ACLU Membership

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1920 to defend the individual rights and freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the United States. It is the oldest and most broadly active civil liberties organization in American history.

The ACLU works in three interconnected ways:

• Litigation (court cases): The ACLU’s 550 attorneys file and argue cases in state and federal courts across all 50 states to challenge laws and government actions that violate constitutional rights. These cases often reach the Supreme Court and set precedents that affect every American for generations.
• Legislative advocacy (lobbying): The ACLU advocates directly to lawmakers at the federal, state, and local level — pushing for laws that protect civil liberties and opposing laws that threaten them. This is why the ACLU is organized as a 501(c)(4) — it is legally allowed to lobby, which charitable 501(c)(3) organizations cannot do freely.
• Public education and organizing: The ACLU educates the public about their rights, trains community organizers, and mobilizes millions of activists to generate political pressure on elected officials.

The ACLU is nonpartisan — it has defended the rights of people across the political spectrum, from defending neo-Nazis’ right to march (Skokie, 1977) to challenging government surveillance programs. Its only allegiance is to the Constitution.

As of 2025, the ACLU has affiliates in all 50 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico — a total of 54 affiliate offices — with a combined network of 7 million members and activists, 2,175 staff, and 550 attorneys.

The ACLU has been involved in some of the most consequential legal decisions in American history. Here is a chronological overview of landmark victories:

ACLU membership is open to anyone who wants to support the defense of civil liberties. There is no application process or eligibility requirement — anyone can join. Here are the options:

• Standard annual membership: $35 or more per year. The $35 figure is the widely published suggested minimum for individual membership across most ACLU affiliate chapters. Some chapters set their own minimums — the ACLU of Washington confirms “paying annual dues of $35 or more” qualifies you for full membership. You may give more if you wish.
• Joint/couple membership: approximately $50 per year. Covers two adults at the same address under one membership.
• Student and low-income membership: $5 per year. Available for students and those with limited income. The ACLU Northern California membership form lists “$5 student/low-income” as a category. This ensures financial barriers do not prevent anyone from becoming a member.
• Monthly giving (“Guardian of Liberty”): minimum $5 per month. Monthly giving automatically renews your membership and is the preferred way for the ACLU to receive support because it provides predictable income for ongoing legal work. Your pledge is charged on the same date each month.
• Gift membership: You can purchase an ACLU membership as a gift for a friend or family member. You can also give an honorary or memorial gift in someone’s name — a meaningful way to honor a person who cared about civil liberties.

How to join: Online at ACLU.org (fastest and most immediate), by phone at 888-567-ACLU (888-567-2258), or by mailing a check payable to “American Civil Liberties Union” to ACLU Membership Department, 125 Broad Street, 18th floor, New York, NY 10004.

ACLU membership is primarily a statement of support and financial contribution to civil liberties work. Unlike a commercial membership (like a gym or a warehouse store), the ACLU does not offer consumer discounts or physical benefits packages. Here is what membership does include:

• Your ACLU membership card: A physical membership card is mailed to you after joining. It typically takes 3–4 weeks for new membership cards to be processed and delivered. If you need proof of membership sooner, you can print a temporary card from your online account or the ACLU website.
• ACLU Magazine: Published twice a year, ACLU Magazine covers the organization’s current litigation, advocacy work, and the stories of people directly affected by civil liberties battles. Subscribers receive it by mail. This is the primary tangible publication that comes with membership.
• State affiliate newsletter: When you join the ACLU, you automatically become a member of both the national organization and your state’s local affiliate. Your membership dues support both. The state affiliate sends its own regular communications about local civil liberties issues and events.
• Email updates and action alerts: You will receive regular communications about urgent civil liberties issues and opportunities to contact your elected officials when critical votes or decisions are imminent. You can adjust your communication preferences at any time.
• The knowledge that your dues fund real legal work: Your membership directly supports the ACLU’s network of attorneys filing cases, advocates lobbying for better laws, and organizers mobilizing communities across all 50 states.

