ACLU of Hawaiʻi

What ACLU of Hawaiʻi does

ACLU of Hawai'i (legal name: American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai'i) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit civil liberties organization founded in 1965 and headquartered in Honolulu, Hawai'i, operating as an official affiliate of ACLU National. The organization provides free legal assistance, impact litigation, legislative advocacy, and community education on civil liberties issues, with current issue areas spanning First Amendment, Gender Equity, Immigrants' Rights, Indigenous Justice, LGBTQ+ Rights, Prisoners' Rights, Education Justice, and Decriminalizing Poverty. Its service offerings include a Know Your Rights training program, a Volunteer Attorney Program dating to its founding, a Legal Assistance Request intake system, Legislative Advocacy Tools, and publications such as the "Stewardship at Stake" report on Public Land Trust lands.

The organization's underlying technology is a website-based content and intake platform (acluhi.org) with no proprietary software product, APIs, or AI components; delivery of services is human-led, relying on volunteer attorneys, coalition partners (The Legal Clinic, Hawai'i Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Roots Reborn, Indivisible Hawai'i Statewide Network), and direct community engagement. Recent operational outputs include the January 2026 filing of a federal habeas immigration petition, a January 2026 vigil at the Hawai'i State Capitol attended by 300+ community members, and the June 2026 release of the 2026-2029 Strategic Plan.

The revenue model is donations- and membership-driven, with three disclosed streams: individual donations via the website, a recurring membership program, and affiliate support from ACLU National. Services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries, and the 13-person staff operates a lean model that historically depended on volunteer attorneys prior to employing paid staff.

Name

ACLU of Hawaiʻi

Legal name

American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai'i

Website

https://acluhawaii.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACLU of Hawai'i is a Honolulu-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit civil liberties affiliate of ACLU National, founded in 1965, that provides free legal representation, impact litigation, legislative advocacy, and community education to Hawai'i residents across civil rights and constitutional issues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Rights Legal Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Civil rights advocacy
• Legal aid services
• Constitutional rights
• Immigrant rights
• Legislative advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

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. Individual Donations: The organization raises funds from individual donors through its website donation portal and direct appeals. This is a primary revenue stream for the nonprofit organization.
2. Membership Program: The ACLU of Hawaiʻi offers membership programs that provide recurring support from individuals who join as members of the organization.
3. ACLU National Affiliation: As an affiliate of ACLU National, the organization may receive support and resources through the national organization structure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACLU of Hawaiʻi provides free civil liberties legal assistance, impact litigation, and policy advocacy for individuals in Hawaiʻi. The organization delivers Know Your Rights trainings, operates a Volunteer Attorney Program dating to its 1965 founding, accepts legal assistance requests through its website, publishes policy reports, and conducts legislative advocacy and community organizing across issues including immigrants' rights, LGBTQ+ rights, Indigenous justice, prisoners' rights, First Amendment, gender equity, and education justice. All services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries, funded through individual donations and memberships.

