Citizens for Self-Governance

What Citizens for Self-Governance does

Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG) is a Houston, Texas-based 501(c)(3) non-profit advocacy organization founded in February 2012 by Mark Meckler (previously co-founder of Tea Party Patriots) and Michael Farris (former President, CEO and General Counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom). The organization's mission is to recruit, educate, train, and motivate citizens to use Article V of the U.S. Constitution to impose term limits on federal officials, fiscal restraints on federal spending, and limits on federal jurisdiction. CSG serves a horizontally segmented audience that includes individual conservative and libertarian-leaning citizens, state legislators who participate in simulated and potentially real Article V conventions, and college-age leaders in its Emerging Leaders Program.

CSG's product portfolio spans educational content, leadership development programs, spiritual mentoring, and active litigation. Educational resources include the 'Law of Article V' Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course, myth-busting guides, and expert response videos on constitutional procedure. Leadership development includes the nine-week Servant Leadership instructor-led course and the paid Emerging Leaders Program internship. Spiritual and mentoring offerings comprise the SHAWL one-on-one mentoring program and Bible studies. The Litigation Program pursues court cases on free speech, religious freedom, parental rights, and free elections, including U.S. v. Skrmetti and Mid Vermont Christian School v. Saunders.

CSG has no proprietary technology platform. Its distribution stack consists of a WordPress-style website (selfgovern.com), email newsletters, social media channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram), YouTube, Google Forms for registrations, and the Anedot donation platform. The entire revenue base derives from tax-deductible charitable contributions from individual donors; the Servant Leadership course materials are sold at cost (~$25). CSG sits as the parent advocacy arm with the Convention of States Foundation as a wholly-owned operating subsidiary that reports a 5M+ supporter network and 16,000 trained leaders nationwide.

Name

Citizens for Self-Governance

Legal name

Citizens for Self-Governance

Website

https://selfgovern.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Citizens for Self-Governance is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that educates, trains, and organizes conservative and libertarian Americans to use Article V of the U.S. Constitution to limit federal power. It serves individual citizens, state legislators, and college-age leaders via educational courses, mentoring, internships, and litigation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education and Constitutional Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD), Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL)

Keywords

• Civic education
• Constitutional advocacy
• Grassroots organizing
• Political education
• Article V conventions

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Citizens for Self-Governance primarily generates revenue through tax-deductible donations from supporters. The organization's website features a donation portal through Anedot. The organization states that donations enable them to 'win the fight against an out of control government and return power back to the sovereign citizens of the United States.'

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Citizens for Self-Governance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that recruits, educates, trains, equips, and motivates a nationwide network of self-governing citizens. It delivers educational programs on Article V of the U.S. Constitution, leadership training courses, spiritual mentoring, and litigation support for civil liberties cases. The organization functions as the parent of Convention of States Foundation and operates as an advocacy and civic-education entity funded by tax-deductible donations.

Product overview

Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering a portfolio of educational programs, spiritual mentoring, and legal advocacy focused on restoring constitutional self-governance principles. The core offerings include: educational resources on Article V of the Constitution (CLE courses, myth-busting guides, and expert response videos); leadership development programs (Servant Leadership course, Emerging Leaders Program internship); spiritual formation (SHAWL mentoring and Bible Studies); and litigation support for constitutional rights cases. The organization does not offer a unified software platform but rather operates distinct programs and resources aimed at grassroots education and advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Servant Leadership Course A nine-week instructor-led online course teaching transformational servant leadership principles based on David Kuhnert's book. Includes weekly online sessions, weekly reading, purchase of course materials (approx. $25), and a signed Leadership Agreement. Targeted at citizens seeking leadership development within the self-governance movement.
• SHAWL Mentoring Program A one-on-one spiritual mentoring journey through five practices (Surrendering, Humbling, Abiding, Waiting and Listening to God) providing transformational friendship through mentoring guides and structured encounters with a mentor.
• Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) A paid internship program with Convention of States for college students and young professionals interested in statesmanship and leadership in the struggle for self-governance. Applications processed through cosinternship.com.
• The Law of Article V CLE Course A Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course teaching the history and procedure of an Article V convention for proposing constitutional amendments, covering the text of Article V, the convention method for proposing amendments, and procedural safeguards. Intended for attorneys and legal professionals.
• Bible Studies Bible study resources designed for spiritual growth through meaningful conversation, fresh perspectives, and practical life application. Hosted on the organization's Mentoring page.
• The Bible and Politics Audio lecture series by David Barton of WallBuilders discussing the biblical basis for self-governance, presenting three pillars: rule of law, consent of the governed, and private property.
• Litigation Program Court cases throughout the country to safeguard civil liberties and individual freedoms including freedom of speech, religion, protection of children, free elections, and medical decision-making. Cases include United States v. Skrmetti, Mid Vermont Christian School v. Saunders, Wuoti v. Winters, and National Religious Broadcasters v. Werfel.

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

One partnership is on record.

• Convention of States Foundation (COSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOSF is the parent organization of Citizens for Self-Governance. CSG provides the resources and experience necessary to make COSF successful. COSF currently has over 5 million supporters and gives nearly 10,000 trained specialized leaders and over 6,000 grassroots leaders the tools and skills to bring about political and social change.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Hillsdale College: Conservative institution that delivers free constitutional civics courses nationwide. Comparable in civics education content delivery and American-founders curriculum, though operates as a college rather than advocacy nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Foundation: Large conservative think tank with overlapping federalism, constitutional originalism, and limited-government policy priorities. Operates across the broader conservative agenda where CSG specializes narrowly in Article V.
• Federalist Society: Conservative and libertarian legal organization promoting constitutional originalism and judicial restraint. Shares intellectual framework and constitutional law expertise though focuses on judicial selection rather than Article V.

Direct peers

• Tea Party Patriots: Grassroots conservative political organization previously co-founded by CSG co-founder Mark Meckler. Shares fiscal-restraint, constitutional-originalism, and limited-government mission, with overlapping grassroots donor base.
• Convention of States Action: 501(c)(4) lobbying arm alongside CSG and COSF within the same self-governance movement ecosystem. Directly affiliated in driving state legislator engagement on Article V applications.
• Eagle Forum: Conservative civic-advocacy organization with long-standing focus on constitutional originalism, parental rights, and civic education. Operates on a similar grassroots/donation model targeting values-aligned Americans.
• Home School Legal Defense Association: Founded by CSG co-founder Michael Farris; defends parental rights and homeschool freedoms through litigation and lobbying. Direct overlap in parental-rights and religious-freedom litigation that CSG's program also covers.
• Alliance Defending Freedom: Conservative religious-freedom litigation organization where CSG co-founder Michael Farris previously served as President/CEO. Shares constitutional appellate litigation focus, civil liberties scope, and high-profile SCOTUS engagement.
• The Rutherford Institute: Constitutional and religious-liberties litigation nonprofit where CSG Senior VP Rita Peters previously worked. Overlaps in mission scope around civil liberties, parental rights, and constitutional advocacy.
• Convention of States Foundation: Identified in CSG's own data as its wholly-owned core operating subsidiary focused on the same Article V convention mission. Most comparable organization given aligned leadership, mission, and donor base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/self_governance
• Facebookfacebook.com/Citizens4sg
• Instagraminstagram.com/selfgovern
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-for-self-governance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Citizens for Self-Governance