Privacy note: Your state affiliate protects member anonymity and does not share your name with other organizations. The national ACLU office does participate in a mailing list exchange with some organizations — if you receive unwanted mailings, contact the national office to opt out.

This is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of ACLU support, and it is worth understanding clearly before you decide how to give.

Membership dues to the ACLU are NOT tax deductible. This is stated explicitly on the ACLU’s official renewal page: “Contributions to the American Civil Liberties Union are not tax deductible.” The reason is rooted in tax law: the ACLU is organized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. Organizations classified as 501(c)(4) are allowed to engage in lobbying and political advocacy — activities essential to the ACLU’s mission of influencing legislation — but federal law specifically makes contributions to 501(c)(4) organizations non-deductible precisely because of this lobbying work.

However — there is a way to make a tax-deductible gift to support ACLU work. The ACLU Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) organization that handles the ACLU’s litigation, public education, and communications work. Gifts to the ACLU Foundation ARE tax deductible. When you donate $1,000 or more to the ACLU Foundation, you also join the ACLU Impact Society.

Here is the practical breakdown for seniors making charitable giving decisions:

• ACLU (501c4) membership dues: Fund lobbying, advocacy, grassroots organizing, and litigation → NOT tax deductible, but you get formal membership status and your ACLU card
• ACLU Foundation (501c3) donation: Fund litigation, public education, communications → IS tax deductible, eligible for Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), stock gifts, and IRA charitable rollovers
• Donating to both allows you to fund all three arms of the ACLU’s work and take the maximum tax advantage on the Foundation portion

For seniors considering estate planning or larger gifts: The ACLU Foundation accepts gifts of stock or other securities, distributions from Donor-Advised Funds (the ACLU Foundation is an eligible 501(c)(3) recipient), and bequests or charitable gift annuities through the ACLU’s Gift Planning program. Federal employees can designate the ACLU Foundation through the Combined Federal Campaign using CFC designation #11890.

The ACLU sends renewal notices before your annual membership expires so there is no gap in your membership status. Here is how the main options work:

• Annual membership renewal: You will receive a renewal notice by mail before your membership expires. You can renew online at ACLU.org, by phone at 888-567-ACLU, or by mailing a check. Your membership begins the month your dues are processed.
• Monthly giving (Guardian of Liberty): If you give monthly, your membership automatically renews as long as your pledge is active — no annual renewal notice needed. The ACLU charges your card on the same date each month. You can change your monthly amount or update your payment method by calling 888-567-ACLU or visiting aclu.org/GOLpayment.
• Changing your contribution amount: You can increase or decrease your giving amount at any time by contacting the ACLU at 888-567-ACLU or logging in to your online account.
• Canceling: You can cancel your ACLU membership at any time. For monthly giving, call 888-567-ACLU. For annual memberships, simply do not renew. There are no cancellation fees or penalties.
• Refund policy: Like most charitable organizations, the ACLU does not issue refunds on membership contributions.
• Updating your address or contact information: Call 888-567-ACLU or contact your state affiliate. Keeping your address current ensures you receive your membership card and magazine.

Voting rights are one of the ACLU’s most active and consequential areas of litigation. Seniors vote at higher rates than any other age group in the United States, making voting rights protections directly important to older Americans.

Here is what the ACLU has done recently on voting rights:

• Blocked proof-of-citizenship voter registration requirement: The ACLU’s 2025 Annual Report confirms that the ACLU successfully blocked a presidential executive order that would have required documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote — a requirement that could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters who lack easy access to birth certificates or passports.
• Alabama redistricting (Allen v. Milligan, 2023): The ACLU successfully argued at the Supreme Court that Alabama’s congressional districts discriminated against Black voters under the Voting Rights Act. New maps were ordered for the 2024 elections — maps that for the first time gave Black voters a fair opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. The case continued into 2025 with a federal court ruling that the 2023 map was passed with racially discriminatory intent.
• Louisiana redistricting: The ACLU is currently representing Black voters in Louisiana to ensure fair congressional maps that reflect the state’s significant Black population, including rearguments before the Supreme Court on key questions about the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment.
• Fighting voter suppression: The ACLU actively monitors and challenges laws that make it harder to vote — including restrictions on mail-in voting, reduction of polling locations, and burdensome ID requirements that can disproportionately affect older adults who no longer drive or have difficulty traveling to government offices.

