Grata Fund

Funding area: Accountable government

Grata builds a fairer world by harnessing the power of high impact strategic litigation to create structural change. Taking a movement lawyering approach, Grata breaks down barriers to litigation in three key areas: climate justice, human rights, and democratic freedoms.

Visit website: gratafund.org.au

Grants

2021 Signature Grant, $50,000

Defending Democracy

Democracy works when people can exercise their right to have a voice, including in court, where facts prevail over spin. Australians are regularly blocked from exercising this basic democratic right because of insurmountable financial barriers to ground-breaking litigation, making it almost impossible to hold powerful governments and corporate leaders accountable.

Grata breaks down these barriers in three keys areas – climate justice, human rights, and democratic freedoms – using a movement lawyering approach: working with communities, legal experts and advocacy partners on integrated litigation and campaign strategies that tackle injustice while centering the voices and expertise of affected people.

Mannifera funding is covering disbursement costs for a suite of ‘Defending Democracy’ cases Grata is litigating in partnership with other Mannifera civil society partners in 2021.

Through these cases, Grata seeks to restore the democratic role of people and communities, civil society organisations, journalists, and all Australians to hold governments accountable to the public interest.