American Civil Liberties Union

What American Civil Liberties Union does

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil liberties organization founded in 1920 and headquartered at 125 Broad Street, New York. Its mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, spanning issues including abortion access, immigrant rights, transgender rights, voting rights, free speech, religious liberty, criminal law reform, privacy, and racial justice. The organization serves a constituency of 7 million activists and members across the United States and operates through a national office and 54 state and regional affiliates, with a total of 2,175 staff as reported in the 2025 Annual Report.

The ACLU's core offerings are advocacy services and public-education resources rather than commercial products. These include the Know Your Rights program (with downloadable handbook), Know Your Rights University (KYR-U) — an interactive civics curriculum for children — the FOIA Collections Database of government documents, ACLU Magazine (biannual), the Election Safeguarding Program (its largest-ever investment), and the Born in the USA campaign defending birthright citizenship. Distribution is multi-channel: 54 local affiliate offices, the aclu.org website, presence on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and BlueSky, and direct legislative action campaigns ("Take Action").

The organization is funded by member dues and contributions from individuals, alongside grants from private foundations, and explicitly does not accept government funding. Major recent foundation funding includes a $27 million channel from Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss through the Sixteen Thirty Fund during the 2024 election cycle. Go-to-market is community-led: the ACLU mobilizes members through digital engagement, grassroots organizing, Know Your Rights campaigns, and direct donations. Specific revenue figures are not disclosed in available sources. The organization has taken over 200 legal actions against the Trump administration as of 2025 and is actively litigating high-profile cases including Trump v. Barbara on birthright citizenship before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Name

American Civil Liberties Union

Legal name

American Civil Liberties Union

Website

https://aclu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The ACLU is a 100-year-old, nonpartisan nonprofit civil liberties organization that defends constitutional rights through litigation, advocacy, and public education. It serves 7 million members and activists across the United States through 54 affiliate offices, funded by member dues and private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Liberties Advocacy and Legal Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL), Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE), Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK)

Keywords

• Civil liberties advocacy
• Constitutional rights defense
• Legal aid services
• Public education programs
• Civil rights litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Member Dues and Contributions: The ACLU is funded by member dues and contributions from individuals, as well as grants from private foundations. The organization does not receive government funding.
2. Private Foundation Grants: Funding received from private foundations including the Sixteen Thirty Fund (linked to Arabella Advisors dark money network), with amounts such as $27 million received in 2024 election cycle from Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss through progressive funding channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The ACLU defends and preserves individual constitutional and civil rights in the United States through impact litigation, advocacy, lobbying, and public education. It runs the Know Your Rights program and KYR-U curriculum for the general public, publishes the ACLU Magazine and FOIA document collections, and operates 54 affiliate offices that deliver localized legal advocacy. Its work is supported by a 7-million-member grassroots network and is funded by membership dues and private contributions.

Product overview

The ACLU is a civil liberties organization, not a traditional product company. Its offerings consist primarily of advocacy services, legal resources, and public education materials. Key offerings include the Know Your Rights program with downloadable handbook, Know Your Rights University (KYR-U) educational curriculum, FOIA Collections Database of government documents, ACLU Magazine (biannual publication), the Election Safeguarding Program, and the Birthright Citizenship campaign. The organization also operates 54 affiliate offices nationwide and provides court case databases, action alerts, and publications through its website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Know Your Rights University (KYR-U): Educational program teaching kids about civics, constitutional rights, and free expression
• People Power
• Smart Justice
• Freedom to Be
• Drag Defense Fund

Products and services

• Know Your Rights Comprehensive public resource providing guidance on U.S. constitutional rights, how to exercise them, and what to do when rights are violated. Includes a downloadable Know Your Rights Handbook. Targeted at the general public.
• Know Your Rights University (KYR-U) Educational curriculum that teaches children about civics, constitutional rights, and free expression through interactive lessons. Aimed at K-12 students and educators.
• FOIA Collections Database Searchable public database of documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, covering topics such as National Security, Privacy & Technology, Discriminatory Profiling, FBI Surveillance of Black Activists, and Targeted Killing. Available to journalists, researchers, and the public.
• ACLU Magazine Biannual publication for ACLU members and supporters covering critical litigation and advocacy work, civil liberties issues, and stories of advocates and clients at the center of each case and campaign.
• Election Safeguarding Program Program designed to keep power in the hands of voters by protecting against state-level interference in elections, representing ACLU's largest-ever investment focused on curbing election interference.
• Born in the USA: Defending Birthright Citizenship Campaign Campaign dedicated to defending birthright citizenship under the Constitution, with the ACLU arguing the landmark case Trump v. Barbara before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ legal actions taken against Trump administration

