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Non-profit

International Legal Foundation (ILF)

Website:

www.theilf.org/
Location:

New York, NY
Tax ID:

13-4193728
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2023):

Revenue: $2,335,058
Expenses: $2,338,369
Assets: $1,275,580
Type:

Legal Activist Group
Formation:

2001
Executive Director:

Jennifer Smith

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The International Legal Foundation (ILF) is a legal-aid services group that focuses on providing support to those arrested or detained without legal representation around the world. It advocates for legal aid as a “fundamental human right.” 1

It is supported by government grants and by philanthropic donors including the East West Management Institute, the American Bar Association, and liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros’s Open Society Foundations. 2  3  4

Background

The International Legal Foundation was established in 2001 by New York City attorney Natalie Rea to represent individuals in need of legal counsel in post-conflict and transitioning countries. 5 She witnessed the lack of legal representation that people in Rwanda suffered during the genocide trials and recruited other New York lawyers to help her provide free legal services at prisons. After two years, she established the ILF and expanded to other countries to become a “leading global advocate for the right to counsel for the poor.” 6  7

The ILF focuses on providing legal representation to people arrested or detained who cannot afford a lawyer, with a focus on the “poor and otherwise marginalized communities” whose “vulnerable populations are disproportionately arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated.” 8 It provides direct legal services, provides mentoring and training to local lawyers, and advocates at the national and international levels to “address the barriers to access to legal aid.” 9

Work Areas

The International Legal Foundation identifies countries where it perceives a “gap between the law as it is written and the law as it is experienced by ordinary citizens” and in its view has a need for legal aid services. It establishes model legal aid offices in the region and develops a practice manual that correlates to local laws. As it litigates cases, it incorporates mentorships with local lawyers to encourage them to be more proactive in their legal approaches, set new precedents, and identify alternatives to incarceration where possible. 10 The ILF recruits volunteer international defense lawyers through its International Fellow program who mentor the local lawyers. 10

ILF’s areas of focus are typically issues that “drive disparities in the criminal justice system and are at the root of injustice around the world.” These include legal aid access, pretrial justice reform, gender issues, child and youth issues, minority groups, and fulfilling United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, which focuses on criminal justice to “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” It also works to support SDG 1, “elimination of poverty”; SDG 5, “gender equality”; and SDG 10, “reduced inequality.” 11  12 The ILF works to affect criminal justice reforms through its litigation processes and precedent setting, including access to a lawyer, access to a fair trial, eliminating pre-trial detention, and speedy trials. 10

ILF hosts a biennial International Legal Aid Conference and participates in the development of the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems. 13

Countries of Work

The International Legal Foundation presence in Afghanistan was established in 2003, and as of 2026 it was considered the largest provider of legal aid services in the country. 14

The ILF began working in Nepal in 2008 and has worked with local attorneys to establish the Public Defender Society of Nepal (PDS-Nepal). As of 2026, the ILF was partnering with PDS-Nepal to provide legal aid to at-risk groups. 15

In 2022, LIF began working in Georgia, partnering with the East West Management Institute to improve the quality of legal aid services through case-based mentorship with local Georgian lawyers. 16

The ILF also has offices in Myanmar, the West Bank, and Tunisia. 17

Partner Organizations

The International Legal Foundation is a consultant for the United Nations Economic and Social Council. 13 It partners with several governments and organizations including the American Bar Association, the British Council, the Canadian government, the European Union, the German government, the Oak Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, the Asia Foundation, the United Nations Development Program, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the United States Agency for International Development. 18

The ILF is a member of the Grassroots Justice Network, a network of lawyers, activists, and organizers working to address justice issues including gender equality, housing discrimination, land rights, pretrial detention, and statelessness. 8  19

It is a member of the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, a criminal justice policy coalition that advocates in support of people whom the group claims are targeted “based on their status or for their activism.” 20  21

In 2025 it joined the Justice Action Coalition “to drive progress toward equal access to justice for all.” 22

Funding

In 2024, the International Legal Foundation received government grants of $1,943,522, which was almost 70 percent of its total revenue of $2,852,350 that year. 2

Other donors to the ILF have included the East West Management Institute, the American Bar Association, and liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros’s Open Society Foundations. 3  4

Leadership

As of 2026, Jennifer Smith was the executive director of the International Legal Foundation. 23 Smith earned a law degree from Boston College in 1999. She joined the Committee for Public Counsel Services as an immigration specialist, worked as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of New York, and held senior roles at International Bridges to Justice before joining ILF in 2010 as an advocacy director. She became the executive director of the ILF in 2013. 24

