Centre for Gender & Refugee Studies

What Centre for Gender & Refugee Studies does

The Centre for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) is a nonprofit legal organization founded in 1999 by Professor Karen Musalo at UC College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). CGRS specializes in U.S. gender-based asylum law, providing free legal technical assistance, litigation support, and expert witness referrals to attorneys and advocates representing asylum seekers, while also engaging in strategic litigation, policy advocacy, and coalition building. Its primary beneficiaries are asylum seekers fleeing gender-based violence, domestic violence, gang violence, and persecution based on LGBTQ+ status, along with the attorneys and legal advocates who represent them.

The organization operates a suite of interconnected products: a Technical Assistance Center that delivers free expert consultation, practice advisories, country conditions evidence, and sample briefs; an Expert Witness Database connecting attorneys with country specialists and health professionals; a Technical Assistance Library of litigation resources; an Immigration Judge Dashboard tracking adjudication outcomes; Case Outcome Tracking systems; and Pretermission Resources. Underlying infrastructure consists of a Drupal-based web portal with registered user roles for attorneys/advocates, pro se asylum seekers, and expert witnesses. CGRS has built a 25+ year track record of precedent-setting litigation including Matter of Kasinga (1996), Rody Alvarado (2009), Matter of A-R-C-G- (2014), and the 2021 vacatur of Matter of A-B-, and currently serves as co-counsel in multiple federal cases challenging anti-asylum policies.

CGRS is funded entirely through donations and charitable contributions, with all services provided at no charge. Revenue streams include individual donations processed through a Network for Good portal, foundation grants, and in-kind support from its host institution. The organization serves three primary user segments: asylum seekers (particularly women, children, and LGBTQ+ individuals), attorneys and legal advocates, and expert witnesses. It operates as an independent center within UC Law SF with no disclosed equity ownership, venture capital backing, or parent entity.

Name

Centre for Gender & Refugee Studies

Legal name

Center for Gender and Refugee Studies

Website

https://cgrs.uclawsf.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Centre for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) is a San Francisco-based nonprofit legal center at UC Law SF that provides free technical assistance, expert witnesses, and strategic litigation support to attorneys representing gender-based asylum seekers in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Asylum & Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Support (BPADAHAB)

Keywords

• Asylum legal services
• Refugee advocacy
• Immigration litigation
• Legal technical assistance
• Gender-based asylum law

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: CGRS operates as a nonprofit organization at UC College of the Law, San Francisco, funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and supporters. The website features a donation portal through Network for Good.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CGRS provides free legal technical assistance, expert witness referrals, litigation resources, and training to attorneys and advocates representing asylum seekers fleeing gender-based violence. The organization also conducts strategic litigation in high-impact asylum cases, engages in policy advocacy and coalition building, and maintains an expert witness database along with immigration judge outcome tracking tools.

Product overview

CGRS operates as a unified legal advocacy platform offering multiple interconnected services. The core offerings include a Technical Assistance Center providing free consultation and resources to attorneys, an Expert Witness Database for finding qualified witnesses, and a Technical Assistance Library of legal documents. Supporting tools include an Immigration Judge Dashboard tracking case outcomes and Pretermission Resources for case-specific guidance. Together, these services form a comprehensive support ecosystem for gender-based asylum litigation and advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technical Assistance Center

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for vacatur of Matter of A-B- ruling in 2021, restoring protections for domestic violence survivors seeking asylum
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 December 2020CGRS co-counsel with Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program in Pangea Legal Services v. DHS, challenging the Trump administration's 'death to asylum' regulations. The partnership combines clinical program resources with CGRS's specialized expertise.
• Sidley Austin LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 December 2020Major law firm partnership in Pangea Legal Services v. DHS litigation challenging sweeping anti-asylum regulations. Sidley Austin provides significant litigation resources and expertise.
• Mujeres Unidas y ActivasmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with community organization of Latina immigrants supporting each other and advocating for justice. Joint campaigns include #ImmigrantWomenToo and #WelcomeWithDignity.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 August 2018CGRS is counsel with ACLU in Grace v. Barr, challenging the application of Matter of A-B- in expedited removal proceedings. This federal court challenge protects asylum seekers' access to credible fear interviews.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2018CLINIC represents the applicant in Matter of L-E-A-, with CGRS providing amicus support in challenges to family-based asylum restrictions.
• UC College of the Law, San FranciscocoreOthersCGRS is based at and operates in partnership with UC College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services): Texas-based nonprofit providing low-cost immigration legal services and co-counseling major federal asylum litigation. Named co-plaintiff in RAICES v. Mullin with CGRS, making it a near-perfect litigation peer.
• Americans for Immigrant Justice: Florida-based nonprofit providing direct immigration legal services and impact litigation for asylum seekers. Similar mix of representation, technical assistance, and policy advocacy targeting federal immigration apparatus.
• ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project: National ACLU project conducting high-impact federal immigration litigation, including asylum cases co-litigated with CGRS (Grace v. Barr, East Bay Sanctuary v. Trump). Same plaintiff-side legal-advocacy model with overlapping co-counsel relationships.
• International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP): Organization providing legal aid and policy advocacy on refugee resettlement and asylum, with active federal litigation including against Trump-era asylum restrictions. Comparable plaintiff-side impact litigation model and mission overlap.
• Al Otro Lado: Transnational legal services organization named as direct co-litigant with CGRS in multiple federal cases (Al Otro Lado, Haitian Bridge Alliance et al. v. Trump/Noem). Comparably specialized in border asylum access litigation.
• Pangea Legal Services: Bay Area nonprofit providing direct representation and impact litigation for asylum seekers, with co-counsel relationship to CGRS in Pangea Legal Services v. DHS. Operates at smaller scale with overlapping expert-witness and technical-assistance workflows.
• Human Rights First: National and international refugee rights organization providing pro bono legal representation, technical assistance to attorneys, and federal litigation on asylum policy. Directly overlaps with CGRS's legal-advocacy-plus-policy posture.
• National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC): Chicago-based legal aid and policy organization providing direct representation, technical assistance, and federal litigation for asylum seekers. Closely comparable scope, funding profile (nonprofit/grant-supported), and Technical Assistance-style services.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): National nonprofit network providing immigration legal services, attorney training, and advocacy. Active CGRS amicus partner in Matter of L-E-A-; comparable TA/training capability and asylum-litigation posture.

Emerging players

• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): Nonprofit focused on legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children, adjacent rather than directly overlapping with CGRS's gender-asylum specialty. Comparable nonprofit legal-services infrastructure for asylum-seeking populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user6490175
• Facebookfacebook.com/cgrs.asylum
• Instagraminstagram.com/cgrs_asylum
• Xx.com/CGRS_Asylum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cgrs-asylum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre for Gender & Refugee Studies