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Our Mission
We believe that all people are born with equal
and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms
and have a right to live in a healthy
environment and in peaceful, just and equitable
societies. Promoting these human rights is the
highest purpose we can envision for the
grantmaking of The Libra Foundation.
Recognizing the power of human rights to express
our values and transform societies, the
Foundation joins with other foundations that are
working to secure human rights for all people
and to develop its application here in the
United States. We are committed to enhancing the
human rights movement and broadening it to
include U.S. social justice work in the areas of
women’s rights, environmental sustainability, and social justice and drug policy reform. We are interested in
supporting innovative and effective work that
emphasizes strategies that incorporate the
interconnections between issues and lead to real
social change.
Areas of Interest
The
Foundation has a particular interest in
concentrating its grantmaking in California
and Illinois, although organizations working
nationally may apply as well. Recognizing
the value of learning from our global
partners and participating in the
international community, we fund U.S. based
organizations and public foundations,
collaborative funds and intermediaries
working internationally.
The Libra Foundation funds social and
economic justice organizations that
integrate human rights into their work in
and across the following priority areas:
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Women’s Rights, with an emphasis on reproductive rights and the elevation of women’s rights as human rights
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Environmental Sustainability, with an emphasis on promoting social justice within climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies
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Social Justice and Drug Policy Reform, with an emphasis on fair application of the law, government accountability, human rights field building and drug policy reform
Strategies and Organizational Values
The Foundation seeks to support organizations
and programs that incorporate (or seek to
incorporate) human rights into their work or
that provide training, research and technical
assistance for other organizations that
utilize human rights in their activism.
Of
particular interest are organizations engaged in
systems change that involve or use one or more of
the following strategies:
- Advocacy
- Public policy reform
- Coalition-building
- Impact litigation and related legal strategies
- Organizing
- Re-granting
- Utilizing new media and communications strategies for social change
In addition, the Foundation will consider
organizations that are engaged in strategic
analysis and action and are committed to the
following:
- Accountability
- Democratic conditions and practices
- Evaluation
- Global partnerships
- Strategic planning
- Understanding power relationships
- Using a gender lens
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