What is Alliance Defending Freedom?

The ACLU boasts of more than 1 million members, activists, and supporters across the country, more than 2,000 volunteer attorneys, and about 100 staff attorneys. According to their 2014 financial statements, the ACLU and the ACLU Foundation had combined total assets of more than $901 million. The ACLU and its allies are incredibly well-funded to engage in legal intimidation and campaigns of fear and disinformation against people who want to freely live out their faith.

Alliance Defending Freedom is entirely dependent on the generosity of our Ministry Friends for our sustenance. We accept no government funds.

Alliance Defending Freedom is a “no-debt” organization, which means we only move forward with initiatives as people provide the resources in advance. We do not borrow operating funds, and we only implement our programs based on available funds already in the bank. We retain funds committed to grants we award for cases and projects in a designated account. An organization or attorney who is awarded a grant is not paid until the work or expenses are completed.

Alliance Defending Freedom makes copies of its financial reports widely available in accordance with standards and guidelines established by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).You can download PDF copies of our audited financial statements and Form 990 here.

We are governed by a non-paid, independent board of directors which has adopted principles of financial accountability, including strict internal controls, external and board oversight, and a Ministry Friend Bill of Rights. Additionally, our annual IRS Form 990 and Audited Financial Statements are available here.

We have been a member in good standing with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) since 1995, the year Alliance Defending Freedom first became eligible to join. More about ECFA and its standards for membership are available on the ECFA website. Alliance Defending Freedom complies with individual state charitable registration requirements and also submits to an annual audit by an independent accounting firm.

Alliance Defending Freedom has chosen to belong to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and its ministry standards of responsible stewardship. Alliance Defending Freedom has been a member in good standing with the ECFA since 1995 when the ministry first became eligible to join. More about ECFA, its standards for membership, and information about choosing a ministry to support are available on the ECFA website. Because of this, Alliance Defending Freedom does not typically attempt to keep track of other group’s standards, such as those of the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Grant applications are available here or by contacting our Grants and Funding Department at Grants@ADFlegal.org.

If you think you might need legal assistance, please fill out our legal request form or call 1-800-835-5233.

America was founded on the pursuit of religious freedom, including the liberty to acknowledge God and to pray in the public square.

This liberty originates in higher law, or “the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God,” as the Declaration of Independence puts it. In the words of Rabbi Daniel Lapin, the Founding Fathers modeled themselves “upon God's ancient people” and “wrote what they considered to be a modern-day interpretation of the basic biblical principles of government.”

Those principles demand a place for religious expression in the public square. Unfortunately, radical advocates have long been trying to re-write the Constitution by making the First Amendment say something it doesn't. The First Amendment plainly forbids the creation of a national church, because that would be an “establishment of religion.” It says nothing about the so-called “separation of church and state,” a largely misunderstood phrase the Supreme Court used many years later to help explain the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

The free exercise of religion is America's First Liberty, and is both a fundamental and inalienable right. Because the principles of religious freedom apply broadly, Alliance Defending Freedom has assisted people of other faith traditions in the past when it advances our common cause for religious freedom. In extremely rare situations, Alliance Defending Freedom has assisted persons who claim no particular faith when the legal principle is crucial and prevailing in the case – and will advance the organization’s mission. Whether a particular case is accepted for representation depends on its alignment within our mission and the capacity of our team.

As a pro-life organization, Alliance Defending Freedom believes that God is the author and creator of all life and that we should all work together toward fostering a culture that recognizes human life as sacred – from conception to natural death. Alliance Defending Freedom unequivocally condemns any form of violence used to defend the sanctity of human life, as a contradiction of that God-given right to life and a denial of God’s sovereignty and authority.

