2024 Progress Report
Jump to:
A people-centred, empowered movement is now more imperative than ever to foster a global, rule-of-law-based order to safeguard rights, strengthen democracy, and facilitate climate justice .
In 2024, the LEF provided multi-year flexible funding, while fostering knowledge and learning. This past year, the LEF exceeded its goal by moving over $4.2 million, contributing to a global, grassroot movement aimed at closing the justice gap and increasing democracy. These resources have not only financially empowered grassroots organizations but have also generated valuable contributions to the global access to justice field. The LEF is demonstrating that transformative change is possible, even in the face of complex and entrenched global challenges.
Legal empowerment does not require a law degree; it is about putting people at the centre and supporting communities to lead their own solutions for justice. When people have the resources to know, use, and shape the law, justice systems become more democratic, responsive, and accessible; and governments and institutions are held to account.
From the Alliance of Migrant Domestic Workers’ approach to improving conditions and legal protections for exploited domestic workers through advocacy and rights awareness in Lebanon to the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute building legal awareness of environmentally exploitative tourism in Indonesia, grassroots groups are using their flexible support grants to put the law into the hands of everyday people.
This report provides an overview of the LEF’s activities throughout 2024, with a particular focus on grantmaking, peer and participatory learning activities, and initiatives to amplify grantee voices. It demonstrates progress toward the LEF’s indicators and explores institutional and operational updates and trends. The report concludes with a section on lessons learned and plans for 2025.
2024 GRANTMAKING AT-A-GLANCE
10
initiatives funded
46
countries reached
158
active grantees
163
active grants
$4,208,838
awarded
2. ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PAST YEAR
Choose a highlight area to learn more:
3. Progress toward outcomes
The key findings from the mid-term evaluation may be summarized as follows:
Empowering grassroots
legal strategies:
LEF’s flexible funding has enabled community-driven initiatives and strengthened operations.
Advancing inclusivity:
By supporting often overlooked grassroots groups operating outside centers of power, LEF has expanded diversity in legal empowerment and increased more equitable access to resources.
Strengthening the ecosystem:
LEF has catalyzed learning and collaboration, though systemic change is still emerging.
The following section provides a snapshot of the LEF’s progress toward achieving its outcomes. More analysis will be provided in the final mid-term report. PURPLE indicates that the LEF is well on its way to achieving this initially planned outcome, while BLUE and ORANGE indicate that the LEF must prioritize or reassess activities to achieve the outcome. More analysis will be provided in the final mid-term report.
1. Grantees use diverse community-based strategies for change
(On-track to achieve planned outcome)
Flexible funding enables locally tailored and intersectional approaches to community legal changes.
2. Grantees leverage learning and action relationships with others
(LEF must prioritize or reassess activities to achieve the outcome)
Limited direct contribution to networks; collaborations are mainly grantee-driven, with GJN as key exception.
3. Grassroots activists build power in global spaces
(LEF must prioritize or reassess activities to achieve the outcome)
Limited direct contribution to networks; collaborations are mainly grantee-driven, with GJN as key exception.
4. LEF and partners leverage resources for legal activism
(On-track to achieve planned outcome)
LEF support enhances grantee credibility with other donors and strengthens organizational capacity.
Some further outcome level observations may be gleaned from the preliminary results of the mid-term evaluation. Firstly, the LEF is effectively supporting systems change with its partners by contributing to synergies that advance participatory grantmaking, provide core funding to grassroots organizations, and foster learning in legal empowerment. This means that resources are reaching organizations that need them the most, while promoting paradigm shifts by funding marginalized groups, setting new standards for donor risk-taking, and experimenting with innovative legal empowerment models. Additionally, the LEF is broadening intersectional approaches, incorporating climate justice, youth leadership, and community-driven powerbuilding into its initiatives, further reinforcing its commitment to transformative change.
Spotlight: Human Rights Take Center Stage in Cambodia
In a country where public gatherings are often met with restrictions, standing up for human rights requires both courage and resilience. With the LEF’s support, Cambodian Human Rights Action Coalition (CHRAC) successfully organized two pivotal events in December 2024. LEF funding enabled CHRAC to mobilize communities, amplify voices, and create safe spaces for activism in an environment where such efforts are often met with hostility.
Firstly, from December 6-8, 2024, 50 human rights defenders, youth activists, and civil society organizations set out on the Dhammayietra Sithyietra (Human Rights Walk). Spanning 150 kilometers from Kampot City to Phnom Penh, this march symbolized the collective struggle for human rights and justice in Cambodia.
Despite government-imposed restrictions, the participants remained steadfast to ensure the walk continued. Along the route, they engaged communities by raising awareness about freedom of expression, environmental protection, and labor rights. Their perseverance sent a powerful message that, even in the face of intimidation, all citizens have a right to know, use and shape the law.
Secondly, on December 10, 2024, over 1,500 people gathered in Phnom Penh for a national celebration of International Human Rights Day, themed Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now: Promoting Freedom of Expression for Equality and Justice. This unprecedented gathering brought together grassroots organizations, environmental defenders, and victims of human rights violations, united in their demand for justice and accountability.
