THE RAINBOW PROJECT LTD TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 The trustees of the charlty for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006. submlt thelr annual report and audited flnancial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023. The trustees have adopted the Statement of Recommended practi￿ {SORP} 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities. (FRS 102) in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity. The finanaal statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charitable companys tgoveming document], the Companies Act 2006 and 'Accounting and Rep(Jrting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their acLX)unts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland {FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). Review of Actsvity and Future Developments Welcom8 to The Rainbow Projecys Trustee Rep)rt 2022-23. This rep)rt contains details on what has been another extremely busy year for the organisation as we continue to deliver services. inltuence policy and undertake research to understand more about the LGBTQIA+ community in Northem Ireland. Like many other organisations and seplices. The Rainbow Project is still dealing with the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on people's mental health and wellbeing. Our health and wellbeing servic8s are in high demand which has an impact on the amount of time our dients are on waiting lists, for services such as our co ultural counselllng. The Ralnbow Project contlnues to grow and In 2022-23 delivered more seNlces than in any year before it so we V￿re pleased that with funding from the Rank Foundation we were able to employ a Health and Wellbelng Officer to supp¢Jrt our clients through their joumey of support. The Ralnbow Project works dlredly with memb8rs of our community by off8ring a wrap-around service for clients to support them through our range of services, induding sexual health advi￿ and testing; mental health support: hate Mme advocacy, ttp¢ultural counselllng. LGBTQIA+ youth provlslon; regional support and a range of other iniiiatlves and programmes. We V￿re also dèlighted to secJJr8 another round of fundlng to ènable us to 8ngag8 wlth the BAME ￿Mmunity across Northem Ireland and work in partnership with other s8DAceslgroups such as the Migrant Forum and Rainbow Rèfvgees. to provld8 heaith. wellbeing and emotional supporL Thls work has been particularly important in the Context of th8 mlgrant crisis and TRP has béen able to support a numb8r of LG8TQIA+ Individuals seeking as>lum in Nl. The Rainbow Project has continued to grow our partnership developed with Stonewall in the delivery of a Diversity Champrons programme in Northem Ireland supporting employers in meeting the needs of their LGBTQIA+ employees. We have continued to develop our p)licy advocacy to ensure we are not just working to mitigats the impacts of discrimination, but also working to eliminate that discrimination in the first place. This is through detailed needs assessments. research. communications. and campaigns. The organisation has worked with staff, volunteers and tnjstees in the implementation of a 5-year strategic plan. Emerging as a communty response to the HIV epidemic in 1994, our work and focus has continued to grow as we have come to understsnd the full range of holistic approaches required to mitigate the impacts of discrimination to address the health needs of LGBTQIA+ people. To monitor the organisation's impact and support the Rainbow Project in achieving its vision" mission" aims" and objectives, while remaining aligned to our values. we adopted an outcomes-based accountability model in our strategic plan. We could not deliver this range of activities without a committed team of staff and volunteers and the support of our fijndersldonorslfundraisers. While charitable fvnding continues to come under real pressure. it is a real achievement that the organisation has maintsined the confiden￿ and support of a range of funders who support our activities. Our positive relationships with funders were demonstrated when we were able to communicate the importance of testing and vaccination at Ihe time of the Monkeypox outbreak during the Spring and Summer of 2022 resulting In over 11x1 people r8questing the vaccination and reducing the potentlal impact of a local outbreak. THE RAINBOW PROJECT LTD TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 During 2022-2023, the Trustees continued to focus on the govemance of the Project. on settlng and monitoring strategy, ensuring systems of control were in place. monitoring finance. and considering major areas of risk. Day- to-day management decisions are delegated to the Director. This work induded a numb8r of intemal reviews to ensure best practice and good govemance. induding a review of The Rainbow Project's policies and procedures and volunteering systems. During this financial year. The Rainbow Project continued to invest in a sustsinability strategy aimed at expanding the sources of income for the organisation including a focus on giving. This investrnent was managed through our govemance structure which indudes a Sustainability. Strategy and Finance Sub-Group of the Board of Trustees whith has overseen the sustainability strategy and will review progress towards agreed markers of success. Vlhile we continue to witness on-going change in the views and attitudes of society in Nothem Ireland that might have been un-imaginable ten or twenty years ago. we cannot be (X)mpIa￿nt. Homophobia. transphobia. biphobia and heterosexism are still prevalent in parts of the Northem Ireland community. Our activity last year. has been set against a backdrop of increased anti-LGBTQIA* narratives in Northem Ireland and across the globe. We have been working with our sector partners and other organisations to support those impacted, including our staff members and in particular trans and non-binary people. The Rainbow Project provides dedicated SUPFK)rt and social opportunities to our trans and non-binary community through our Beu group and our hugely successfijl m¢￿thlY trans and non-binary swimmlng sessions. During 2022-2023 The Ralnbow Project strengthened our work on the campaign to ban 50 called ,￿nVers1On therapy,. We partnered with the D8partment for Communltles to commission research and have developed our relationships wlth organisations a(xoss the UK and Ireland to maxlmize our impact. The Department for Communities are thus far Committing to a ban on so called conversion pracilces. Tbvo independent academics have be8n identified to assist in the proposed research projecL The Ralnbow Project will have a rol8 In locating and supportlng people to make their submlsslon to the research panel. Th8 Rainbow Project Policy and Advocacy Officer. whlch Is funded by the Joseph R¢)vmtr8e Foundation. led our policy, communlcations and engagemént ¢)n this important work. We believe any ban must b8 compreh8nsive wtth no loopholes. In Ireland. discussions are still ongoing with Roderic O'Gornian Minister for Children. Equality. Disability. Integratlon and Youth of Ireland but at recent IDAHOBIT évént he advised that any legislalion will be trans inclusive. Academl¢s have been id8ntlfied to assist with the proposed research project which his department wants to initiate with Unlverslty College, Dublin. Our partner organisation, LGBT Ireland. will have a role in locating and supporting p80ple to make their submissions to the ￿earch panel. The Rainbow Project has been in the vanguard of promoting as well as defending the rights. needs, views and expectations of the LGBTQIA+ community in Northem Ireland. In another year without an Assembty or Executive. TRP continued to engage with political parties and. elected representatives and departments. We continued to work with the Departm8nt for Communities and others in analysing the recommendations to produce a LGBTQI Strategy to make sure it contains tsrgeted. measurable and resourced actions which are achievable and will make a real effective impact on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people. Through discussions that were initiated with political representatives to establish an all-party group in trans healthcare. MLAS felt a wider forum on LGBTQIA+ issues would be more beneficial. The All-Paty Group on LGBTQIA+ Equality subsequently launched in September. When the Nl Assembly does eventually come out of the current suspension we look forward to further engagement through the All-Party Group. As one of Northern Ireland's key communitylvoluntary sexual health organisations. The Rainbow Project continues to develop its Sexual Health activities and services. Our Rapid HIV and Syphilis Testing Service. now in its 12th year. has been developed and expanded with over 300 men accessing rapid testing during 2022-2023. In addition to this. over 100.000 safer sex packs were dislributed to men across Northem Ireland. and we commenced a key campaign, seeking to bring new HIV diagnosis to zero through a range of actiwties and investrnent. Over the next year, The Rainbow Project will continue to develop its services in line with a holisli approach to the health and wellbeing of our beneficiaries induding id8ntifying and working to meet the physical as well as mental health needs of our beneficlaries. THE RAINBOW PROJECT LTD TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 The Rainbow Project continued to be on the cutting edge of service provision during 2022-2023 with the )ntinuation of Northem Ireland's only co