Name

Mountain States Legal Foundation

Legal name

Mountain States Legal Foundation

Website

https://mslegal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Interest Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Human Rights Organizations (813311), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Public interest law
• Constitutional litigation
• Pro bono legal services
• Nonprofit legal foundation
• Constitutional rights defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: MSLF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that relies primarily on donations from individuals, foundations, and supporters. They receive no government funding. Donations fund their litigation activities and operations.
2. Planned Giving Programs: The organization accepts planned gifts including bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, beneficiary designations, and endowed gifts. These provide tax benefits to donors while ensuring long-term funding for MSLF's mission.
3. Monthly Giving (Freedom Club): Recurring monthly donations from supporters providing sustainable funding for ongoing litigation efforts.
4. Cryptocurrency Donations: MSLF accepts Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Zcash, Gemini Dollar, Basic Attention Token, and Chainlink as tax-efficient donation options.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Mountain States Legal Foundation is a nonprofit public-interest legal foundation that provides free pro bono litigation services to individuals and organizations whose constitutional rights have been violated by government action. The firm pursues cases through federal and state courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and operates specialized legal centers focused on Second Amendment rights, energy and economic liberty, property rights, equal protection, and free speech.

Product overview

Mountain States Legal Foundation is a nonprofit public-interest legal foundation (501(c)(3)) established in 1977, headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado. MSLF operates as a single unified legal services offering, providing pro bono litigation to defend constitutional rights. The organization is structured around several specialized legal centers: the Center for American Prosperity & Energy (CAPE) focused on energy and economic liberty; the Center to Keep and Bear Arms (CKBA) dedicated to Second Amendment litigation; Natural Resources; Equal Protection; and Free Speech & Free Association. MSLF also publishes The Litigator and produces the Beyond the Bench video series to educate the public about constitutional issues. The foundation accepts various forms of charitable giving including cryptocurrency donations (Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Zcash, Gemini Dollar, Basic Attention Token, Chainlink).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for American Prosperity & Energy (CAPE): A legal center dedicated to advancing the strength and security of the nation's energy production and use, to promote prosperity and liberty
• Center to Keep and Bear Arms (CKBA)

Products and services

• Pro Bono Constitutional Litigation Services Free legal representation provided to individuals and organizations whose constitutional rights have been violated, including litigation through trial and appellate courts up to the U.S. Supreme Court across areas such as Second Amendment, First Amendment, property rights, equal protection, and religious liberty.
• Center to Keep and Bear Arms (CKBA) Specialized pro bono litigation service within MSLF dedicated exclusively to defending Second Amendment rights through challenges to firearm regulations including waiting periods, bans, and licensing restrictions.
• Center for American Prosperity & Energy (CAPE) Specialized pro bono litigation service focused on energy production, natural resources, and economic liberty issues, including challenges to federal regulations and support for energy infrastructure permitting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple Supreme Court victories including upholding cross-shaped war memorials, striking down waiting period laws, and reaffirming Second Amendment rights
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 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 minor.

• Young America's FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2026Partner in campus free speech litigation including Young America's Foundation v. UCLA. Also co-plaintiffs in cases challenging Biden Administration's Title IX regulations.
• National Rifle Association (NRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 August 2025Co-litigants in Second Amendment cases including Dunn v. Glass (challenging Florida's 3-day waiting period) and other firearm rights cases. The NRA-ILA (Institute for Legislative Action) works alongside MSLF on constitutional litigation.
• Moms for LibertyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2024Co-plaintiffs in successful challenge to Biden Administration's Title IX regulations that threatened to redefine sex discrimination and compel speech in schools.
• Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2021Joint litigation partners in constitutional cases including challenges to race-based loan forgiveness programs under the Biden Administration.
• Firearms Policy CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2020Co-plaintiff in Robert Aragon v. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham case challenging New Mexico gun store closures during COVID-19. Ongoing partnership in Second Amendment litigation.
• Second Amendment FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2020Co-plaintiff in multiple Second Amendment cases including Robert Aragon v. Grisham and other firearm rights litigation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Rutherford Institute: A civil liberties organization providing pro bono legal representation in First Amendment, religious liberty, and parental rights cases. The Rutherford Institute operates in the same public interest law niche as MSLF, often on overlapping issues.
• Second Amendment Foundation: A Second Amendment advocacy organization that litigates firearm rights cases. SAF is a core co-litigation partner of MSLF and operates as a direct peer in Second Amendment jurisprudence.
• First Liberty Institute: A public interest law firm dedicated to religious liberty, free speech, and the rights of religious organizations and individuals. First Liberty and MSLF frequently appear as co-counsel or co-plaintiffs in religious liberty cases such as American Legion v. American Humanist Association.
• Pacific Legal Foundation: Another prominent public interest law firm defending individual liberty, property rights, and limited government. PLF and MSLF frequently file parallel amicus briefs and compete for donor support within the same ideological donor constituency.
• Young America's Foundation: A conservative youth-focused organization that partners with MSLF on campus free speech litigation. YAF's legal arm overlaps with MSLF's free speech and free association docket, particularly in campus and Title IX matters.
• Southeastern Legal Foundation: A public interest law firm focused on constitutional liberties, equal protection, and federalism. MSLF has explicitly co-litigated with SLF on race-based loan forgiveness challenges, indicating they operate as direct co-litigants and peers.
• Institute for Justice: A national public interest law firm litigating for property rights, economic liberty, free speech, and school choice. IJ is a leading peer in the same legal-advocacy niche, frequently handling cases parallel to MSLF.
• Americans for Prosperity Foundation: An advocacy organization promoting free-market and limited-government policies through litigation, education, and grassroots activism. AFPF operates in the same donor and ideological ecosystem as MSLF and frequently pursues overlapping issues.

Broad incumbents

• ACLU: While ideologically opposed on many issues, the ACLU is structurally the largest U.S. public interest law firm with massive endowment, similar pro bono model, and Supreme Court capability, making it the dominant benchmark for scale and operational sophistication in the sector.
• National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action: The lobbying and litigation arm of the NRA. MSLF's co-litigation partnership with NRA-ILA on Second Amendment cases makes it a direct counterpart in firearms-related constitutional litigation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MSLF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBBmn2n6Hl1IqbfVCkuQ1VQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/mountainstateslegalfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mountain-states-legal-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/mountainstateslegal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Mountain States Legal Foundation