irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $32.14MEDUCATION - THROUGH NEWSLETTERS, ITS COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE, ADVERTISEMENTS, OP-ED ARTICLES, MEDIA INTERVIEWS, PUBLICATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND NUMEROUS MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS CONDUCTED IN COLLABORATION WITH ITS AFFILIATES THROUGHOUT THE US, THE ACLU PROVIDES ONGOING EDUCATION TO ITS approximately 1,400,000 supporters AND TO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE CONCERNING A WIDE RANGE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES ISSUES. THE ORGANIZATION'S EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGNS EMPHASIZE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH, ASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY; THE RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW; THE RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS AND TO FAIR TREATMENT WHEN THE LOSS OF LIBERTY OR PROPERTY IS AT STAKE; AND THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY AND FREEDOM FROM UNWARRANTED GOVERNMENT INTRUSION INTO PERSONAL AND PRIVATE AFFAIRS.
- #2 $21.54MLEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY - THE ACLU'S LEGISLATIVE ADVOCATES ARE A CONSTANT PRESENCE ON CAPITOL HILL AND IN STATE LEGISLATURES, WHERE THEY WORK TO ADDRESS CIVIL LIBERTIES ISSUES. BASED PRIMARILY IN THE ACLU'S WASHINGTON, DC OFFICE, THE ORGANIZATION'S LEGISLATIVE POLICY TEAM WORKS TO ENSURE THAT PROPOSED LEGISLATION MOVES TOWARDS, RATHER THAN AWAY, FROM THE CIVIL LIBERTIES GOALS OF THE ORGANIZATION. WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH STAFF FROM ACLU AFFILIATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IN COALITION WITH OTHER GROUPS WITH A SHARED INTEREST IN SPECIFIC CIVIL LIBERTIES ISSUES, THE ACLU CONDUCTS RESEARCH, PUBLISHES POSITION PAPERS, HOSTS FORUMS FOR THE PUBLIC, AND MEETS WITH KEY LEGISLATORS AND MEMBERS OF THEIR STAFFS TO DISCUSS STRATEGIES TO PROTECT CIVIL LIBERTIES AND RIGHTS.
named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
ACLU Affiliate Network
54 state and local affiliates providing on-the-ground legal, policy, and organizing support tailored to regional challenges.
Defending Our Vote
A nationwide initiative to protect voting rights through legal action, voter education, and volunteer mobilization, including training 10,000 volunteers to monitor polling sites.
Know Your Rights Trainings
Community workshops and materials distributed to educate voters on their rights and how to respond to issues at the ballot box.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Reproductive Health Advocacy & Education 2 activities
- Community organizing and public engagement campaignsOrganizes community members, hosts local events such as Repro Freedom Round-Ups, and mobilizes voters and advocates to raise awareness and build support for civil liberties issues including reproductive freedom and racial justice.
- Legislative and policy advocacy at state and federal levelsLobbies lawmakers and testifies before legislative bodies to influence civil liberties-related legislation, including reproductive freedom amendments, regulation of surveillance technologies, and voting rights protections.
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Constitutional and Government Accountability Litigation 2 activities
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation and public records disclosureFiles FOIA lawsuits and compiles public records to expose government surveillance practices, immigration enforcement tactics, and law enforcement activities, including cell-site simulators, social media monitoring, and airport face surveillance.
- Legal advocacy and impact litigation to advance civil libertiesFiles lawsuits in state and federal courts to challenge unconstitutional laws and practices, including those affecting voting rights, immigration enforcement, protest rights, and surveillance, with the goal of achieving broad legal reforms.
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Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 1 activity
- Capacity building for local advocacyProvides toolkits and resources to support community-led campaigns against surveillance systems such as automatic license plate readers.
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Public Awareness and Educational Outreach 1 activity
- Public education on civil rights and constitutional libertiesProvides educational resources, including a Know Your Rights Handbook, and conducts workshops, newsletters, media outreach, and social media campaigns to inform the public about civil liberties such as free speech, due process, privacy, and equal protection under the law.