As of 2026, Rob Quaintance was the ILF board chair. Previously, he was a practicing attorney and the board chair of the Union Settlement Association. 25

As of 2026, ILF founder Natalie Rea was a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of New York, a role she had held since 1991. She founded Legal Aid Rwanda in 1996 and expanded it into the ILF in 2001. She was its founding executive director until 2012, and then continued to influence the group as a board member. Rea was also previously a member of the World Economic Forum. She became president of the Court-Access Project in 2018. 26  27 The Court-Access Project is focused on eliminating pretrial detention by using a technology application. 28

References

  1. International Legal Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Schedule O). 2024.
  2. International Legal Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Part VIII). 2024.
  3. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer search “13-4193728.” Accessed February 17, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?sort=best&form%5B%5D=IRS990ScheduleI&q=13-4193728&submit=Apply
  4. “Awarded Grants.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=international+legal+foundation
  5. “Our Founding Story.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/our-mission
  6. “Our Mission.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/our-mission
  7. LinkedIn – The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 18, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-international-legal-foundation/
  8. “The International Legal Foundation.” Grassroots Justice Network. Accessed February 18, 2026. https://grassrootsjusticenetwork.org/connect/organization/the-international-legal-foundation-ilf/
  9. International Legal Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Part III). 2024.
  10. “Our Approach.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/our-approach
  11. “Areas of Focus.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/areas-of-focus
  12. “SDG16+: Justice for All.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/sdg16
  13. “A Quality Lawyer Makes All the Difference.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/our-impact
  14. “Afghanistan.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/afghanistan
  15. “Nepal.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/nepal
  16. “Georgia.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/georgia
  17. “Where We Work.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/where-we-work
  18. “Recent Partners.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/our-partners
  19. “About Us.” Grassroots Justice Network. Accessed February 18, 2026. https://grassrootsjusticenetwork.org/about-us/
  20. “The International Legal Foundation.” Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty & Status. Accessed February 18, 2026. https://decrimpovertystatus.org/partner/ilf/
  21. “About the Campaign.” Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty & Status. Accessed February 18, 2026. https://decrimpovertystatus.org/about-the-campaign/
  22. Facebook – The International Legal Foundation. Posted September 24, 2025. https://www.facebook.com/theilf/
  23. “Executive Team.” ILF The International Legal Foundation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/our-team
  24. LinkedIn – Jennifer Smith. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-smith-b834184/
  25. “Rob Quaintance.” ILF The International Legal Foundation – Our Team. Accessed February 18, 2026. https://www.theilf.org/rob-quaintance
  26. “Our Board.” The Court-Access Project. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.court-access.org/our-team-2
  27. LinkedIn – Natalie Rea. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-rea-77a9173a/
  28. “CourtApp.” The Court-Access Project. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://www.court-access.org/court-app
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: February 1, 2002

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2023 Dec Form 990 $2,335,058 $2,338,369 $1,275,580 $483,439 N $2,333,879 $0 $53 $187,200
    2022 Dec Form 990 $2,794,836 $2,998,538 $1,470,603 $675,151 N $2,763,146 $30,235 $24 $187,200 PDF
    2021 Dec Form 990 $3,853,200 $3,826,486 $1,709,910 $710,756 N $3,763,456 $86,222 $0 $187,585 PDF
    2020 Dec Form 990 $3,004,432 $3,665,921 $1,271,262 $274,452 N $2,802,881 $192,246 $77 $191,764
    2019 Dec Form 990 $2,531,419 $3,640,117 $2,366,341 $708,042 N $2,501,052 $17,849 $244 $172,073 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $2,235,448 $4,372,018 $2,943,455 $176,458 Y $2,116,880 $117,902 $514 $151,800 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $7,485,969 $3,766,187 $6,995,826 $293,998 N $7,371,779 $111,245 $338 $147,443
    2016 Dec Form 990 $3,243,138 $3,566,918 $3,267,646 $250,404 N $3,198,801 $40,886 $192 $143,455 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $4,512,662 $3,147,839 $3,527,654 $186,632 N $4,512,670 $0 $56 $150,294 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $3,550,500 $2,735,013 $2,181,407 $205,208 N $3,512,760 $0 $4 $140,769 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $1,482,924 $2,098,170 $1,306,611 $145,899 N $1,465,383 $0 $188 $119,524 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $2,698,023 $2,855,612 $2,115,391 $317,476 N $2,716,394 $0 $1,562 $249,359 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $3,969,516 $3,817,822 $2,448,677 $487,173 N $3,457,893 $496,938 $13 $183,414 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    International Legal Foundation (ILF)

    315 West 39th Street, No. 507
    New York, NY