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Open Society Justice Initiative Democracy is currently accepting applications for its Anchor Grants Democracy Anchor Grants for Strategic Litigation 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
The Democracy Anchor Grants are a funding initiative by the Open Society Justice Initiative supporting organizations that use strategic litigation to defend democratic institutions, human rights, and constitutional governance.The program targets legal work that goes beyond individual cases to create systemic change in democratic systems.
The organization must satisfy all the following:
Be a nonprofit or charitable organization or equivalent
Have a demonstrated track record using strategic litigation [1] to protect democracy and the rule of law
Have actively litigated cases within the past four years in domestic, regional, or international courts or tribunals [2]
Have at least two legal staff and the internal capacity to pursue litigation through completion
Maintain appropriate governance, financial management, and safeguarding policies
Collaborate successfully with others in the field, using litigation to employ unified and collective action
Applications are encouraged from organizations that demonstrate a commitment to gender and intersectional perspectives (i.e., that seek to address the cumulative effects of multiple forms of discrimination) in their litigation strategies, as well as equitable and inclusive institutional practices.
Proposals must demonstrate clearly:
An innovative approach to using strategic litigation as a tool to advance democracy and the rule of law
A credible plan for generating broader impact beyond any individual case, such as legal precedent, public awareness, institutional reform and/or protection of marginalized communities
A proximity to the community the organization seeks to represent. Priority consideration will be given to organizations that maximize the role of affected communities in shaping solutions
How the organization will use strategic litigation to strengthen the strategic litigation ecosystem in one or more of the following priority areas:
Interference in the democratic process, including restrictions on the right to vote, campaign, be a candidate, support or oppose a candidate, assume office once elected or safeguard the integrity of counting votes.
Threats, repression, or violence against judicial actors.
Egregious instances of executive overreach, including in respect of the allocation of powers among the branches of government, free expression/association of political opponents and independent voices of dissent, or invocation of emergency decrees or other tools for political suppression.
Applicants must satisfy all the following:
The organization must have an annual operating budget of less than $5 million USD
The organization must demonstrate that it has secured, or has pending applications for, organizational funding from non-Open Society sources
The organization cannot have an active Open Society grant supporting litigation that is more than $150,000 OR that is equivalent to 50 percent or more of the organization’s annual operating budget
In addition to other restrictions, funds cannot be used for debt servicing, deficit coverage, or to prevent insolvency
Applicants must satisfy all of the following:
A plan to share learning, insights, and precedents with the wider field
Commitment to strengthening local, regional, and/or global ecosystems of strategic litigators, legal advocates, and human rights defenders
Clear indicators for measuring impact, progress, and adaptation throughout the grant period