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Immigrant Rights Advocacy & Policy Reform 1 activity
- Research and publication on civil liberties violationsConducts research, documents abuses, and publishes reports on issues such as immigration enforcement misconduct, surveillance practices, and retaliation for exercising constitutional rights, including the report "Agents of Chaos and Cruelty."
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Civic Engagement and Voter Mobilization 1 activity
- Training volunteers for election protectionTrains thousands of volunteers to monitor polling sites and safeguard election integrity across the United States.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$222.05M
Contributions & grants$220.03M99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1.79M1%
Other revenue$236K
expenses
Total expenses$185.59M
Program expenses81%
Admin / overhead7%
Fundraising13%
Salaries & benefits$39.98M
Grants paid out$10.31M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$242.81M
Cash$71.52M
Investments$107.58M
Liabilities$48.29M
Net assets$194.53M
Liquid reserves11.6 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +55.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 16
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANTHONY D ROMERO | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO | 25 | $1.13M |
| TERENCE R DOUGHERTY | DEP. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/GENERAL COUNSEL | 25 | $659K |
| KARY MOSS | NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF AFFILIATES SUPPORT & NATIONWIDE INITIATIVES | 6 | $647K |
| AJ HIKES | DEP. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY & CULTURE | 26 | $619K |
| MARK V WIER | CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | 6 | $589K |
| CHARIZMA T WILLIAMS | COO | 25 | $539K |
| DAVID D COLE | NATIONAL LEGAL DIRECTOR (THRU 10/15/2024) | 6 | $531K |
| AMARDEEP SINGH | CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER (THRU 11/30/2024) | 26 | $504K |
| DEIRDRE SCHIFELING | CHIEF POLITICAL & ADVOCACY OFFICER | 25 | $499K |
| CECILLIA WANG | NATIONAL LEGAL DIRECTOR (AS OF 10/16/2024) | 6 | $461K |
| KRISTON MCINTOSH | CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING OFFICER | 14 | $459K |
| ALETHEIA HENRY | CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER | 40 | $394K |
| LARISA MUELLER | CFO | 26 | $382K |
| IJEOMA G MBAMALU | CHIEF TECH & ANALYTICS OFFICER | 40 | $364K |
| ISHUGHUN ORKAR | CHIEF EQUITY & INCLUSION OFFICER | 40 | $363K |
| STEPHANIE WECHT | DEPUTY CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 40 | $353K |
board members · 9
- ALEXIS KARTERON — DIRECTOR (AS OF 01/01/2025)
- ALICE BOYER — DIRECTOR
- ALLAN HILLMAN — DIRECTOR
- ALONZO KELLY — DIRECTOR (AS OF 10/01/2024)
- AMBER CYPHERS STEPHENS — DIRECTOR
- AMER SAJED — DIRECTOR
- ANDREW ALEMAN — DIRECTOR
- ANGELA COOK — DIRECTOR (AS OF 01/01/2025)
- ANIL MUJUMDAR — DIRECTOR (THRU 02/02/2025)
relationships · 43
Who they work with
- ACLU Affiliates Network — Collaborates with ACLU affiliates across the U.S. to conduct educational workshops, legislative advocacy, and public outreach on civil liberties issues.
- ACLU affiliates Coalition — Collaborates with ACLU affiliates in each state on lobbying and grassroots advocacy efforts.
- ACLU affiliates Network — State and local ACLU chapters working collectively to pass legislation regulating ALPR camera use.
- ACLU of Louisiana Partner — Represented clients who experienced abuse, forced labor, and medical neglect in ICE detention.
- ACLU of New Jersey Partner — Client involved in operating a mobile health clinic near an ICE detention center and subjected to violence by ICE agents.
- ACLU of North Carolina Partner — Represented a U.S. citizen who was racially profiled and unlawfully detained by federal agents.
- ACLU of North Dakota Network — Filed an amicus brief jointly in support of the right to protest on public roads in Thunderhawk v. Kirchmeier.