Product overview

ACLU of Hawaiʻi is a nonprofit civil liberties advocacy organization operating a website-based platform to deliver educational resources, legal assistance, and advocacy tools. The organization does not offer a commercial software product but provides several interconnected programs: Know Your Rights trainings and educational materials that inform the public about legal rights; a Volunteer Attorney Program that has supported civil liberties work since 1965; a Legal Assistance Request System enabling individuals to seek help; Legislative Advocacy Tools for community engagement with lawmakers; and Publications/Reports including policy research like the 'Stewardship at Stake' paper on Public Land Trust lands. The platform also facilitates action campaigns, case updates, and coalition work across issues including Indigenous Justice, Prisoners' Rights, Immigrants' Rights, and LGBTQ+ Rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Know Your Rights (KYR) Trainings Educational programs and training resources that inform Hawaiʻi community members about their constitutional and legal rights, including a specific recorded training on how to interact with ICE agents developed in partnership with The Legal Clinic, Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and Roots Reborn.
• Volunteer Attorney Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Filed habeas immigration petition seeking release of Juan Jose Estrada Lopez, a Hawaiʻi island resident detained at Honolulu Federal Detention Center
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Indivisible Hawaiʻi Statewide NetworkmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 April 2026Joined with Indivisible Hawaiʻi Statewide Network to advocate for survivors and demand accountability related to the Epstein Files Transparency Act. This represents a coalition-based advocacy approach for social justice issues.
• U.S. Representative Jill TokudamajorOthers · 27 January 2026U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda joined community advocates from the ACLU of Hawaiʻi and Indivisible Hawaiʻi to show support for survivors and demand accountability with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. This is a political advocacy partnership.
• The Legal CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025The ACLU of Hawaiʻi partnered with The Legal Clinic to develop and deliver comprehensive Know Your Rights training on how to interact with ICE agents, including a recorded training video and corresponding slides. This partnership leverages The Legal Clinic's legal expertise to serve immigrant communities.
• Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights (HCIR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Partnered with HCIR to create a comprehensive KYR training program on interacting with ICE agents. The collaboration combines ACLU's advocacy capabilities with HCIR's focus on immigrant rights to serve vulnerable communities.
• Roots ReborncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Collaborated with Roots Reborn as part of the KYR training partnership on ICE interactions, expanding the reach and effectiveness of immigrant rights education and resources in Hawaiʻi.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lambda Legal: National civil rights organization focused on LGBTQ+ rights impact litigation. Directly comparable to ACLU of Hawai'i's LGBTQ+ Rights issue area and broader civil liberties impact litigation model.
• ACLU National: Parent organization and the national civil liberties umbrella. Operates the same core mission of constitutional rights advocacy and provides affiliate infrastructure to ACLU of Hawai'i, making it the closest structural peer while functioning at a much larger national scale.
• National Immigration Law Center (NILC): National advocacy organization dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of immigrants. Comparable to ACLU of Hawai'i's Immigrants' Rights program, including recent habeas litigation, at a larger national scale.

Direct peers

• Hawai'i Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice: Hawai'i-based advocacy organization pursuing systemic legal and policy reform on poverty, equity, and justice issues. Comparable mission overlap with ACLU of Hawai'i's Decriminalizing Poverty and Education Justice portfolios.
• ACLU of California: Largest ACLU state affiliate with similarly broad civil liberties portfolio across multiple issue areas. Functionally analogous peer organization in terms of organizational structure, revenue model, and program mix, scaled to a much larger state.
• Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation: Hawai'i-based legal services nonprofit focused on Native Hawaiian rights, including land and cultural resource issues. Overlaps directly with ACLU of Hawai'i's Indigenous Justice and Public Land Trust advocacy work (e.g., 'Stewardship at Stake' publication).
• Volunteer Legal Services Hawai'i: Hawai'i-based nonprofit coordinating pro bono attorneys to provide free civil legal services. Highly comparable to ACLU of Hawai'i's Volunteer Attorney Program model and its emphasis on leveraging volunteer legal talent for civil legal aid.
• Legal Aid Society of Hawai'i: Hawai'i-based nonprofit providing free civil legal services to low-income residents. Directly comparable as a Hawai'i-focused legal aid organization addressing overlapping populations (immigrants, indigent defendants, vulnerable communities) on parallel issues.

Emerging players

• Hawai'i Coalition for Immigrant Rights (HCIR): Active coalition partner of ACLU of Hawai'i focused on immigrant rights advocacy in the state. Operates in a narrower issue lane (immigration) but is directly aligned on Immigrants' Rights program work and joint KYR training delivery.
• Indivisible Hawai'i Statewide Network: Grassroots progressive advocacy coalition in Hawai'i that has partnered with ACLU of Hawai'i on political accountability advocacy (e.g., Epstein Files Transparency Act, protest solidarity). Comparable as a coalition-based advocacy actor addressing overlapping state-level issues.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acluhawaii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ACLU of Hawaiʻi