ACLU of Indiana Foundation

What ACLU of Indiana Foundation does

ACLU of Indiana Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal foundation and the Indiana state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, operating alongside its affiliated 501(c)(4) Union entity (American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, Inc.) under a shared Indianapolis headquarters and integrated staff. Founded nationally in 1920 and present in Indiana since 1953, the Foundation provides free legal services to Indiana residents whose civil rights or civil liberties have been threatened or violated, with intake routed through an online legal help form at aclu-in.org and supported by phone and email channels. Its core programs include direct legal representation, impact litigation (notably First Amendment cases against Indiana University and Ball State), legislative advocacy at the Indiana Statehouse, an annual legislative scorecard, voter education campaigns (e.g., 'Yes! You Can Vote'), Know Your Rights resource hubs (Students' Rights, Recording Police), and an Issue Advocacy Programs portfolio spanning 12+ areas including Criminal Legal Reform, LGBTQ+ Rights, Immigrants' Rights, Reproductive Freedom, Privacy & Technology, and Voting Rights.

The Foundation's underlying technology stack is a standard nonprofit advocacy web platform: the aclu-in.org site hosts content management, online legal intake forms, a Take Action advocacy portal, email broadcast, PCI-compliant donation processing (via Action Network-hosted forms at action.aclu.org), and hashed-data sharing with third-party advertisers (Facebook, Instagram) for targeted advocacy and fundraising. The Foundation participates in nonprofit data cooperatives and acquires commercial voter file and consumer research data to model prospective donors; service providers may use AI tools for platform functionality, but no proprietary AI capability is disclosed. Job applications route through Paylocity Recruiting.

The revenue model is donation-driven and multi-stream: recurring and one-time donations, membership contributions (Indiana membership bundled with National ACLU for Indiana residents), planned giving/bequests, merchandise sales, foundation grants (e.g., $100,000 from Lumina Foundation in February 2022), and one-time list rental/data cooperative arrangements. Legal services are provided at no cost to qualifying clients. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors and led by an Executive Director (Chris Daley historically; Nikkita R. Oliver announced June 10, 2026 as successor), with a leadership bench including Legal Director Ken Falk and Communications Manager Laura Forbes. No revenue, budget, or membership figures are disclosed in the source material.

Name

ACLU of Indiana Foundation

Legal name

American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana Foundation

Website

https://aclu-in.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACLU of Indiana Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free legal services, impact litigation, and legislative advocacy to Indiana residents whose civil rights and civil liberties are threatened, funded by donations, memberships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Liberties Legal Aid and Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN), Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

Keywords

• Civil liberties advocacy
• Legal aid services
• Constitutional rights defense
• Nonprofit advocacy
• Civil rights litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations & Fundraising: Primary revenue stream consisting of one-time donations, recurring contributions, planned giving/bequests, and member dues processed through the ACLU website and direct mail; governed by eight Data Privacy Principles and used to fund legal, advocacy, and organizing work.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sales of ACLU of Indiana branded merchandise through an online store; supports advocacy and fundraising efforts; accounts are registered and payments processed through the e-commerce platform.
3. Foundation Grants (Inferred): Foundation receives grants from philanthropic organizations to support civil liberties legal aid, racial justice, and community development initiatives (referenced in third-party grant reporting).
4. List Rental & Data Cooperative Revenue: One-time use list rental and exchange arrangements with nonpartisan organizations, plus participation in nonprofit data cooperatives, generating revenue or in-kind list value in exchange for supporter contact information.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ACLU of Indiana Foundation is the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of the ACLU of Indiana that provides free legal representation, impact litigation, and public education on civil liberties and constitutional rights for Indiana residents. The Foundation operates a statewide legal intake system, engages in impact litigation in state and federal courts, and produces Know Your Rights educational resources across twelve issue areas including voting rights, free speech, LGBTQ+ rights, immigrants' rights, reproductive freedom, and criminal legal reform.

Product overview

ACLU of Indiana is a single integrated nonprofit civil liberties organization (comprising the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, Inc. (Union/501(c)(4)) and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana Foundation (Foundation/501(c)(3))) that delivers its work through a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a unified commercial software product. Its core offerings include the Students' Rights Hub educational resource, the Yes! You Can Vote / ¡Sí! Puede Votar voter education campaign, Foundation Legal Help legal services intake, an Issue Advocacy Programs portfolio spanning Criminal Legal Reform, Free Speech, Privacy & Technology, Voting Rights and other civil liberties issues, Know Your Rights resources (including Recording and Documenting Police and Federal Agents), Legislative Advocacy and Scorecard reporting, Impact Litigation, and Press Releases and Publications. These programs share the same underlying digital services (the aclu-in.org website, donation/action forms hosted on Action Network, and a recurring donor/supporter base) and are coordinated across legal, communications, advocacy, and policy staff to defend civil liberties and civil rights across Indiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foundation Legal Help / Get Legal Help
• Impact Litigation
• Legislative Advocacy and Scorecard
• Students' Rights Hub
• Yes! You Can Vote / ¡Sí! Puede Votar Campaign
• Issue Advocacy Programs
• ACLU of Indiana Branded Merchandise Store