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lambda LegalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Lambda Legal and ACLU collaborated on a class-action lawsuit to block the U.S. Department of Justice from obtaining confidential medical records from New York City hospitals about transgender youth who received gender-affirming care.
• National Rifle Association (NRA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Unusual alliance between ACLU and NRA supporting Ali Danial Hemani's challenge to federal law barring marijuana users from owning guns, with both organizations arguing the law violates Second Amendment rights.
• NORMLminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026ACLU joined with NORML and other cannabis legalization groups in supporting Hemani's Second Amendment challenge.
• Human Rights WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2026Human Rights Watch and ACLU filed a lawsuit regarding conditions at Camp East Montana, the largest immigrant detention center in the U.S., alleging severe human rights abuses including physical abuse, inadequate medical care, and deaths.
• Texas Civil Rights ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Texas Civil Rights Project, ACLU of Texas, and national ACLU filed a lawsuit seeking to block Texas Senate Bill 4, which would allow state police to arrest migrants suspected of illegal border crossing.
• ACLU of TexascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Texas Civil Rights Project, ACLU of Texas, and national ACLU filed lawsuit challenging Texas immigration law SB 4.
• New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026NYCLU partnered with national ACLU on multiple cases including challenging Trump administration immigration detention policies and blocking medical records subpoenas.
• Trump Administration Justice DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Unusual alliance where both Trump DOJ and ACLU filed briefs supporting First Choice Women's Resource Centers' position that access to federal court is critical when government investigators are accused of misusing state power.
• Center for Constitutional RightscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2026ACLU and Center for Constitutional Rights filed lawsuit on behalf of two fishermen from Trinidad and Tobago killed in a U.S. strike in the Caribbean.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Human Rights Watch: Global human rights advocacy organization that co-litigates with ACLU (e.g., Camp East Montana case) and shares the same legal-advocacy, research, and donor-funded nonprofit model.
• Brennan Center for Justice: Nonpartisan law and policy organization focused on voting rights, criminal justice reform, and constitutional issues — directly overlapping ACLU's election safeguarding and democracy work.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: Civil rights nonprofit combining litigation, education, and advocacy on issues including immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and criminal justice reform — closely comparable programmatic scope and fundraising model.
• NAACP: Largest U.S. civil rights advocacy organization with comparable membership, litigation, and lobbying mission across racial justice and voting rights — directly overlapping ACLU's issue set and donor base.
• Lambda Legal: Specialized LGBTQ+ civil rights litigation organization that has filed joint lawsuits with ACLU (e.g., NYC transgender medical-records case) — directly comparable mission, legal-advocacy model, and donor base.
• Center for Constitutional Rights: Constitutional-rights litigation nonprofit that co-files cases with ACLU (e.g., Trinidad fishermen case) and shares a near-identical mission, litigation model, and donor profile.

Emerging players

• National Women's Law Center: Women's-rights legal advocacy organization with overlapping reproductive-freedom and equal-protection litigation work and a similar nonprofit membership model.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation: Specialized digital rights and privacy advocacy organization that intersects with ACLU's Privacy & Technology issue area, with comparable litigation and public-education model but narrower issue focus.
• NARAL Pro-Choice America: Reproductive-rights advocacy organization directly comparable in advocacy and litigation tactics on abortion access — a clear issue-area peer to ACLU's Reproductive Freedom work.

Broad incumbents

• Planned Parenthood Federation of America: Larger nonprofit advocacy and service organization with significant overlap on reproductive-freedom litigation and member-funded advocacy, operating at comparable national scale and visibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aclu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/aclu
• Facebookfacebook.com/aclu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aclu
• Instagraminstagram.com/aclu_nationwide
• TikToktiktok.com/@aclu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

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 American Civil Liberties Union