What we do
Empowering communities to know, use, and shape the law
What we do
Legal empowerment is about putting people at the center of justice solutions and supporting communities to lead their own solutions for justice. When the most marginalized have the resources to know, use, and shape the law, justice systems become more democratic, accessible, and inclusive.
At the Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF), we fuel grassroots movements by providing flexible funding to grassroot groups and fostering peer-led networks across the globe. From environmental defenders to community paralegals and organizers, we amplify the voices of those on the front lines of justice who ensure that legal systems are fair, accessible and responsive to those who need them most.
Learn more about legal empowerment strategies
Legal empowerment in action encompasses a variety of strategies. The LEF’s grantee partners may educate community members—including migrants, formerly incarcerated individuals, and those experiencing homelessness—on their legal rights and the processes to access those rights and services (knowing the law). Other grantee partners may provide legal aid or services to individuals who cannot access the justice system, such as low-income families facing eviction, or challenge fraudulent environmental impact assessments in court (using the law). Additional strategies aim to improve and introduce equitable policies through advocacy, campaigning, or strategic litigation, such as advocating for LGBTQ+ rights or securing land and resource rights (shaping the law).
How we work
Grantmaking
We empower grassroots groups by providing renewable, flexible, unrestricted funding, also known as general operating support, through a participatory grantmaking approach. Rooted in peer decision-making, we ensure that resources go to grassroots groups that are otherwise unable to access funding and resources.
Learning and field building
To strengthen the global legal empowerment movement, we collaborate with the Grassroots Justice Network. Through trust and collaboration, we connect grantee partners across different regions and causes, helping them share knowledge and build strategies that drive lasting change.
Amplifying grantee partner voices
We work with marginalized communities to elevate their voices in international decision-making spaces. Despite their deep understanding of local challenges, grassroots perspectives are often overlooked. By facilitating increased agency and visibility, we help ensure that global solutions are rooted in local realities.
Our impact
Since its launch in 2021, the LEF has awarded:
over
in flexible funding
to
grassroot grantee partners
across
countries around the world
With the Clooney Foundation for Justice, the LEF supports 10 strategic litigation organizations in Africa working to address gender justice.
Where LEF grantee partners work
Map shows regions where LEF grantee partners work
View a plain text version of this map
The regions LEF grantees partners work in are:
North America Central America South America Europe Middle East and North Africa West and Central Africa East and Southern Africa South Asia Southeast and East AsiaWhat LEF grantee partners work on
The LEF employs an intersectional approach to access to justice. While legal empowerment groups are best placed to define their most pressing access to justice issues and solutions alongside their communities, the LEF has grouped grantee partners’ areas of focus into these thematic categories:
Indigenous peoples’ rights • Children’s and youth rights • Gender justice • Economic, social, and cultural rights • LGBTQ+ rights • Climate justice
