Aclu Of Mn Foundation

What Aclu Of Mn Foundation does

ACLU of Minnesota Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the Minnesota state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, founded in 1955 and operating statewide for 70 years. The organization pursues its civil liberties mission through four principal service lines: direct and impact litigation against government entities, legislative advocacy, community organizing and public education, and Know Your Rights training delivered in multiple languages. Its primary constituents are Minnesota residents whose constitutional rights — including those related to police encounters, immigration enforcement, voting, criminal justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive freedom, and personal privacy — are under threat. ACLU-MN mobilizes donors and supporters through its website, press releases, email action alerts, community events, and action campaigns.

The organization's core programmatic assets include the Mobile Justice App (a free iOS/Android application for documenting police interactions in public), the Smart Justice Minnesota campaign (a sub-brand focused on reducing mass incarceration and training the next generation of criminal justice reform leaders), and Know Your Rights educational resources delivered in English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong. Its distribution is hybrid: digital self-serve through website and app, combined with in-person and virtual presentations for community groups. Active 2026 federal litigation against DHS, ICE, and CBP on suspicionless stops, warrantless arrests, and racial profiling indicates an expanded operational scope into federal-level constitutional litigation.

ACLU of Minnesota Foundation is funded through individual donations, recurring memberships, and merchandise sales via the ACLU national store. Revenue is not publicly disclosed on the organization's website; financial details are presumably available via Form 990 filings. The organization has no parent-subsidiary equity structure; instead, it operates as an affiliated 501(c)(3) within the national ACLU federation, sharing mission and brand while maintaining organizational autonomy. Notable recent case outcomes include a $100,000 wrongful-death settlement in Croud v. Duluth and a ten-year ban preventing former Lt. Bob Kroll from serving as a police officer in three Minnesota counties.

Name

Aclu Of Mn Foundation

Legal name

ACLU of Minnesota Foundation

Website

https://aclu-mn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACLU of Minnesota Foundation is a nonprofit civil liberties organization and Minnesota affiliate of the ACLU, founded in 1955. It provides constitutional litigation, legislative advocacy, Know Your Rights education, the Mobile Justice App, and the Smart Justice campaign for Minnesota residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Rights Advocacy

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Legal Services (8111)

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), Legal Literacy & Public Legal Education (Know Your Rights) (EDAAAFAI), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Civil rights advocacy
• Legal aid services
• Nonprofit advocacy
• Constitutional rights
• Civil liberties education

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: The organization relies on donations from supporters and membership fees as primary revenue sources. The website prominently features donate and join buttons for supporters.
2. Merchandise Sales: Shop ACLU merchandise through the ACLU store

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The ACLU of Minnesota Foundation provides civil liberties legal advocacy, litigation, and public education for Minnesota residents. Its offerings include legal representation in civil rights cases, Know Your Rights training, the Mobile Justice App for documenting incidents, and the Smart Justice Campaign focused on criminal justice reform.

Product overview

The ACLU of Minnesota operates as a civil liberties advocacy organization rather than a traditional software product company. Its primary offerings consist of legal advocacy services, community education programs, and awareness campaigns. The organization provides the Mobile Justice App (a mobile application for documenting police encounters), Know Your Rights educational resources (available in multiple languages), and the Smart Justice Campaign (a criminal justice reform initiative). These services work together to advance civil liberties protections through litigation, community organizing, legislative initiatives, and public education across Minnesota.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Smart Justice Minnesota: A campaign focused on reducing mass incarceration and training the next generation of leaders for criminal justice reform.
• Mobile Justice App

Quantifiable outcome

• Settlement of $100,000 obtained for wrongful death in police custody
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Dorsey & Whitney LLPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro bono legal representation partnership. Dorsey & Whitney LLP joined ACLU, ACLU of Minnesota, and ACLU of Texas to represent plaintiffs Kerlin Sanchez Villalobos et al. v. United States in federal court over immigration system mistreatment. Dorsey Partner Mike Stinson and Partner Jillian Kornblatt led the firm's involvement.
• ACLU of TexascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on immigration rights cases. The ACLU of Texas partnered with ACLU-MN on the Kerlin Sanchez Villalobos case involving mistreatment of minors in immigration detention.
• ACLU NationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated relationship with national ACLU organization. The organization operates as the Minnesota state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, with shared mission of protecting civil liberties and constitutional rights.
• Protect DemocracymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in litigation against DHS over unconstitutional 'Forced Home Entry Memo'. ACLU of Minnesota alongside ACLU National, ACLU of DC, and Protect Democracy filed suit against DHS, ICE and their leadership.
• University of Minnesota Law SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal collaboration on immigration cases. The ACLU, U of MN Law School, and Dorsey & Whitney joined forces to challenge unlawful detention of immigrants.
• Maslon, Edelman, Borman & Brand, LLPminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal representation for Hill v. Federal Protective Services case. William Z. Pentelovitch from Maslon, Edelman, Borman & Brand, LLP represented anti-war activist Melissa Hill.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Protect Democracy: Nonpartisan nonprofit focused on preventing democratic decline through litigation and advocacy. Active litigation partner of ACLU-MN, with overlapping mission around constitutional rights and federal executive accountability.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: National civil rights legal organization pursuing racial justice through litigation and advocacy. Highly comparable to ACLU-MN's racial justice and police practices work, with similar pro bono partner structure and impact-litigation emphasis.
• ACLU (National): Parent affiliate network of which ACLU-MN is the Minnesota state affiliate. Operates the same civil liberties mission, brand, and litigation approach at national scale, with overlapping donors, pro bono counsel pool, and shared campaigns.
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: National civil rights legal organization mobilizing private-sector lawyers for impact litigation. Comparable litigation and pro bono operating model to ACLU-MN, particularly in voting rights and racial justice.
• ACLU of Wisconsin: Sibling state ACLU affiliate operating in an adjacent Midwest geography with comparable mission, GTM (donations + memberships), litigation focus on police practices, voting rights, and immigrants' rights, and similar reliance on the national ACLU brand.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: Civil rights organization using litigation, education, and advocacy to combat discrimination. Operates the same civil liberties mission as ACLU-MN at national scale, with comparable donor-driven revenue model and case-driven impact focus.

Emerging players

• Lambda Legal: National civil rights organization focused on LGBTQ+ rights and HIV-related discrimination through impact litigation. Comparable in mission and litigation model to ACLU-MN's LGBTQ+ Rights issue work, though broader in geography.
• National Immigration Law Center: National advocacy organization dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low-income immigrants. Highly comparable to ACLU-MN's Immigrants' Rights practice, including active federal litigation against ICE/CBP practices.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation: Nonprofit focused on digital rights, privacy, and free expression through litigation and policy advocacy. Closely comparable to ACLU-MN's Privacy & Technology issue track, with similar pro bono legal partnerships and donation-based funding.

Broad incumbents

• Brennan Center for Justice: Nonpartisan law and policy institute at NYU focused on voting rights, criminal justice reform, and democracy — directly overlapping ACLU-MN's voting rights, criminal justice, and police practices issue areas with a more research/think-tank bent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACLUMN
• Facebookfacebook.com/aclumn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aclu-of-minnesota

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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