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) National Organizations (American Civil Liberties Union, Inc.; American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Inc.; ACLU Voter Education Fund)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerACLU of Indiana is an Indiana state affiliate of the national ACLU. Per the Privacy Statement and User Agreement, ACLU of Indiana is part of 'ACLU Organizations' that share data and adhere to a common set of privacy principles. Membership in the National Union typically includes membership in ACLU of Indiana's Union organization for Indiana residents. The national entities operate separate websites with separate terms; ACLU of Indiana Foundation engages in coordinated advocacy, litigation, fundraising, and supporter engagement with the national affiliates.
• Nonpartisan data cooperatives and list-exchange partnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerACLU of Indiana participates in nonprofit data cooperatives and engages in one-time use list rentals/exchanges with other nonpartisan organizations to grow its donor base and identify prospective supporters. Data cooperatives must exclusively serve nonprofit entities and not share ACLU of Indiana-derived information with partisan organizations. List-sharing communications are carried out by each organization's service providers to keep supporter information confidential.
• Third-party advertisers (Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerACLU of Indiana shares hashed supporter data with third-party advertisers to deliver targeted fundraising and advocacy advertisements to existing supporters and look-alike audiences on social media and other platforms. Advertisers must contractually hold ACLU of Indiana-provided information confidentially and securely, and may not use it for other purposes.
• Service providers (payment processors, email platforms, data analytics vendors)coreOthersACLU of Indiana works with service providers to facilitate site operation, fundraising, marketing, communications, and advocacy programs. Providers must agree to take reasonable security measures and use ACLU of Indiana data only as directed. Some service providers are permitted to use de-identified information for their own internal analytics; ACLU of Indiana takes privacy and AI-related civil liberties risks seriously and monitors service provider tools.
• Coalition partners (civil liberties co-counsel and advocacy coalitions)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerACLU of Indiana partners with other organizations to enable more effective advocacy, organizing, and litigation. Shares personal information only with consent; shares information with co-counsel, referral partners, and expert witnesses during litigation in compliance with applicable professional responsibility rules. Engages in coalition advocacy on redistricting, voting rights, and other civil liberties issues.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union National): National umbrella affiliate of which ACLU of Indiana is a state component. Operates the same civil-liberties mission across all 50 states with shared brand, donor infrastructure, and litigation playbook; relevant as the parent-network peer for affiliate benchmarking.
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund: National civil rights litigation organization with overlapping issue areas (voting rights, criminal legal reform, racial justice, education equity). Comparable as a peer organization pursuing impact litigation on similar constitutional issues in state and federal courts.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: Large national civil rights organization with multi-issue litigation, advocacy, and education programming. Comparable in its integrated model (litigation + legislative advocacy + public education) and donor-supported 501(c)(3) structure, though it operates at national rather than state scope.

Direct peers

• ACLU of Michigan: Direct state-affiliate peer in a neighboring Midwestern state, running the same integrated legal-policy-advocacy model with comparable headcount, issue portfolio, and donor base. Useful benchmark on budget scale, fundraising efficiency, and litigation cadence for similarly-sized ACLU state affiliates.
• ACLU of Illinois: Another Midwest ACLU state affiliate covering a single state with parallel issue areas (voting rights, criminal legal reform, LGBTQ+ rights, immigrants' rights). Comparable structure and integrated service model make it a direct operational peer.
• ACLU of Ohio: Adjacent Midwestern ACLU state affiliate with parallel structure, scope, and issue portfolio (voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, criminal legal reform, free speech). Provides the most direct operational benchmark for ACLU of Indiana's organizational capacity and impact metrics.

Emerging players

• Lambda Legal: National LGBTQ+ civil rights litigation organization that shares substantial issue overlap with ACLU of Indiana's LGBTQ+ Rights and Reproductive Freedom portfolios. Comparable because both pursue impact litigation on behalf of LGBTQ+ Hoosiers and operate through a similar legal-aid-and-policy model.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation: National nonprofit focused on digital privacy, surveillance, and technology-policy civil liberties. Comparable because ACLU of Indiana's Privacy & Technology issue area mirrors EFF's litigation and policy work on age-verification, surveillance, and digital rights — making it a focused-issue-area peer.

Regional players

• Indiana Legal Services: Indiana-focused civil legal aid organization providing free legal services to low-income Hoosiers. Comparable as a regional peer offering free legal intake and representation in Indiana, with overlapping client populations on issues like housing, family law, and consumer rights adjacent to civil liberties.
• GLSEN (Indiana chapter): Education-focused LGBTQ+ civil rights organization with Indiana presence working on student rights, anti-bullying, and inclusive school policies. Comparable in addressing K–12 and university student civil liberties in Indiana — an area where ACLU of Indiana also litigates (e.g., Students' Rights Hub).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aclu-of-indiana

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ACLU of Indiana Foundation