Freedom Fund

The Freedom Fund is a nonprofit, founded by Legatum, Walk Free and Humanity United in 2013 to form the first private collaborative fund to abolish modern slavery. The Fund aims to mobilise the private capital needed to work on the frontlines, drive systemic change and strengthen the anti-slavery infrastructure globally. The Fund invests in frontline organisations and movements to drive a measurable reduction of modern slavery in high-prevalence countries, including Nepal, Brazil, Ethiopia; and industries, including domestic workers, seafood sector workers and agricultural workers.

  • Organisation type Nonprofit
  • Year founded 2013
  • Headquartered London
  • Registration United States · United Kingdom
  • Website https://www.freedomfund.org/

Related sustainable development goals

  • Decent Work and Economic Growth

Impact

Impact achieved between January 2014 and June 2025:

  • 1,728,886 lives impacted
  • 34,711 people liberated 
  • 1,161,043 individuas accessing social and legal services
  • 239,505 at-risk children in school
  • 7,975 legal cases assisted
  • 45,368 mico-enterprises started

Focus areas

Focus sectors

  • Human rights
    • Slavery
    • Trafficking
    • Labor

Focus populations

  • Children
  • Domestic workers
  • Farmers
  • Seafood sector workers

Focus geographies

  • Africa
    • Kenya
    • Uganda
    • Ethiopia
  • Americas
    • Brazil
  • South Asia
    • Bangladesh
    • Nepal
  • South-east Asia
    • Indonesia
    • Thailand
    • Myanmar

Grantees

  • Above Ground
  • ActionAid Nepal
  • Advocates for Public Interest Law
  • African Institute of Children Studies
  • African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect
  • African Youth Alliance Development Organisation
  • AGAR Ethiopia Charitable Society
  • AMKA Africa Justice Initiative
  • Aparajeyo-Bangladesh
  • Azadi
  • Baridi Kwa Baridi
  • Bethany Christian Service
  • Beza Posterity Development Organisation
  • Biruh Addis
  • Busara

Programmes

  • Evidence Research

    The Fund builds evidence and share knowledge about what works. The research seeks to identify what is needed to tackle modern slavery at national, regional and global levels.

  • Hotspots

    The Fund partners with frontline organisations and communities in slavery ‘hotspots’ – geographic areas where there is a high incidence of modern slavery. 

  • Responsible supply chains

    The Fund’s Responsible supply chains initiative invests in cutting-edge accountability-based programmes designed to shift corporate behaviour as a driver of forced labour across all sectors of the global economy.

Financials

Details

  • USD 26,934,799 (2024)

Funding model

  • Grants to organisations

Primary funders

  • First Light Fund
  • Humanity United
  • Innovations for Poverty Actions
  • Laudes Foundation
  • Legatum Group
  • Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
  • Oak Foundation
  • Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund
  • Stardust Foundation
  • The Millby Foundation
  • The Moondance Foundation
  • UBS Optimus Foundation
  • United States Department of State
  • University of Georgia Research Foundation
  • Walk Free

Funding source

  • Government
  • Philanthropic
  • Private

Operations

Key staff

  • Havovi Wadia, Managing Director, Programs
  • Jenny Jones, Managing Director of Finance and Operations
  • Nick Grono, CEO
  • Xanthe Scharff, Managing Director for External Affairs and Editor-at-Large

Board members

  • Andrew Doust, Vice Chair
  • Joseph Boateng
  • Katherine Bryant
  • Mahendra Pandey, Vice Chair
  • Michelle Yue
  • Molly Gochman, Chair
  • Shruti Chandrasekhar

Contact details

More