Audacity is in our DNA

Grata was established in response to the clear need for funding for crucial test cases that protect and extend the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Australians.

By bringing together expert lawyers and the best campaigners, free from concerns of financial return or political risk, we can take cases to court that create positive change for all Australians.

We worked for two years with members of the non-profit and for-profit legal community, cutting-edge public interest campaigners, and academia to develop the Grata model. Finally, with the backing of GetUp members, Grata was born.

Our Inspiration

We are inspired by game-changing court cases that have disrupted unjust laws around the world in recent years, like the US Supreme Court decision to legalise marriage equality and the Hague decision to mandate climate change emissions reductions in the Netherlands, we want to facilitate opportunities to do the same in Australia.

We support individuals and community groups to use the power of the courts to secure landmark decisions like these. With help from the community, the Grata Fund is opening the courts to ordinary people to advocate on the important issues of our time.

Our Heritage

Grata Fund is named in honour of the first woman to practice law in Australia, Grata Flos Matilda Grieg. Grata blazed a trail through the law at the turn of the twentieth century, overturning laws that prohibited women lawyers and challenging the way that justice was done. The Supreme Court of Victoria dubbed her "the graceful incoming of a revolution".

It’s in her spirit that Grata was born.