Power, Culture and Inclusion
“If one really wishes to know how justice is administered in a country, one does not question the policemen, the lawyers, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class. One goes to the unprotected – those, precisely, who need the law’s protection most – and listens to their testimony.”
— James Baldwin
We acknowledge the power and privilege we hold as a grant making organisation that is funding, but not working on, the frontline of social justice.
We also recognise that the law and legal systems can be used to oppress rather than liberate, especially those from racialised, migrant, disabled, LGBTQ+ and other minoritised communities.
Being a social justice funder means focusing on change that addresses the root causes of these injustices and ensuring that the impacted communities lead this work.
We call our response to this Power, Culture and Inclusion.
Power
We want to confront injustice and shift the historic power imbalance between those in positions of influence and those impacted by their choices.
Culture
We know that it is our responsibility to drive equity in our practice and in the wider funding sector.
Inclusion
We know that the communities fighting injustice hold the solutions to the challenges they face.
We want to be representative of and accountable to the communities we work with.
This means using our influence to help build the accountability of the law and legal organisations towards communities facing injustice.
We want to support organisations leading the way in this work, as well as those who are serious about deepening their accountability to the communities they represent, acknowledging that we at LEF are only at the start of our journey.
This commitment impacts all areas of our work including our strategy, our grant making, our governance, our people, our policies, our training and our accessibility practice.
To find out more, contact us.
Our 2025–30 strategy
Our work on Power, Culture and Inclusion forms the basis of our new strategy, guiding the types of organisations and work that we prioritise, as well as the way in which we deliver all our programmes.
We want to strengthen the power of communities to use and shape the law to achieve justice and equity.
Our objectives
- To support a generation of creative and collaborative leaders who want to use the law to create lasting change in their communities
- To help organisations build solidarity within and between communities and support broader movements to tackle injustice
- To use our power and influence as a funder and investor to help protect and expand rights and justice for us all.