2024 Progress Report
Learning
Activity highlights from the past year
“LEF doesn’t box us in, they give us the freedom to adapt and make real change based on what our community needs”
Anonymous LEF Grantee Partner
1. Building Power for Justice: The LEF LEarning Agenda
In 2024, the LEF Learning Agenda took shape through a participatory process, guided by insights from grantee surveys and grantee partner application data. In response, LEF designed a dynamic learning agenda to strengthen connections and solidarity among
legal empowerment grantee partners to explore the power-building for justice theme. Between July and September 2024, fifteen grantee partners continued to collaboratively shape this agenda with facilitation from IWORDS Global.
The discussions revealed that while groups operate in different contexts, grantee partners’ legal empowerment strategies are deeply aligned and mutually reinforcing. They shared approaches to making justice institutions more accessible and defined the hallmarks of an ideal system: efficiency, responsiveness, impartiality, and inclusivity. Grantee partner participants also found strong commonalities in their approaches to building power.
Grantee partners stressed the need for inclusive and accessible learning tools, including translations, to increase engagement. However, as many groups struggle to prioritize learning due to limited capacity and resources, they requested this support and expressed a pressing need for capacity building and training for local actors, decision-makers, and duty bearers. In response, the LEF introduced dedicated learning grants in late 2024.
2. The Mid-Term Evaluation
As part of its commitment to learning and accountability, the LEF launched an ambitious mid-term evaluation, designed and implemented using a peer-led participatory methodology. Led by international consultants, the evaluation began with a co-designed
framework to define key questions, followed by an in-depth desk review of critical documents. To ensure methodological consistency, local co-evaluators in Indonesia, Kenya, and Uganda were trained before launching a global data collection effort. Once standardized, local co-evaluators conducted virtual focus groups and individual interviews, engaging over 20 grantee partners, while international consultants gathered an impressive 99 survey responses from current and former grantees in over 40 countries. Additionally, in-person participatory workshops in Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, and Uganda brought together over 100 grantee partners, facilitating deep engagement and meaningful reflection.
Preliminary findings
The mid-term evaluation focused on outcomes rather than impact, given that the LEF has only been in operation for four years. The evaluation determined that groups employ diverse legal empowerment strategies such as legal education, capacity building, advocacy, and community engagement. Collaboration emerged as a key theme, as grantees eager to form strategic partnerships to strengthen their influence. As one grantee noted: “LEF connects informal and formal systems, allowing us to explore new ways to advance justice.”
The evaluation also highlighted LEF’s role in fostering knowledge exchange. The evaluation found that some grantees use their grants to initiate training and mentorship, and partnerships. Initiatives like WhatsApp groups and convenings were well-received, though addressing language barriers and expanding reflection sessions must be prioritized in 2025.
The LEF’s flexible funding has also strengthened grantee capacity and resilience. Because LEF grants may cover core operational costs, grantee partners are able to formalize structures, expand outreach, and enhance security and psychosocial support. Many groups pointed out that, unlike other funders that impose rigid conditions, the LEF’s approach allows grantees partners to adapt to emerging needs, invest in infrastructure, and pursue long-term goals.
Because the LEF prioritizes grassroots and community-led initiatives, the LEF has, at this mid-point, shifted power for marginalized groups, Indigenous communities, and others advocating for gender justice and legal literacy. While many grantee partners appreciated the minimal reporting burden, some did express a need for longer funding periods and grant term. As one grantee put it: “We are free to do what is needed when it’s needed.”
The full report will be available by Spring 2025.
3. Learning Convenings with the Grassroots Justice Network (GJN)
The LEF and the GJN continued to collaborate throughout 2024. Following through on plans developed during the joint retreat in Cebu, Philippines (January 2024), the LEF participated in several learning convenings.
In November 2024, LEF grantee partners joined the GJN in Zambia to explore community power building. There, grantee partners expressed that they value training and capacity building, and opportunities to collaborate and learn about the work of other groups and stakeholders. It also provided space for the groups to see the similarity of challenges in different contexts to build more system-focused approaches to legal empowerment.
Furthermore, this convening fostered learning for the LEF team. Grantee participants expressed that creating space for peer review of proposals was valuable, as it made it possible for the groups to learn and build each other’s work from shared learning and shared experience. Regarding legal empowerment strategies, most participants were focused on knowing the law and less on using and shaping the law. This means that future learning exchanges should focus on community engagement, digital advocacy and other
means of education in 2025.
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