Civil Society

Access to Justice

We help people access knowledge and tools to understand, use and shape the law to protect their rights and improve their lives.

A group stand with a man speaking to someone off-camera. A "Republic of Kenya, the Judiciary, Kitui Law Courts" sign is in the background.

Why it Matters

When people’s justice issues are addressed, they’re more connected to society, and they experience a better quality of life.

A smiling woman holding a clipboard wears a bright orange "service delivery monitor" vest.

Our Approach

We support research and evidence to inform policies and action that make justice systems more responsive to people’s needs.

We have two strategies to achieve our goals:

Ensuring people have sustainable and meaningful access to justice in selected African countries.

Our grant funding supports:

  • Grassroots organizations providing people-centered justice services.
  • Legal empowerment work to correct systemic injustices.
  • Efforts to achieve sustainable justice financing in South Africa and Kenya.

Fostering networking and cooperation on legal empowerment in Africa and globally.

Our grant funding supports:

  • African organizations working collectively to institutionalize people-centered justice, legal empowerment and grassroots justice movements.
  • Global organizations promoting people-centered justice and legal empowerment.
  • Efforts to build an ever-stronger evidence base for legal empowerment and people-centered justice.

Learn more about Mott’s history with access to justice.

News

All Civil Society News

Inside Mott’s new Civil Society program plan:
A Q&A with Shannon Lawder
A woman with glasses sits facing the camera against a light blue backdrop, photographed indoors with a softly blurred library environment in the background.

Inside Mott’s new Civil Society program plan:
A Q&A with Shannon Lawder

The Mott Foundation’s Civil Society Program Director, Shannon Lawder, shares in a Q&A how her team’s new grantmaking strategy seeks to build common ground, expand access to justice and protect the nonprofit sector at a time of rising polarization and increasing threats to the sector.

Additional Resources

Legal empowerment

Closing the global justice gap through legal empowerment.

Go to Legal empowerment