ACLU Foundation of Texas
Join us for a Texas you can believe in.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Voting Rights
Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest. Despite this, politicians in Texas and across the country continue to engage in voter suppression efforts that include additional obstacles to registration, cutbacks on early voting, and strict voter identification requirements. Through litigation and advocacy, the ACLU of Texas is fighting back against attempts to curtail an essential right in our democracy, the right to vote.
In addition to this work, we also advocate for policies that make it easier for Texans to vote, such as the expansion of same-day and online voter registration, and provide resources to empower eligible Texans to make their voices heard in our democracy.
LGBTQ+ Equality
The ACLU of Texas is dedicated to securing and defending constitutional and civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Texans.
LGBTQ Texans lack the most basic protections against discrimination under state law. Many LGBTQ Texans — including especially vulnerable groups like LGBTQ Texans of color, transgender Texans, and LGBTQ Texas youth — face workplace discrimination, housing discrimination, health care discrimination, bullying, and violence because of their identity.
We are committed to securing protections for these vulnerable groups by fighting for LGBTQ equality in Texas schools, courts, city council chambers, and at the state legislature.
Smart Justice
The ACLU of Texas is committed to helping Texas re-envision a criminal legal system that is fair and free of racial bias, keeps our communities safe, and respects the rights of all who come into contact with it.
Texas has the fourth highest incarceration rate in the country, and many prisoners are locked up for non-violent offenses like drug possession. Incarcerating people is very expensive. Texas has an annual corrections budget of about $3 billion. That money could be better spent on education and programs to improve our communities.
We are committed to reducing the number Texans who are incarcerated and shrinking the footprint of the criminal legal system by seeking reforms in policing, reducing the number of Texans held in pre-trial detention, and seeking changes to overly harsh sentencing that have overcrowded our state’s prisons.
Immigrants' Rights
The fight for immigrants’ rights is especially important in the Lone Star State. Sixteen percent of our state’s residents are foreign-born, and we share a 1,254 mile border with Mexico. That border and the Texas communities along it are the location where many of the anti-immigrant policies, militarization, and overpolicing that have defined US immigration policies are enacted. Texas is thus a critical front in the national battle for immigrants’ rights in our country.
Immigrants in Texas have always been an important part of our state’s history, culture, and economy — but immigrant communities continue to be profiled, harassed, detained, and demonized by extremist politicians and the militarized law enforcement agencies they control. We at the ACLU of Texas are committed to defending those rights in courtrooms, at the state legislature, and in communities large and small throughout the state.
Reproductive Freedom
The ACLU of Texas works to ensure that everyone in our great state can make the best decision for themselves and for their family about when and whether to have a child, without undue influence by politicians and special interest groups.
The decision to have an abortion is deeply personal, and is best left to the individual person, their family, and their doctor. But in spite of the constitutional guarantee to safe, legal abortion services established by Roe v. Wade in 1973, extremist politicians in the Texas legislature and in Texas cities have worked to render abortion services inaccessible to as many Texans as possible.
Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures performed today, and it’s incredibly safe. We must fight back against laws that make it difficult if not impossible for Texans to get an abortion if they need one.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
American Civil Liberties Union 1938
External reviews

How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
ACLU Foundation of Texas
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Ranjana Natarajan
Kurt Schwarz
James Aldrete
Susan C. Young
Madan Goyal
MaryScott Hagle
Lee Henderson
Charles MarLett
Paul Asofsky
Nancy Friedman
Stephen Amberg
Ricardo de Anda
Sahar Aziz
Lydia Camarillo
Carla Holeva
Reggie James
Annette Lamoreaux
Ranjana Natarajan
Maria Ramos
Alec Rhodes
Michael Wyatt
Craig Jackson
Gilberto Hinojosa
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
No data
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/20/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.