The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is a national civil rights organization founded in 1940 to pursue racial justice and advance equity through litigation, advocacy, and public education. Although originally established by the NAACP, LDF is now a separate organization that focuses on combating racial discrimination and protecting constitutional rights, particularly in the areas of education, voting rights, criminal justice reform, and economic equity.
Civil rights enforcement, voting rights protection, criminal justice reform, educational equity, economic justice, and equal protection under the law
Primarily funded through individual donations, foundation grants, and charitable contributions
Historically affiliated with the NAACP; notable leaders have included Thurgood Marshall and Sherrilyn Ifill
Non-profit legal advocacy organization
