Aclu Of South Carolina

What Aclu Of South Carolina does

ACLU of South Carolina is the South Carolina state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, founded in 1968 with an initial 200 members and now supported by thousands of state residents. The organization pursues civil liberties through three interconnected channels: free legal representation in state and federal courts, legislative advocacy at the South Carolina State House, and grassroots community organizing. Its practice spans criminal justice, voting rights, free speech, immigrants' rights, LGBTQ rights, reproductive freedom, juvenile justice, housing justice, religious liberty, and students' rights, with a documented docket of roughly 39 cases spanning 2011 through 2026.

The organization is structured as two legal entities — a 501(c)(4) Union for advocacy and lobbying and a 501(c)(3) Foundation for legal services and public education — and operates as an autonomous affiliate of ACLU National while sharing the national brand and donation platform. It does not sell products or services for revenue; funding flows from individual membership contributions and donations processed through the national ACLU giving platform. Its core 'products' are legal representation, Know Your Rights resources, a podcast, blog/news commentary, campaign action tools, a Legal Observer program, a Find Legal Help directory, and a Speaker Request service — all delivered free of charge. Supporting technology is limited to a WordPress website and NGP VAN-based volunteer and donor management; there is no proprietary technology, no API surface, and no AI/ML capability.

ACLU-SC's strategic positioning rests on the ACLU brand, a deep appellate and trial-court case history (including the landmark In re Primus), and recurring co-counsel relationships with elite law firms and national advocacy organizations such as Democracy Forward, Arnold & Porter, Southern Poverty Law Center, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, Terrell Marshall Law Group, and Kendrick & Leonard. Distribution is single-state and direct-to-resident through the website, email, social media, press, community events, and volunteer mobilization. Revenue, headcount, and budget are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Aclu Of South Carolina

Legal name

American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, Inc. and American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://aclusc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACLU of South Carolina is the state affiliate of the ACLU, founded in 1968 and funded by member contributions. It provides free civil-liberties litigation, State House advocacy, and community organizing for South Carolina residents across voting, speech, immigrant, LGBTQ, reproductive, criminal, juvenile, and housing rights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Rights Legal Advocacy

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Civil rights advocacy
• Legal representation services
• Legislative advocacy
• Civic education
• Community organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Contributions: The organization operates as a nonprofit and is funded through member contributions and donations from supporters. The ACLU-SC describes the power of the organization as coming from 'thousands of South Carolinians who fight for our freedoms' through membership.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The ACLU of South Carolina provides free legal representation, impact litigation, legislative advocacy, community organizing, and civic education services focused on protecting constitutional and civil rights of South Carolina residents. It operates as the state affiliate of the national ACLU through two entities: a 501(c)(4) lobbying union and a 501(c)(3) educational foundation.

Product overview

The ACLU of South Carolina is a nonprofit civil liberties organization offering a portfolio of interconnected advocacy services rather than a traditional technology product. Core offerings include free legal representation through litigation in state and federal courts, legislative advocacy at the South Carolina State House, and community organizing programs. Supporting resources include Know Your Rights materials, a Find Legal Help directory, a podcast series, blog/news commentary, and digital campaign action tools. The organization also operates Legal Observer and Speaker Request programs. All services are integrated through the organization's website and NGP VAN-based volunteer management systems to advance civil rights and constitutional liberties for South Carolinians.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Representation and Impact Litigation
• Find Legal Help Service
• Legislative Advocacy
• Community Organizing and Campaign Actions
• Know Your Rights Education
• Legal Observer Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully stopped redistricting plan in May 2026 through collective protest and voting
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Democracy ForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Democracy Forward is co-counsel with ACLU-SC representing plaintiffs in SC Public Interest Foundation v. McMaster, challenging South Carolina National Guard deployments to Washington D.C. at President Trump's request.
• Arnold & PortercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInternational law firm Arnold & Porter filed federal lawsuit challenging South Carolina's failure to protect incarcerated people from COVID-19 risks alongside ACLU-SC in Voltz-Loomis, et al. v. McMaster, et al.
• Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc. (P&A)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerP&A joined as plaintiff in COVID-19 lawsuit representing incarcerated people with disabilities alongside ACLU-SC.
• Kendrick & Leonard, P.C.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAttorney Joshua Snow Kendrick of Kendrick & Leonard, P.C. co-represents Dr. Emily Taylor in Taylor v. Rankin case challenging unconstitutional 'jawboning' by state lawmakers.
• Terrell Marshall Law Group PLLCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTerrell Marshall Law Group PLLC co-counsel in White v. Shwedo challenging South Carolina's wealth-based driver license suspension policy.
• Southern Poverty Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Poverty Law Center co-filed federal lawsuit challenging automatic driver's license suspensions for unpaid traffic tickets.
• South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center co-counsel in White v. Shwedo case on wealth-based license suspensions.
• Data Cooperatives for NonprofitsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipate in nonprofit data cooperatives to grow donor base and identify prospective supporters through pooled supporter information.
• Nonpartisan OrganizationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerList rental or exchange arrangements with like-minded nonpartisan organizations to reach wider donor audiences while maintaining nonpartisan status.
• Coalition PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with other organizations to further reach of advocacy, organizing, and litigation efforts through information sharing with consent.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• National Women's Law Center: National advocacy organization focused on gender equity and reproductive freedom; intersects with ACLU-SC's reproductive freedom and LGBTQ rights issue areas with comparable litigation and policy advocacy approach.

Broad incumbents

• ACLU Foundation (National): 501(c)(3) arm of the national ACLU; mirrors ACLU-SC's Foundation entity and is directly comparable in providing the legal services and public education infrastructure supporting litigation work.
• Center for American Progress: National progressive policy and advocacy organization working on democracy, civil rights, and justice reform issues; comparable in legislative advocacy, research, and public education functions.
• American Civil Liberties Union (National): National parent organization and the most direct comparable; ACLU-SC operates as an affiliate, sharing mission, brand, and operational model in civil liberties advocacy across courts, legislatures, and communities.
• People For the American Way: National progressive advocacy organization with overlapping civil liberties, free speech, and constitutional rights portfolio; comparable in legislative advocacy and grassroots mobilization approach.

Direct peers

• Democracy Forward: National legal nonprofit co-counsel with ACLU-SC on SC Public Interest Foundation v. McMaster challenging National Guard deployments; comparable in litigation-driven democracy and civil liberties advocacy.
• South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center: South Carolina-based legal advocacy nonprofit and ACLU-SC co-counsel on driver license suspension cases; directly comparable in mission, geography, and free legal services model.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: Co-counsel partner with ACLU-SC on South Carolina wealth-based license suspension litigation; SPLC is a comparable civil rights advocacy nonprofit that pursues litigation, education, and policy reform across the Southeast, including South Carolina.
• Lambda Legal: National civil rights organization focused on LGBTQ rights, intersecting directly with ACLU-SC's LGBTQ rights issue area (e.g., Haas v. SCDMV same-sex marriage name change case); comparable litigation and advocacy model.
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund: National civil rights legal organization with overlapping case docket on voting rights, criminal justice, and education equity; frequently coordinates or competes with ACLU affiliates in southern states, including South Carolina.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aclu-of-south-carolina

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Aclu Of South Carolina