There is no way to use the built in features without those permissions I think. Like weather (location), search contacts and calendars, ..
I think they have been there a long time. It also needs pretty deep access if you want it to open notifications bar and more..
Someone correct me if I'm wrong
Have you tried total launcher? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.launcher2 I used it in the past and the amount of customization was huge.
But then I got old and wanted something simpler. Been using Kvaesitso for the last years https://kvaesitso.mm20.de/