Despite the government’s history of suppressing large demonstrations, the event moved forward successfully. The significance was further amplified by the presence of diplomatic representatives from five democratic embassies, three of whom publicly addressed the crowd, showing international solidarity for Cambodia’s human rights movement.
The success of these events sends a clear message that even in restrictive environments, civic space can be reclaimed, and the fight for justice must continue.
4. Organizational updates
LEF Operational Team and Tools
The LEF team continued to grow throughout 2024 with the goal of enhancing visibility in international spaces, expanding networking opportunities, and providing high-quality support to grantees. In the summer of 2024, the team welcomed two new colleagues.
The LEF team also introduced new tools throughout 2024. A key development was the successful implementation of Fluxx, a robust grant management platform that has transformed the LEF’s approach to application processing and data management. By centralizing reviews and scoring, Fluxx has improved data consistency and operational efficiency, with plans underway to train the entire LEF team to ensure standardized practices across all grantmaking activities in 2025.
Cultivating Visibility
Throughout 2024, the Communications Team increased international visibility of the LEF to promote the importance of funding grassroot SDG 16.3 initiatives and to disseminate learnings across the legal empowerment field. The team continued to gather case studies to demonstrate the impact of the grantee partners’ work.
Social media channels
The following figures reflect data from July until December 2024, the period in which dedicated communication support was implemented.
39 posts
179% increase compared to the same period in 2023
3,135 views
114% increase compared to the same period in 2023
24,221 post impressions
24% increase compared to the same period in 2023
LEF website
The following figures reflect data from September 2024, the launch of the LEF’s website.
3,389
visitors
4,722
sessions
1,297
article views
78%
engagement rate
38 second
average time on page
LESSONS LEARNED IN 2024
Over the past year, the LEF has increased its understanding of how to best support grassroots legal empowerment movements, address systemic challenges, and refine its operational and grantmaking strategies. Insights from the LEF’s mid-term evaluation, ongoing engagement with grantee partners, including the 2023 grantee survey and 2024 learning agenda, as well as consultations with the Steering Committee have provided valuable guidance ensure that the LEF was strengthening the grassroots movement and increasing access to justice for the most marginalized. These lessons will shape the LEF’s strategic direction moving forward.
Increasing Grantee Engagement and Peer Learning Opportunities
Insights from the mid-term evaluation underscored the importance of fostering deeper connections between grantee partners and the broader ecosystem of grassroots justice actors. Many grantee partners expressed interest in knowledge exchanges, collaboration
across regions, and receiving tailored support from the LEF team.
To promote peer-to-peer collaboration, the LEF will expand virtual and in-person exchanges, leverage the LEF grantee partner WhatsApp group, explore new mentorship models, and increase participatory learning spaces. Moving forward, to ensure that grantee partners understand the resources and opportunities available from both the LEF and the GJN, the LEF will clarify and communicate non-grantmaking support, ensuring grantee partners fully understand the range of available resources.
Grantee partners also highlighted the need for accessible learning tools, localized translations, and digital advocacy strategies. To meet these needs, the LEF will integrate these elements into its learning agenda, prioritizing digital literacy, movement building techniques, and strategies for influencing policy and institutional reforms.
Enhancing Stability Through Multi-Year Funding
A key finding from the evaluation was the need for longer and more predictable funding cycles. While the LEF’s flexible funding model has played a crucial role in sustaining grassroots legal empowerment groups, many organizations struggle with short grant terms that limit their ability to plan and implement long-term strategies.
To address this, the LEF will introduce a refreshed funding cycle schedule that will balance grant renewals with new open calls for proposals.11 This will ensure that grantee partners who strongly align with the LEF’s Theory of Change (ToC) receive sustained support and funding. Additionally, the LEF will explore hybrid funding models, such as accompaniment grants, which blend financial support with capacity building and strategic mentorship, ensuring that grantee partners receive both resources and guidance to strengthen their impact. In addition, the LEF will explore hybrid funding models that may include accompaniment, which blend financial support with capacity building and strategic mentorship.
5. Next Steps in 2025
In 2025, the LEF will renew approximately 50 grants, expand its grantmaking efforts into the Caribbean, and pilot 10 Communications grants to support advocacy and visibility for grassroots legal empowerment initiatives. Alongside these efforts, the LEF will deepen its partnership with the Grassroots Justice Network (GJN) through joint grantmaking, grassroots convenings, and thought leadership. A key highlight of the year will be the World Justice Forum, where the LEF and GJN will elevate grassroots voices to showcase the effectiveness of legal empowerment and position the LEF as a critical vehicle for resourcing frontline justice efforts.
As democratic space continues to shrink globally, the LEF must also refine its strategic approach and better articulate its vision and purpose. This will include a revision of the Theory of Change to strengthen alignment between its grantmaking model and grantee partner engagement strategy. To support this shift, the LEF will invest in accompaniment and mentorship programs, as well as training and peer learning exchanges, to further strengthen the field of legal empowerment.
A final priority will be ensuring that knowledge and lessons learned are actively shared across the sector, reinforcing the LEF’s role not just as a funder but as a thought leader influencing the broader ecosystem of donors, policymakers, and grassroots justice movements.
