What defending rights & dissent does

Defending Rights & Dissent is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit civil liberties advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC (EIN 27-0042821), formed in 2015 through the merger of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and the Defending Dissent Foundation. Its mission is to defend First and Fourth Amendment rights against government overreach, with current campaigns spanning FBI surveillance reform, FISA Section 702, Espionage Act reform, protest rights, ideological deportation litigation, and pro-Palestine speech defense. The organization serves grassroots supporters, civil liberties activists, journalists, whistleblowers, and academic communities whose speech and assembly rights are targeted by government action, and operates as a member of recurring coalitions with groups such as Amnesty International, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Knight First Amendment Institute, the Brennan Center, and over 40 press freedom organizations.

The organization's products and services are advocacy- and publication-driven rather than technology-driven. Core outputs include the Gaza First Amendment Alert and Dissent Newswire newsletters, the Primary Sources podcast on whistleblowers hosted by Policy Director Chip Gibbons, FOIA investigations and litigation against federal agencies, an online action center for petitions and constituent outreach, panel events with members of Congress and journalists, and a resource hub of educational materials. Distribution runs through the rightsanddissent.org website, email signup and donation flows hosted at secure.rightsanddissent.org, social media, in-person and online events, and joint coalition actions. The organization explicitly states it cannot offer individual legal advice due to limited resources, underscoring its grassroots operating posture.

Defending Rights & Dissent generates no commercial revenue; funding comes from voluntary individual donations and foundation grants, with a dedicated foundation partners acknowledgment page indicating institutional support. Go-to-market is community-led: the organization mobilizes supporters through action alerts, petitions, and constituent pressure campaigns aimed at lawmakers and federal agencies. Its most consequential documented advocacy outcome to date is the June 2026 expiration of FISA Section 702 after a multi-year grassroots and lobbying campaign. The organization is led by Executive Director Sue Udry, Policy Director Chip Gibbons, and Communications Manager Nathan Fuller, with a Board of Directors providing governance.

Name

defending rights & dissent

Legal name

Defending Rights & Dissent

Website

https://rightsanddissent.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Liberties Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331)

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), Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE), Government Accountability, Ethics & Anti-Corruption Advocacy (BPAGAFAN)

Keywords

• Civil liberties advocacy
• Nonprofit policy research
• Grassroots mobilization
• Freedom of information
• Constitutional rights defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

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 Grants: The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 27-0042821) funded primarily through individual donations and potentially foundation grants. The organization runs donation campaigns and has a dedicated donation page at secure.rightsanddissent.org/a/donate.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Defending Rights & Dissent is a national civil liberties advocacy organization that conducts policy advocacy, FOIA investigations, advocacy journalism, and grassroots mobilization to defend First and Fourth Amendment rights. The organization challenges government surveillance, FBI overreach, Espionage Act abuse, and attacks on protest and press freedom through publications, coalition campaigns, and public education.

Product overview

Defending Rights & Dissent is a civil liberties advocacy organization offering a portfolio of publications, newsletters, and advocacy tools. The organization publishes the Gaza First Amendment Alert (a monthly newsletter tracking First Amendment threats related to the Gaza conflict), the Dissent Newswire (regular newsletters), and the Primary Sources podcast on whistleblowers. It also provides FOIA investigation resources, an online actions platform for grassroots advocacy, and a resource hub for educational materials on civil liberties issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Primary Sources: A podcast about whistleblowers and truthtellers hosted by Chip Gibbons

Products and services

• Primary Sources Podcast
• Gaza First Amendment Alert
• Dissent Newswire
• FOIA Investigations
• Online Actions Platform
• Resource Hub

Quantifiable outcome

• Led coalition of 21 civil society groups calling for DHS release of detained protester Leqaa Kordia
• +3 more outcomes

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Coalition of 21 Civil Society Groups (Amnesty International, Center for Constitutional Rights, National Lawyers Guild, Immigrant Defense Project)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2026Coalition organized by Defending Rights & Dissent to pressure DHS for release of detained pro-Palestine protester Leqaa Kordia. Coalition included major human rights and civil liberties organizations signing joint letter to Secretary of Homeland Security.
• Center for Democracy and Technology, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of LawmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil liberties organizations that joined Defending Rights & Dissent in filing amicus brief in Chatrie v. U.S. Supreme Court case supporting Fourth Amendment protection for location data privacy.
• Knight First Amendment Institute, American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Middle East Studies Association (MESA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic associations and civil liberties groups that filed lawsuit against Trump administration over ideological deportation policies targeting pro-Palestine speech. Defending Rights & Dissent participates in related coalition advocacy efforts.
• Press Freedom Defense Fund (The Intercept)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefending Rights & Dissent joined a press freedom coalition led by The Intercept's Press Freedom Defense Fund on amicus brief fighting Trump's unconstitutional media attacks.
• Amnesty International, Oxfam America, Human Rights Watch, Refugees InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 200 human rights and humanitarian organizations led by Amnesty International in coalition letter condemning Trump's genocidal threats against Iran and calling on military to refuse unlawful orders.
• Over 50 Civil Society Organizations CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of over 50 civil society organizations joined by Defending Rights & Dissent urging Congress to reject reinstatement of China Initiative that targeted Asian American scholars.
• Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and 15 Other OrganizationsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition submitted comments to Department of Treasury opposing creation of illegal national database, with Defending Rights & Dissent participating alongside EPIC.
• Freedom of the Press Foundation, American Governance InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBipartisan coalition initiated by Freedom of the Press Foundation and American Governance Institute including journalists, archivists, librarians, and civil society organizations defending National Archives against executive overreach.
• 41 Press Freedom Groups CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 41 press freedom organizations demanding ICE release Nashville-based journalist Estefania Rodriguez.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about defending rights & dissent