A year ago, the Levi Strauss Foundation was concerned the rapidly changing political landscape was deeply impacting communities we have long supported. In response, we provided $1 million in grants to organizations protecting the civil liberties of highly vulnerable communities – including immigrants, refugees, the transgender community and ethnic and religious minorities – across the United States and abroad.
The willingness to take a stand and stay the course are hallmarks of the Levi Strauss Foundation’s commitment to the hard work of social justice. That’s why the foundation is providing another $1.0 million in grants to protect the rights of people and communities that we’ve long cared about.
In recent months, legal and policy changes have moved at a breakneck speed, rolling back many hard-fought gains in the areas of diversity and inclusion. So, like last year, funding will go toward advocacy, legal support and community mobilization efforts to protect the rights of vulnerable people and communities.
The Foundation recognizes that meaningful philanthropy requires outstanding partners. We are proud to support the outstanding organizations selected for this year’s $1 million fund. They recognize that strong democracies are built upon inclusion and protection of the rights of the most marginalized and vulnerable. They represent the freedom to dare to do what’s right. They reflect the institutional values that Levi Strauss & Co. holds dear – courage, empathy, integrity and originality.
San Francisco Bay Area
- Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus: Provides legal defense, rights education and community mobilization for Muslims, South Asians and immigrant youth in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Council for American-Islamic Relations: Offers legal defense and rights education among Muslims in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Pangea Legal Services: Provides legal defense and community mobilization for the benefit of vulnerable immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area.
National
- Transgender Law Center: Extends legal services nationwide to meet the needs of the transgender community and mobilizes advocates against discriminatory legislation at local and state levels.
- United We Dream: Offers legal support, rights education and community mobilization to protect the rights of immigrant students across the U.S.
- Live Free: Organizes faith-based leaders and trains law enforcement to protect the rights of vulnerable communities in cities across the U.S.
- Define American: Mobilizes the power of media and culture to shift the conversation about immigrants, identity and citizenship in the U.S.
- Undocublack: Provides access to resources, fosters community and works with a nationwide network to transform the lives of current and formerly undocumented black people.
- National Immigration Law Center: Defends and advances the rights of immigrants with low income across the U.S.
- Asylum Seeker Assistance Project: Protects the rights of asylum-seekers and their families and prevents wrongful deportations at the southern U.S. border.
- Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights: Advocates for the well-being and rights of unaccompanied children and families at the southern U.S. border.
International
- International Refugee Assistance Project: Protect the human rights of refugees globally through legal services and advocacy.
- International Rescue Committee: Addresses the urgent needs of refugees in the Middle East and Europe.
- Marie Stopes International: Supports community health clinics serving women apparel makers in Cambodia and Vietnam.