The ACLU’s Disability Rights program is directly relevant to older Americans, because disability is often acquired later in life — through illness, accident, or the natural process of aging. Here is how the ACLU protects the rights of people with disabilities, including seniors:

• The right to live at home, not in a nursing home: The ACLU has long advocated for what it calls the Medicaid “institutional bias” — the fact that Medicaid funding is structured to support nursing home placement but not always in-home care, even when in-home care is less expensive and the person prefers it. The landmark Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C. (1999) — a case the ACLU helped shape — established that unnecessarily institutionalizing a person with disabilities who could live in the community is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ACLU continues to fight for funding home and community-based services that give seniors and people with disabilities a real choice.
• Freedom from overrepresentation in institutions: The ACLU’s Disability Rights program states its commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities are no longer segregated into “nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, jails, and prisons.” For older adults, this directly means fighting against the inappropriate institutionalization of seniors who could live independently with the right support.
• Access to health care and Medicare protections: The ACLU challenges policies that restrict access to medical care based on age or disability — including advocating for equal access to health care for older LGBTQ+ adults and people of color who often face compounding discrimination in healthcare settings.
• Digital privacy for medical records: As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, the ACLU fights to protect seniors’ medical privacy from government surveillance and corporate data collection.

Free speech and privacy protections may sound like abstract legal concepts, but they have very concrete effects on older Americans’ everyday lives:

• Freedom of speech means you can speak out: Many seniors are active voices in their communities — attending town halls, writing letters to the editor, protesting policies they disagree with, or simply expressing political opinions. The ACLU’s century-long defense of free speech means those expressions are constitutionally protected, even when unpopular with those in power.
• Your medical records and financial data: The ACLU has been a leading voice against government overreach in surveillance. The 2018 Carpenter v. United States ruling — which the ACLU helped achieve — established that police need a warrant to access cell phone location data. As healthcare and financial records increasingly move online, these privacy protections matter for seniors who are frequent targets of identity theft and fraud.
• The right to protest and assemble: The ACLU defends the right of people of all ages to gather and make their voices heard. Peaceful protest is one of the most direct ways citizens can influence their government, and the ACLU protects that right.
• Freedom of religion: The ACLU defends both freedom of religion (the right to practice your faith) and freedom from state-imposed religion (no government should force religious observance or preference). This balance protects the religious diversity of all Americans.
• AI and automated decision-making: The ACLU is actively fighting to ensure that advances in artificial intelligence do not deepen racial or other inequities in critical areas including housing, healthcare, and benefits decisions that directly affect older Americans.

The ACLU’s 2025 Annual Report and its January 2026 report “Defeat, Delay, Dilute: ACLU Versus President Trump” provide a comprehensive picture of the organization’s current work and effectiveness:

Scale of recent work:

• The ACLU took 230+ legal actions against the Trump administration in 2025 — including filing over 110 lawsuits, 53 of them in the first 100 days of the administration’s second term
• 64% of ACLU lawsuits have delayed, diluted, or defeated challenged policies
• The ACLU advanced 78 policy proposals in 43 states, including 51 state laws passed as part of the “Firewall for Freedom” effort — using state and local power to counter federal overreach
• Generated 3 million digital actions and over 56,000 constituent calls to legislators

Specific victories that matter broadly:

• Blocked the executive order requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote
• Blocked a nationwide ban on essential healthcare for transgender people under 19
• Challenged withholding of Title X federal family-planning grants
• Helped prevent 83% of 6 scored federal anti-immigrant bills from becoming law
• Ensured fair redistricting in Alabama and Louisiana to protect Black voting power

The ACLU has also published a congressional scorecard tracking civil liberties votes in the House and Senate since the start of the 119th Congress, providing citizens with clear information about how their representatives vote on rights-related issues.

