Many Funders Are Pursuing Legal Advocacy, Here’s How and Why

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Many Funders Are Pursuing Legal Advocacy, Here’s How and Why
By Jared Raynor and Deepti Sood, TCC Group
Register for Philanthropy New York's related program: 501(c)4s - Increasing Your Impact with Creative Grantmaking

Partnering with the Center for Evaluation Innovation and the Atlantic Philanthropies via the Atlas Learning Project, which aims to synthesize and communicate lessons learned from advocacy and policy change efforts, TCC Group has spent the last year conducting a field review into the world of legal advocacy in the social sector. As a result, TCC Group and its partners have developed several useful resources to inform funders, legal advocates, non-legal advocates, and evaluators.

Funders can explore a research-based guide that introduces them to:

  • The concept of legal advocacy;

  • What questions funders should ask themselves to know if the foundation is ready to fund legal advocacy; and

  • How best to support legal advocacy.

Nonprofits can explore a research-based guide that introduces them to:

  • The concept of legal advocacy;

  • Implications that legal advocacy can have for other kinds of advocacy work;

  • Partnering for legal advocacy; and

  • What outcomes can be achieved through using legal advocacy as a strategy.

Legal advocacy – also known as advocacy through the courts – uses the judicial system to advance social change goals. This is often done through bringing forward a legal case in court that focuses on improving a situation for a particular group of disadvantaged people.

Watch our short video to get a better understanding of what legal advocacy is and why it’s important.