Dear Friend,
We are excited to share that the COVID-19 Grassroots Justice Fund has reached its goal of raising and distributing $1 million USD in rapid-response, flexible grants.
The second and final round of grantees includes 27 outstanding groups, all members of our network, who are rising to meet the challenges of the ongoing pandemic.
In Thailand, Community Resource Centre Foundation (CRC) is supporting communities to bring about the enforcement of environmental laws and seek remedies for harms caused by industrial projects. With gatherings and travel still restricted, CRC is using digital tools to assist community members to attend virtual public hearings, submit evidence, and move advocacy campaigns online.
In Kenya, Keeping Alive Societies’ Hope (KASH) is working to meet the justice and healthcare needs of the populations most affected by HIV, who face increased police brutality, homelessness, and limited access to treatment in the pandemic. Through radio campaigns, KASH informs these groups of their rights, ensures they have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, and sensitizes members of the public to the injustices they face.
Check out the full list of grantees — selected by a panel of leaders from across our community — on the COVID-19 Grassroots Justice Fund website.
Members of the Legal Empowerment Network—now over 2,800 justice organizations from nearly every country—have struggled to rise to the challenges created by the pandemic while keeping their people safe. To support their vital work, we teamed up with several other partners in 2020 to create the COVID-19 Grassroots Justice Fund. With this second round of grantees, we have now fulfilled its goal.
We recognize that $1 million is a drop in the ocean. With more than half the world’s population facing injustices they cannot remedy, we need substantial and consistent investment in the essential work of grassroots justice defenders. Our community has been working hard to make that happen. The Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF), which launched in September, is a direct result of years of collective action. Recently the LEF, which aims to raise $100 million over 10 years, announced its inaugural open call for proposals, with a deadline of February 18th, 2022.
While the COVID-19 Grassroots Justice Fund has concluded, our work towards securing long-term financing for justice continues.
To the grantees and the thousands of others fighting for justice in the most difficult of circumstances: we see you, we thank you, and we stand with you.
With love and solidarity,
Vivek, Stacey, Sonia, Abby, and the whole team supporting the Legal Empowerment Network