Yes — and the ACLU’s history is full of cases that demonstrate exactly this. The ACLU’s commitment is to the Constitution and the rights of individuals, not to any political party or ideology.

Some of the most striking examples of the ACLU’s nonpartisan approach:

• Defending neo-Nazis’ right to march (Skokie, 1977): When a neo-Nazi group sought to march through Skokie, Illinois — a community with many Holocaust survivors — the ACLU defended their First Amendment right to do so, even though the ACLU strongly opposed everything the Nazis stood for. This remains one of the most controversial and principled stances in the organization’s history.
• Defending religious conservatives: The ACLU has defended the free speech rights of street preachers, religious organizations, and others whose speech many liberals find offensive.
• Challenging government overreach across administrations: The ACLU challenged surveillance programs under the Obama administration (NSA metadata collection) and has challenged executive overreach under multiple presidents of both parties.
• Supporting due process for everyone: The ACLU believes in due process protections even for people accused of serious crimes — because the rules of fair legal process exist to protect everyone, not just the innocent.

The ACLU’s position is straightforward: constitutional rights belong to every person, not just those with whom we agree. Protecting unpopular speech, unpopular defendants, and unpopular causes is how the ACLU ensures those protections are strong enough to protect everyone — including you.

Joining the ACLU is straightforward. There is no application, approval process, or eligibility requirement. Anyone who wishes to support civil liberties can become a member.

1. Decide how much you want to give. Standard individual membership starts at $35/year. Students and those with limited income can join for $5/year. Monthly giving starts at $5/month. There is no maximum — you may give more if you choose.

2. Choose your preferred way to join:

   • Online (fastest): Visit ACLU.org and click “Become a Member.” You can complete your membership immediately with a credit or debit card.
   • By phone: Call 888-567-ACLU (888-567-2258). Representatives can walk you through the membership process and answer any questions you have.
   • By mail: Send a check payable to “American Civil Liberties Union” to: ACLU Membership Department, 125 Broad Street, 18th floor, New York, NY 10004. Include your name, mailing address, and email if you would like email updates.

3. Choose annual or monthly giving. Annual membership is a one-time yearly contribution. Monthly giving (the Guardian of Liberty program) automatically renews your membership and is preferred by the ACLU for sustained funding. Monthly giving starts at $5/month ($60/year minimum).

4. Your membership card will arrive by mail in approximately 3–4 weeks after a new membership is processed. You can print a temporary card from the ACLU website while you wait.

5. Separately consider a tax-deductible gift to the ACLU Foundation if that matters to your tax planning. This is distinct from the membership dues you pay to the ACLU itself, and is not required to be a member.

Yes — the ACLU offers a variety of ways to support its work, each with different tax implications and impact:

• Gift to the ACLU Foundation (tax deductible): The 501(c)(3) ACLU Foundation supports litigation, communications, and public education. Gifts to the Foundation qualify for the charitable deduction. ACLU Foundation accepts checks, credit cards, stock transfers, gifts from Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), and IRA charitable rollovers.
• ACLU Impact Society ($1,000+ to Foundation): A community of major donors who support the full breadth of ACLU work at a higher level of commitment.
• Gift membership for someone else: You can give an ACLU membership as a gift to a friend, family member, or anyone you choose. Perfect for someone who cares deeply about rights and freedoms.
• Memorial and honorary gifts: You can make a gift to the ACLU in memory of or in honor of a loved one — a meaningful tribute that reflects someone’s values and commitment to justice.
• Gift planning (estate and legacy gifts): Seniors with estate planning goals can leave a gift to the ACLU Foundation in their will, through a beneficiary designation on a retirement account or life insurance policy, or through a charitable gift annuity. The ACLU’s Gift Planning program provides more information at ACLU.org.
• Federal employee CFC designation: Federal employees and retirees can direct Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) donations to the ACLU Foundation using CFC designation #11890.
• Volunteer and people power: Membership also connects you to the ACLU’s People Power activist program, allowing you to participate in letter-writing campaigns, constituent calls to legislators, and local advocacy events — no prior legal knowledge required.