At Amara, survivors of sex trafficking and sex workers in need of specialized legal services find attorneys who are trained to provide trauma-informed and culturally competent support. Social stigma and complex cases often make it challenging for survivors and sex workers to find lawyers willing to advocate for them. Beyond making these resources available for free to 70+ clients each year, Amara ensures they have access to the housing and mental health services they need by partnering with other local organizations. Know Your Rights and other trainings for schools, medical providers, and community groups broaden public understanding of how to reduce trauma when interacting with survivors, what the risk factors for trafficking are, and where survivors can access legal services. For Amara, justice truly begins when survivors lead the way.

Headquarters: DC-Ward 2

Where They Operate: DC-Citywide; MD-Montgomery County; MD-Prince George's County; MD-Frederick County; VA-Arlington County; VA-Fairfax County; VA-Prince William County; VA-City of Alexandria; VA-City of Fairfax; VA-City of Falls Church

Age Groups Served: Youth (5-11); Pre-teen/teen (12-17); Young adult (18-24); Adult (25-49)

Population(s) Served: Individuals who identify as LGBTQ; Low- to Moderate-Income Community Members; Women/Girls


  • Number of people (clients, patrons, students, etc) we serve annually:   100
  • Number of volunteers who work with us annually:   30
  • Number of hours of advocacy we engage in annually:   1040

Awards & Recognition

n/a

Press

  • Why Do We Lock Up Survivors of Sex Trafficking?
    Wed Sep 28 2016, Nicholas Kristof Blog - The New York Times  
    The story of one of our amazing survivors was highlighted by Andrea Powell of Fair Girls in NYT's Nicholas Kristof's blog.
    connect here

Budget (FY2023)

  • $3 million or higher
  • $1 million to $3 million
  • The current budget for Amara Legal Center is: $500k to $1 million
  • Less than $500k

Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to $3 million. This graphic indicates the budget range of the organization featured here. If you see an organizational budget above the $3 million mark, that is because the featured charity has grown in size since it first appeared in the Catalogue. We proudly present on our website the work of these "growth" charities.

About Spur Local

Every year, 190+ local nonprofits (with budgets under $4M) apply to join the Spur Local network. 170+ community volunteers assess these applications for impact. 100% of organizations are site visited and financially reviewed. Finally, 76+ critical, local nonprofits are selected for inclusion in Spur Local's annual print and digital catalog, and enter a four-year partnership with us. Since 2003, we have raised over $65 million for nonprofits across the Greater Washington region. We charge no fees and raise funds separately to support our work.

Spur Local looks to friends like you to keep our services independent and entirely free of charge. Consider a small contribution to Spur Local to cap off your gift and help the causes you care about get the full support they deserve!

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