Modern slavery takes hold in the structural gaps left by weak enforcement, social exclusion, and economic desperation. The Freedom Fund’s strategy tackles these drivers head-on by investing in local solutions that change policies, shift norms, and expand access to services for the most at risk of exploitation.

Unlike short-term, issue-specific interventions, this renewed partnership supports a long-term vision of systems change. It comes at a critical time when the sector is facing funding cuts and shortages that exacerbate the vulnerability of those at risk of exploitation. Legatum’s investment powers The Freedom Fund’s work to combat the $250 billion modern slavery industry. This critical new funding from Legatum supports work that:

• Improves the effectiveness of anti-slavery laws and public policies
• Expands survivor-centred services and access to legal entitlements
• Influences businesses to adopt labour practices that protect workers
• Fosters social norms of intolerance to exploitation
• Strengthens community resilience and survivor-led movements
• Drives resources to and increases capacity of frontline/proximate organisations to address exploitation in their communities

This multifaceted approach has already shown measurable results. Since 2014, the Freedom Fund has:

• Helped an estimated 10.4 million people become more resilient to slavery
• Enabled over 1.1 million individuals to access social and legal services
• Assisted in 7,600+ legal cases
• Contributed to 323 changes in public policy in countries where modern slavery is widespread

Rigorous research, much of which global and local institutions produce in partnership, complements field-level programming. With $1 million of the new commitment allocated to research, the Freedom Fund will deepen its evidence base on how systems-level interventions can prevent exploitation, and scale what works.

“We are deeply grateful for Legatum’s increased support and vision,” said Nick Grono, CEO of the Freedom Fund. “Their tireless support empowers frontline organisations and fuels our collective drive for systemic change. With Legatum's partnership, we continue to make significant strides toward ending modern slavery.”

Guy Cave, President of the Legatum Foundation, added, “Legatum’s philanthropic investments target complex, system-level problems that prevent people from flourishing. We do this by prioritising the work of local, frontline organisations, and through collaborating with other donors to this aim over the long term. The Freedom Fund, which we helped to found in 2014, has made huge inroads in addressing the terrible problem of modern-day slavery and trafficking. We are delighted to re-confirm our commitment to their impactful work at this time with this new injection of capital. We also wanted to support Freedom Fund’s research, as it is vital that we all learn more about what really works in ending modern-day slavery.”

For journalists interested in learning more, interviews are available with Nick Grono, CEO at The Freedom Fund, and Guy Cave, President of the Legatum Foundation. Case studies and additional data on programme impact are also available upon request.

To learn more about the Freedom Fund, visit www.freedomfund.org.