Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc.

1. End state/church violations by educating about the law, deterring violations and enforcing the law.
2. Provide education and outreach to the public about nontheism and the importance of the Establishment Clause.
3. Promote the creation of public policy and legislation to support the separation of state and church and uphold secular values.

1. Conduct educational outreach to public school officials about how to avoid state/church violations.
By educating public school officials about common state/church violations and how to avoid them, FFRF proactively addresses the most common type of legal complaint it receives. Such education serves the parents of school-aged children who object to the inappropriate practice of religion in public schools by school officials; the children themselves who are often the subject of ridicule or ostracism for not being religious or of a different religion than the majority of their peers; and school staff who disagree with these inappropriate practices and face professional repercussions if they publicly object. FFRF legal staff create materials to educate school officials, including videos, written guidelines and informational brochures. In addition, staff will reach out to educational associations to offer to present on the topic.
2. Encourage critical thinking and avenues for self-expression for freethinking students. FFRF endows and conducts student essay contests with cash awards for the top entries, as well as offering awards and scholarships for outstanding student activists and freethinking individuals. Top winners are invited to address FFRF's annual convention.
3. Pursue litigation when a legal complaint is not resolved by educational outreach.
FFRF receives more than a thousand complaints annually about potential violations of the Establishment Clause. The legal staff sends hundreds of letters annually in response to the public officials involved in the violation. The purposes of the letters are 1) to educate officials about the law and how to address the violations, 2) to gather more information about the issue, and 3) Investigate activities by government officials and raise awareness of practices that run afoul of the law.
4. FFRF aims to build working relationships with Congress members to promote the creation of public policy and legislation to support the separation of state and church and uphold secular values.

FFRF receives financial support from a growing membership, currently more than 40,000 individuals from the US and abroad. We have a healthy financial outlook.

FFRF has an experienced and committed staff, including our respected legal team. We've been able to strategically add staff and improve our use of technology to increase our capacity. We have become a hybrid work environment, and have the technology and equipment to work completely remote if an emergency arises.

Support for our scholarships and awards for nonreligious young people is strong. FFRF also partners with other secular organizations that specifically serve students and youth to expand our outreach and increase visibility.

FFRF recently created a related 501(c)(4) organization to leverage our allowable lobbying expenditures to empower secular constituents to advocate for reason-based public policy and legislation. We also created a new state legislative specialist position.

Our annual year in review is available on our website at https://ffrf.org/about/year-in-review.
Highlights this year include 3 successful lawsuits:
-New Jersey agreed to adopt a secular affirmation option for public office candidates instead of using a previously mandatory religious oath.
-FFRF filed a lawsuit challenging the state of South Carolina's unconstitutional $1.5 million funding of a religious group. After pressure from the lawsuit, the religious group withdrew its request for state funding.
-FFRF filed and won a lawsuit on behalf of parents and students in the the Cabell County (West Virginia) school district after the Board of Education allowed a Christian revival group to perform at the school. The lawsuit also challenged a pattern of disregarding students' religious freedom and promotion of Christian religious practices. The school board agreed to policy changes that would prevent future violations.