Waypoint Commons is a shared space for organizations serving LGBTIQ+ communities, these organizations are doing extraordinary work in conditions that were not designed to support them. This is done too often without shared language, practical tools, or the infrastructure to strengthen, sustain, and scale what works. This Commons is made up of the practitioners, funders, and partners coming together to collectively build:
Shared standards of practice so organizations can identify, adapt, and strengthen approaches that are safe, effective, and grounded in real service delivery.
A collective evidence base that builds credibility and trust for work that has been treated as niche, invisible, or too risky to fund.
Pathways to sustainable financing and integration for organizations doing this work, and so that governments and funders treat LGBTIQ+ outcomes as essential, not exceptional.
We aim to collectively make the case, with evidence, that supporting LGBTIQ+ communities and outcomes benefits everyone.
In community
The Commons is shaped by the people closest to the work. Convenings are where that happens, in person and virtual, because we are the Commons. They bring together practitioners, funders, and ecosystem partners to surface what's needed, set shared priorities, and learn from what's working across contexts. What emerges from these gatherings directly informs what gets built here.
Emerging lessons from organizations navigating service delivery across highly constrained environments. Explores areas of shared practice and opportunities for stronger collective support, learning, and ecosystem coordination.
Developed through practitioner consultations and a working session in Nairobi, Kenya (February 2026)
How philanthropic systems engage organizations supporting LGBTIQ+ communities across development portfolios. Explores the institutional tensions, risks, and operational realities shaping inclusion within philanthropy.
Emerging from a funder dialogue convened during Skoll World Forum week in Oxford, UK (April 2026)
How organizations define, measure, and communicate impact and why many conventional evidence systems fail to capture what matters most in practice.
Emerging from a practitioner dialogue convened during Skoll World Forum week in Oxford, UK (April 2026)
How risk and visibility shape each other for organizations serving LGBTIQ+ communities, and the practices practitioners, intermediaries and funders already use to navigate both.
Emerging from a practitioner, intermediary and funder convening in Nairobi, Kenya (July 2026)
In the Commons library
A growing collection of practical tools, guides, and resources built from and for the field. New resources are added as the work develops.
Available
A practical framework for organizations navigating service delivery across complex and constrained environments. Covers five core practice areas: Protection, Representation, Affirmation, Economic Inclusion, and Navigation.
Version 1.0 | April 2026
Forthcoming
Common Practice | Protection: Maturity and Adaptation Guide
Detailed maturity and adaptation guides for each of the five Protection practices:
Safe Spaces · Communication Systems · Data Practices · Access and Participation Control · Safeguarding and Risk Response
Helping organizations assess where they are and identify realistic next steps across different risk environments.
Common Practice | Representation: Maturity and Adaptation Guide
Detailed maturity and adaptation guides for each of the four Representation practices:
Community Fit and Representation Scope · Representation Across Roles and Decision-Making · Depth and Diversity Within the Target Community · Ecosystem Alignment and Collaboration
Helping organizations assess where they are and identify realistic next steps across different risk environments.
In development
Common Practice | A Guide for Funders
Funders working in this space navigate many of the same challenges as the organizations they support. This guide will apply the same five practice areas, Protection, Representation, Affirmation, Economic Inclusion, and Navigation, to how funders engage, make decisions, and structure their support.
Common Practice | Maturity and Adaptation Guides (Affirmation, Economic Inclusion & Navigation) Detailed maturity and adaptation guides for the remaining three practice areas, building on the framework established in Common Practice and the Protection and Representation guides.
Coming later
Case Examples: Organizations Doing Exceptional Work
Real examples of organizations demonstrating strong practice across common practices. Highlighting what good looks like in context, across different operating environments, community types, and levels of resource.
In the Commons, all are welcome
Convenings are where the Commons comes alive. We gather in person and virtually, across cities and contexts, to learn from each other, surface what's needed, and build the relationships that make this work possible.
Join a planned convening, propose a virtual gathering, or get in touch to connect with the Commons team directly at tyler@waypointcommons.org
Upcoming: 📍 New York, USA September 2026 📍 Cape Town, South Africa October 2026
A waypoint. A reference point or symbol to orient, recalibrate, and move forward.
A commons. A shared resource, built collectively and open to everyone.
Together. A space to find direction, share what works, and go further than any of us could alone.