Skip to content

Legal Empowerment Fund Announces $1.3 Million in Grants

The Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF), a program of the Fund for Global Human Rights, announced today that it has selected 39 grassroots activists and organizations in 29 countries to receive $1.3 million in flexible, two-year grants. The full list is available below. (Four grantees have been omitted from the list due to the sensitive nature of their work.)

These groups comprise the second-ever cohort of LEF grantees. The first cohort, announced in July 2022, includes 49 additional grassroots groups using legal empowerment strategies in their communities.

WHAT IS LEGAL EMPOWERMENT?

Check out our Fund 101 explainer.

Both cohorts were selected through a participatory review process from more than 4,800 activists and organizations that responded to our first open call for proposals. We received applications from 153 countries, requesting over $233 million in funding. This staggering need underscores the lack of funding available to frontline groups worldwide—and the life-changing work that could be resourced with greater investment.

The 39 groups that make up our second cohort span the globe from Armenia to Zambia. Their work focuses on issues including women’s rights, environmental justice, and Indigenous peoples’ rights. The common thread between them is that they all use some kind of legal empowerment strategy—most commonly legal aid and representation, public education, or policy advocacy—to address systemic injustice and inequality.

The LEF was created in 2021 as the first grantmaking initiative solely dedicated to supporting the grassroots legal empowerment movement. Around the world, more than 5 billion people lack access to justice. That means that when their human rights are violated, they have nowhere to turn for help. The LEF aims to close this global justice gap by resourcing frontline activists and organizations that are helping their communities know, use, and shape the law.

Keep reading to learn more about four of the new groups we’re supporting and to explore the full list of grantees.

Meet the Activists

Women’s Rights House
Armenia
 

Women’s Rights House was established in 2017 with the goal of preventing gender-based violence, protecting women’s rights, and promoting women’s economic inclusion in Armenia. They provide free legal counsel to women and girls who have faced domestic or sexual violence. They also offer regular trainings to educate women about their economic, political, and social rights. 

womensrightshouse.org

CEGSS
Guatemala
 

Centro de Estudios para la Equidad y Gobernanza en Los Sistemas de Salud (the Center of Studies for Equity and Governance in Health Systems, or CEGSS) aims to improve Guatemala’s health systems governance through collective analysis and participatory action research. Their unique model empowers formerly excluded communities to be researchers and agents of change. 

cegss.org.gt

LAHURNIP
Nepal
 

The Lawyers’ Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous People (LAHURNIP) defends the rights of Indigenous peoples in Nepal. Established in 1995 by a group of Indigenous lawyers, LAHURNIP uses strategic litigation to hold the Nepalese state and corporate actors responsible for violating the human rights of Indigenous communities. 

lahurnip.org/

PRISCCA
Zambia
 

Prisons Care and Counselling Association—or PRISCCA—was formed in Zambia’s Kamfinsa State Prison by a group of prisoners. The organization takes a human rights–centered approach to criminal justice reform and post-incarceration reintegration. Its membership includes current inmates, former inmates, corrections officers, and paralegals. 

prisccazambia.org

List of LEF Grantees

Listed alphabetically by country
Four organizations are not listed due to the sensitive nature of their work.

Armenia

Women’s Rights House

https://womensrightshouse.org/
womensrightshouseNGO

Brazil

Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT)

https://cptnacional.org.br/
CPTNacional
cptnacional
cptnacional

Associação Nacional de Quilombos para a Cooperação – Negra Anastácia e Coordenação Nacional de Articulação das Comunidades Negras Rurais Quilombolas (CONAQ)

http://conaq.org.br/
conaquilombos
conaquilombos
conaquilombos
conaquilombos

Grande Assembleia Guarani e Kaiowa (ATY GUASU) – Associação Brasileira de Reforma Agrária (ABRA) – Organização Pelo Direito Humano à Alimentação e à Nutrição Adequadas (FIAN Brasil)

https://abranacional.wordpress.com/
https://fianbrasil.org.br/
atyguasu
ABRA.Reforma.Agraria
FIANnoBrasil
atyguasu

Burkina Faso

Groupement Féminin Pag-La-Naam

naampag

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Vision des Filles Leaders pour le Developpement (VIFILED ASBL)

vifiledasbl23

Action des Volontaires d’Innovation pour le Développement (AVID)

avid.asbl

Germany

Berufsverband für erotische und sexuelle Dienstleistungen e.V. (BesD)

https://www.berufsverband-sexarbeit.de
Sexarbeit
sexworkID

Guatemala

Centro de Estudios para la Equidad y Gobernanza en los Sistemas de Salud (CEGSS)

https://cegss.org.gt/en/
cegss.gt
cegssguatemala

Guyana

South Central Peoples Development Association – South Rupununi District Council

http://wapichanao.communitylands.org/
South-Rupununi-District-Council

Haiti

Kolektif Jistis Min (KJM)

Kolektif-Jistis-Min-ayiti

Indonesia

Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Masyarakat

https://lbhmasyarakat.org/
LBHM.id
LBHMasyarakat
lbhmasyarakat

Indonesia Judicial Research Society

http://ijrs.or.id/
ijrs.or.id
ijrs_official
ijrs_official

Lembaga Terranusa Indonesia

terranusa

Bali Women Crisis Centre

LBHBWCC
lbhbwcc
lbhbwcc

Kenya

Kenya Alliance for Rural Empowerment (KARE)

https://www.karemp.org/
Kenya-Alliance-for-Rural-Empowerment

Lebanon

The Alliance of Migrant Domestic Workers in Lebanon

TheAllianceOfMDWsLeb

Malaysia

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth Malaysia)

FriendsoftheEarthMalaysia
SahabatAlamMsia
sahabat_alam_malaysia

Mexico

Oficina de Defensoría de los Derechos de la Infancia

https://dispensariodi.com/

Mongolia

Steps Without Borders NGO

stepswithoutborders

Morocco

Al-Amal Foundation for Development

jam3yat.amal

Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM Rabat)

https://adfm.ma/
adfmRabat

Nepal

Lawyers’ Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP)

https://www.lahurnip.org/
LAHURNIP
LAHURNIPNepal
LAHURNIP

Peru

Familias Unidas por Justicia – Colectivo de familiares de víctimas de feminicidio

FamiliasUnidasPorJusticia
familiasni
familiasunid

The Philippines

Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center

https://www.lrcksk.org/
lrcphl
lrcphl
lrcphl

Serbia

Fenomena Association

https://www.fenomena.org/
mocpromene
moc.promene

South Africa

Rural Democracy Trust in partnership with Land Access Movement of South Africa

https://ardt.org.za/
https://lamosa.org.za/
RuralDemocracy

Inner City Resource Centre

https://icrc.org.za/
icrc01
InnerCityRC

South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA)

https://sdcea.co.za/
sdcea
durbansdcea
sdcea_ngo
@southdurbancommunityenviro6166

United States

International Indigenous Fund for Development and Solidarity (Batani)

https://batani.org/
BataniFoundation

Zambia

Prison Care and Counselling Association

https://prisccazambia.org/

Search