About
Equality Now is an international human rights organization, headquartered in New York, NY, that works to achieve legal and systemic change addressing violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world. Founded in 1992 by three human rights lawyers, it combines legal advocacy, strategic litigation, and coalition-building across dozens of countries.
Mission
Equality Now's mission is to achieve legal and systemic change that addresses violence and discrimination against all women and girls around the world, using international law frameworks and partnerships with local advocates.
What they do
- Achieving legal equality: campaigning to repeal and reform laws that discriminate on the basis of sex.
- Ending harmful practices: working against practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation.
- Ending sexual violence: pressing for stronger laws and accountability.
- Ending sexual exploitation: advocating against trafficking and sexual exploitation.
- Legal advocacy: in its 2025 reporting, the organization cites 82 legal submissions to UN, regional, and national bodies and 16 strategic litigation cases advanced, alongside 51 workshops that trained 2,179 changemakers.
History
Equality Now was established in 1992 by three human rights lawyers: Jessica Neuwirth, Navanetham "Navi" Pillay, and Feryal Gharahi. The IRS granted its tax exemption in July 1992. Since its founding, the organization reports having played a pivotal role in the reform of more than 137 discriminatory laws worldwide.
Scale and impact
Equality Now works in 72 countries with three registered offices, in Kenya, the UK, and the US, collaborating with 173 partners across 25 coalitions and more than 3,000 individuals and organizations. In its 2025 impact reporting it cites 17 legal changes across 9 countries in the year, including reforms of child marriage laws in four U.S. states, Bolivia's elimination of child marriage exceptions, Malaysia's constitutional amendment on citizenship rights, and Kuwait's repeal of Article 182 of its Penal Code, changes it estimates stand to benefit some 69 million women and girls. It also reports $5 million invested in sub-grants and partner support.
Financials
Per IRS Form 990 data on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for fiscal year 2024 Equality Now Inc reported total revenue of $12,083,779, total expenses of $11,385,767, and net assets of $27,682,465. Equality Now is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so donations are tax deductible.
