WHO WE ARE

We are the first organization dedicated exclusively to providing a critical, but scarce resource—legal support—to the indispensable climate movement.

We offer legal advice and strategy, coordination, and funds for legal defense. We build and strengthen a network of diverse lawyers and legal organizations to serve the climate movement.

We operate on a hybrid model, acting as both legal experts and a regranter focused on meeting the legal needs of climate defenders.

Wealthy corporations driving the climate crisis have armies of white-shoe firms, and governments have teams of lawyers, while climate defenders scramble for support. We will never level the playing field, but we give climate defenders a fighting chance. Legal support for climate defenders is a fundamental component of any philanthropic or advocacy strategy to address the climate crisis.

Hybrid Model

CliDef is an intermediary funder that raises funds and makes grants to legal NGOs. We also pre-position money and lawyers for emergency response and for preventative and affirmative litigation.

Identifying Hot Spots

We prioritize “hot spots” where projects with high climate impact combined with repressive legal and political environments make climate defense dangerous.

Partnerships

We work with climate defenders and movements, other civil society actors, and a diverse range of lawyers to strengthen and build a legal ecosystem ready to serve the climate movement.

Trust-Based and Security-Conscious

Effective defense starts before the emergency happens. We use a comprehensive, trust-based approach that anticipates as well as responds to threats.

Our Leadership

Our staff has decades of combined legal experience in defending human rights and climate defenders worldwide.

Featured

Alfred Brownell

Founding President

Alfred Brownell is an internationally recognized environmental rights activist and lawyer from Liberia. He has advocated for more than two decades to protect the environment and human rights.