SILVER2023

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Feminist Founded. Advocates for All.

aka NCLR   |   San Francisco, CA   |  www.nclrights.org

Mission

Mission: NCLR is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education. Our Impact: NCLR’s legal, policy, and legislative victories set important precedents that improve the lives of all LGBTQ people and their families across the country. Our free legal assistance empowers individuals to assert their own legal rights. Our community and public education broadens public support for LGBTQ equality. Projects and Legal Issue Areas Include: Asylum & Immigration; Elders; Employment; Family & Relationships; Federal Legislation & Policy; State Legislation & Policy; Hate Crimes; Healthcare; Housing; Low Income & Poverty; Prisons; and more.

Ruling year info

1993

Executive Director

Imani Rupert-Gordon

Main address

870 Market St Ste 370

San Francisco, CA 94102 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Lesbian Rights Project

EIN

94-3086885

NTEE code info

Lesbian/Gay Rights (R26)

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (R01)

Civil Liberties Advocacy (R60)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2020, 2019 and 2019.
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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Our Proud History In 1977, a brave and determined woman, fresh out of law school and eager to make a difference, decided to put her knowledge to good use. As a legal scholar, Donna Hitchens saw the courtroom as a way to change the world. As a lesbian, she had experienced frustrations and fears—both personal and professional—and didn’t want others to suffer the same. As a future parent, she knew she would face even more challenges ahead. The National Center for Lesbian Rights was born. Each year, NCLR shapes the legal landscape for all LGBTQ people and families across the nation through its precedent- setting litigation, legislation, policy, and public education. For more than three decades, NCLR has led historic cases, and it is still blazing trails in pursuit of justice, fairness, and legal protections for all LGBTQ people.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Legal Programs and Services

Elder Law: End of life issues, senior and assisted-living facilities, estate and financial planning, healthcare, surviving partner benefits, partnership protection.

Employment: Employment benefits, employment discrimination, housing and public accommodations discrimination. Families and Parenting: Adoption and foster parenting, alternative insemination and assisted reproduction, child custody and visitation, partnership protection.

Healthcare: Living wills, medical power of attorney, senior and assisted-living facilities, sex reassignment surgeries, family planning, access to healthcare, fertility treatment, a woman?s right to choose, HIV status.

Immigration: Bi-national couples, persecution on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.

Marriage: Marriage discrimination.

Other Civil Rights: First amendment, domestic violence, hate crimes, law enforcement, prison issues. Relationship Recognition: Civil unions, domestic partnerships, other relationship protections, dissolution. Sports: Homophobia and gender identity discrimination in sports, hiring and firing, recruiting, advising and assisting athletes, coaches, teams, schools, and associations. Transgender Law: Family law, youth, discrimination, healthcare, prison issues. Youth: Juvenile justice and foster care, school harassment and discrimination, access to healthcare.

Population(s) Served
LGBTQ people

Where we work

Awards

2009 Community Leadership Award 2009

San Francisco Foundation

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

NCLR's goals include:

Economic and racial justice are increasingly centered and advanced within LGBTQ movement narratives and litigation and advocacy priorities, and LGBTQ communities in less well-served geographies are better addressed.

Systems and practices (e.g., juvenile law system, child welfare system, conversion therapy) that harm and/or undermine LGBTQ youth and LGBTQ families are effectively challenged, and where possible, transformative steps are taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of LGBTQ youth and families.

Case law, policy, and public discourse increasingly support protecting the identity, privacy, dignity and autonomy of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people, and continue to more effectively protect LGBQ people.

Healthcare access and bodily autonomy are protected and advanced in case law, policy, and public discourse, especially for transgender people.

LGBTQ immigrants and asylum-seekers have the support and resources they need to secure legal status and protect their wellbeing.

Efforts to identify and strengthen common ground between LGBTQ communities and conservative religious communities, as well as cross-movement conversations around constructive approaches to religious liberty, are fostered and advanced.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a national legal organization dedicated to achieving full civil and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people and their families through impact litigation, public policy work, direct legal services, and community and public education. NCLR also provides support and technical assistance to attorneys who represent LGBTQ clients, and educates the legal profession, the LGBTQ community, and allied constituencies on issues affecting LGBTQ people. We:
· Litigate precedent-setting cases at the trial and appellate court levels
· Provide free direct legal assistance to LGBTQ clients and their legal advocates
· Advocate for equitable public policies affecting the LGBTQ community
· Provide training and education to broaden public support for LGBTQ civil rights
· Collaborate with other social justice organizations and activists

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    NCLR is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.)

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

Financials

National Center for Lesbian Rights
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build 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.

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Board of directors
as of 01/27/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Liz Kim

Conrad | Metlitzky | Kane LLP

Term: 2017 - 2023


Board co-chair

Elisa Diana Huerta

Elizabeth Kim, Esq.

Munger, Tolles & Olson

Dom Brassey

Mapbox

Hillary Smith, Esq.

Square

Dr. Elisa Diana Huerta

University of California, Berkeley

Shauna Madison

Medina Orthwein LLP

A Sparks

Masto Foundation

Karen Bowen

Erin Fahy

Jen Cornell

Dulce Garcia

Saydeah Howard

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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? No
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • 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? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 1/27/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Female
Sexual orientation
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or other sexual orientations in the LGBTQIA+ community

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/11/2022

GuideStar 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

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • 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.