Legal Education Foundation

The Legal Education Foundation (LEF), established in 2013 from the sale of the College of Law, is an independent UK grantmaker with roots in 19th-century legal education. Its enduring mission advances legal education to promote social justice, empowering discriminated, disadvantaged, or excluded individuals and communities to understand, use, and shape the law for rights protection and systemic change. Core values emphasize justice, equity, accountability, lived-experience inclusion, partnership, and long-term strategies addressing root causes over quick fixes.

LEF funds UK-wide organizations using legal tools for human rights, racial and disability justice, employment/housing rights, violence against women and girls, children’s, LGBTQ+, and women’s rights. It prioritizes law centres, advice agencies, and NGOs driving strategic litigation, policy, research, and judicial reviews for structural reform, with community-led, partnership-based approaches. Flagship Justice First Fellowships train next-generation social welfare lawyers via two-year traineeships. Beneficiaries include small/medium charities (typically under £2m income) like Just for Kids Law and Public Law Project, supporting core costs, capacity building, and multi-year projects.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities based in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) with at least three trustees and dual-signatory bank accounts; unsolicited applications are closed until summer 2025 under a new 2025-2030 strategy. Grants range £20,000–£500,000+ (avg. £164,000), via two-stage online process (EOI then full), with biannual board meetings (June/December) and decisions in ~5 months; Fellowships open October 2025. Exclusions: commercial law, standalone pro bono, immigration/criminal law focus, or zero-sum advocacy. LEF stands out for flexible, systemic investments integrating lived experience and sector leadership in social welfare law.