American Civil Liberties Union Foundation

ACLU Foundation defends free speech, religious freedom, due process and personal privacy. Fights discrimination against minorities, women, the poor and others. Local offices in every state to defend your rights.

Why do we exist?

The ACLU's mission is to protect and defend the individual rights enumerated in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Through litigation and public education, the ACLU works to defend a broad range of rights, including freedom of speech, separation of church and state, racial equality, lesbian and gay rights, the right to privacy, reproductive freedom, immigrants' rights and many more.

What have you accomplished?

Over the years, the ACLU has won many important victories that today ensure the individual rights of each and every American. ACLU lawyers are involved in some 6,000 cases nationwide, and we participate in more before cases before the United States Supreme Court than any group other than the Justice Department.

Most recently, we achieved a historic victory in ACLU v. Reno when the Supreme Court voted unanimously to overturn the Communications Decency Act (CDA). The CDA would have barred from the Internet an astonishing range of materials that would be perfectly legal to print or broadcast on other media -- including classical works of art and factual information about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. This is the most significant First Amendment ruling in decades and it was the ACLU that was at the forefront, protecting our precious freedoms.

	How do you help people in my community?		Why do you need my support?
	How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?		Can I Volunteer? How?