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We actively oppose, through legal action and advocacy, partial-birth abortion, dismemberment abortion, and all other forms of abortion on demand, as well as the public funding of abortion. We oppose methods of "research" or "family planning" that require the taking of human life and any efforts to legalize doctor-aided death or euthanasia. We defend rights of conscience to not be forced to assist in or facilitate the taking of innocent life, or life prevention or life-destroying drugs. We also defend the free speech rights of pro-life counselors and advocates, and support the legality of parental notification, informed consent laws, admitting privilege requirements, and other common sense regulations that protect the health of mothers.

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The government’s overriding interest in recognizing marriage is to connect children to both their mother and their father by connecting mothers and fathers to each other.

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Information and resources for your church and pastor can be found here. 

If you would like to invite Alliance Defending Freedom to come and speak at your church or gathering, please complete the Speaker Invitation Request form here or call 1-800-835-5233.

Generally, yes. In cases won by Alliance Defending Freedom and its allies, it has been made clear that if a public school or other government building like a community center allows access to private groups, it cannot deny access to a religious group. For example, if a civic club is allowed to meet, the state can't deny a church the right to meet on the same terms. Recently the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal we filed, leaving in place a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which held that a Board of Education of the City of New York policy that prohibited school facilities from being used for religious worship services was constitutional. We are not currently aware of any other school districts that have such a policy, and New York City has indicated that it may revise its policy to allow churches to continue meeting for worship.

If you are facing a circumstance that prompted this question, please call our office at 1-800-835-5233 or click here  to tell us more about the specifics of your situation.

Yes. There is no legal authority that allows a public school to "ban" its students from possessing a Bible on campus – from kindergarten on up. Students may read their personal Bibles during non-instructional time and may use them as a resource for class assignments – when that use squarely meets the academic purpose for the assignment. Learn more about the freedom students have to live out their faith at school by downloading our free Student Rights Handbook.

If you are facing a circumstance that prompted this question, please call our office at 1-800-835-5233 or click here to tell us more about the specifics of your situation.

Yes. A student has the right to pray at school, and it is permissible for several students to pray together. Prayer – just like any form of speech – cannot be done in a way that causes a material and substantial disruption. But so long as student prayers are not disruptive, they are protected by the First Amendment.

If you are facing a circumstance that prompted this question, please call our office at 1-800-835-5233 or click here  to tell us more about the specifics of your situation.

Student-led prayer at public school graduation ceremonies is constitutional, so long as the student speaker is neutrally-selected, the school does not review the student’s remarks beforehand, the student is given the freedom to speak on the topic of his or her choice, and the school does not encourage a student to pray. Under these circumstances, student speakers, such as valedictorians or salutatorians, can incorporate a prayer or other religious sentiment into their presentations as part of their free speech right.

If you are facing a circumstance that prompted this question, please call our office at 1-800-835-5233 or click here  to tell us more about the specifics of your situation.

A primary and growing response to the anti-religious efforts of America’s government-run public school system has been the decision of religious parents nationwide to transfer their children to private schools or other public school options like charter schools, or in many cases, to take on the teaching responsibilities themselves through homeschool programs. The goal of Alliance Defending Freedom is to facilitate, promote, and defend religious liberty as it relates to the educational choices made by parents and lived out by students regardless of the form or funding of their chosen school.

Yes. Voluntary Bible studies during non-work hours are usually permitted at the work place—this is especially true for government employees. Non-religious employers cannot generally require people to attend or base job performance evaluations on whether they are attending the Bible study.

If you are facing a circumstance that prompted this question, please call our office at 1-800-835-5233 or click here  to tell us more about the specifics of your situation.

Neither public nor private secular employers may discriminate on the basis of religion. Government employers are required to respect the First Amendment rights of their employees. Private employers must respect religious liberties under the law known as Title VII.

If you are employed by a government entity and have experienced religious discrimination at your job, please contact us at 1-800-835-5233 or complete our legal help form and tell us your story.

If you are employed by a private employer and have experienced religious discrimination at your job, depending on the facts of your situation, we may be able to put you in touch with an attorney who could handle your case. For more information on Title VII and religious discrimination, visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.