during which it intends to award $23,380,000 in grants to LGBT and HIV activist groups. ⁴

1. “About RCF.” RCF. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://robertcarrfund.org/about-rcf/
2. “Robert Carr Fund Annual Report 2023.” RCF. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://robertcarrfund.org/robert-carr-fund-annual-report-2023/
3. “Global Forum On Msm & Hiv – 2024 Federal Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/471065461/202532779349300703/full
4. “The Robert Carr Fund awards USD $23,380,000 to community-led networks for the 2025-2027 grant cycle.” IDPC. January 13, 2025. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://idpc.net/news/2025/01/the-robert-carr-fund-awards-usd-usd23-380-000-to-community-led-networks-for-the-2025-2027-grant
5. “How the shift in US funding is threatening both the lives of people affected by HIV and the community groups supporting them.” UNAIDS. February 18, 2025. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2025/february/20250218_us-funding-people-affected-hiv-community-groups
6. Greig, Geordie. “Keir Starmer: Protect what’s left of the UK’s funding to end the Aids pandemic.” The Independent. December 22, 2025. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-open-letter-hiv-aids-b2883551.html
7. “Felicia Wong.” RCF. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://robertcarrfund.org/teammember/felicia-wong/
8. “Felicia Wong.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicia-wong-uk/