- ACLU of Virginia Network — Heather St. Amand leads organizing efforts for the ACLU of Virginia’s campaign to protect reproductive healthcare in the state constitution.
- ACLU of Washington Partner — Collaborated with the ACLU to sue Lewis County over restrictions on syringe service programs.
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC Partner — Counsel alongside ACLU in litigation challenging President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting.
- Association of Americans Resident Overseas Partner — Represented in litigation challenging President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting.
- Axon Partner — Identified as a company selling ALPR systems that the ACLU opposes due to privacy concerns.
- Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis Partner — Represented in litigation challenging Tennessee’s racially discriminatory congressional map.
- Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law Partner — Counsel alongside ACLU in litigation challenging President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting.
- Cambreleng & Marton Partner — Law firm that co-filed a federal lawsuit with the ACLU against Portland and Multnomah County over inaccessible emergency systems for people with disabilities.
- Center for Media Justice Partner — Co-litigated a FOIA lawsuit against the FBI to obtain records on surveillance of Black activists.
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Partner — Represented in litigation challenging President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting.
- Disability Law United Partner — Cosigned and filed a federal lawsuit with the ACLU against Portland and Multnomah County over inaccessible emergency systems for people with disabilities.
- Disability Rights Oregon Partner — Cosigned and filed a federal lawsuit with the ACLU against Portland and Multnomah County over inaccessible emergency systems for people with disabilities.
- ELSAG Partner — Identified as a company selling ALPR systems that the ACLU opposes due to privacy concerns.
- Flock Safety Partner — Target of advocacy campaign opposing its automatic license plate reader (ALPR) surveillance systems.
- Genetec Partner — Identified as a company selling ALPR systems that the ACLU opposes due to privacy concerns.
- Innova Systems Partner — Identified as a company selling ALPR systems that the ACLU opposes due to privacy concerns.
- Jenoptik Partner — Identified as a company selling ALPR systems that the ACLU opposes due to privacy concerns.
- Kaplan & Grady Partner — Co-counsel with the ACLU in litigation against Lewis County regarding syringe service program restrictions.
- LatinoJustice PRLDEF Partner — Counsel alongside ACLU in litigation challenging President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting.
- League of Women Voters of Kentucky Partner — Co-represented in litigation against the DOJ's attempt to obtain sensitive voter data.
- League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Partner — Represented in litigation challenging President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting.
- Legal Defense Fund Partner — Counsel alongside ACLU in litigation challenging President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting.
- Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute Partner — Represented in litigation challenging Tennessee’s racially discriminatory congressional map.
+ 13 more
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Civil Rights Education and Empowermentmethodology: civil_rights_educationBy providing accessible, practical information about legal rights and how to assert them, the ACLU empowers individuals to advocate for and protect their own rights and the rights of others, fostering broader civic engagement and rights protection because informed individuals are more likely to act.
- Grassroots Mobilization and Coalition Advocacymethodology: coalition-based_advocacyBy mobilizing communities and forming coalitions with aligned organizations, the ACLU amplifies advocacy efforts and drives policy change because collective action increases political pressure and public visibility.
- Impact Litigation for Systemic Changemethodology: impact-litigationBy strategically selecting and pursuing high-leverage lawsuits, the ACLU generates broad legal and societal change, particularly for marginalized communities, because precedent-setting rulings can dismantle systemic injustices and shift public policy.
- Storytelling and Public Awareness to Shift Narrativesmethodology: storytelling-to-reduce-stigmaBy using personal storytelling and public education to humanize issues like abortion access and surveillance, the ACLU reduces stigma and shifts public discourse because narrative-based communication fosters empathy and makes abstract rights tangible.
- Systemic Documentation to Expose Patterns of Abusemethodology: systemic-pattern-documentationBy documenting rights violations across diverse populations, the ACLU reveals systemic patterns of misconduct and injustice, which strengthens advocacy and litigation because aggregated evidence undermines claims of isolated incidents.