Free Expression: Organizations

This extensive, but carefully selected, list of associations includes citizen-run and nonprofit organizations that promote the free and respectful exchange of ideas. They do not require a membership fee and provide a wide variety of resources of benefit to the public.

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  • American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Defends and preserves the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person by the U.S. Constitution and laws.
    • Free Speech – Lists podcasts, news and commentary, and reports on the ACLU’s role in free speech.
  • Banned Books Week Coalition: “an international alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read. The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship.”
  • Better Arguments Project: “[A] national civic initiative created to help bridge divides – not by papering over those divides but by helping people have Better Arguments. In this sense, arguments don’t have to drive us apart. Better Arguments can bring us together.”
  • Bipartisan Leadership: “We are a group of citizens with extensive political and governmental experience from both sides of the political fence who have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. We know we can do better and must do better to have our democracy survive and thrive. We know that honorable people hold legitimately different political views. We are not suggesting that partisans will, nor should they, reach agreement on every issue. But, every issue can be considered in a bipartisan spirit that seeks constructive solutions for the common good over political and self interest.”
  • Braver Angels: A volunteer, citizens’ organization that seeks to depolarize American politics by transforming attitudes towards one another using the patriotic-empathy approach.
    • Programs – Describes a wide variety of events offered to help people understand one another beyond stereotypes, form community alliances, and reduce the vitriol that poisons our civic culture.
  • Citizen Connect: “A resource hub that connects with over 500 citizen organizations that share the conviction that America is stronger if people work together. It is not about agreeing on everything; it is about finding what we can agree on and making it happen.”
  • Comic Book Legal Defense Fund: “[A] non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals.”
  • Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): [N]onprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. EFF’s mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world.”
  • Free Expression Network: “[A]n alliance of organizations dedicated to protecting the First Amendment right of free expression and the values it represents, and to opposing governmental efforts to suppress constitutionally-protected speech. FEN members provide a wide range of expertise, resources and services to policymakers, the media, scholars, and the public at large.”
  • The Free Speech Center: “[A] nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy center dedicated to building understanding of the five freedoms of the First Amendment through education, information and engagement.”
    • The First Amendment Encyclopedia: “[A]n unparalleled collection of more than 1,500 articles on First Amendment topics, court cases and history, written to be accessible by young people and the general public.”
  • Freedom Forum: The organization’s mission is to educate and empower a diverse range of individuals, including students, educators, journalists, journalism educators, and community leaders. They aim to foster a culture that values free expression, promotes First Amendment awareness, encourages storytelling, and advocates for an inclusive newsroom environment.
  • Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF): “A non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association. FTRF protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect – and individuals to access – information.
  • Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE): Educates Americans about the importance of free speech and thought, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them. Defends free speech, academic freedom, due process, press freedom, and religious liberty on university campuses.
    • Research and Learn: An extensive library of resources and research on free speech, due process, and other civil liberties; searchable by resource type.
  • iCivics: “We champion equitable, non-partisan civic education so that the practice of democracy is learned by each new generation. We work to inspire life-long civic engagement by providing high-quality and engaging civics resources to teachers and students across our nation.”
    • CivXNow: A nonpartisan coalition of over 300 organization working to improve K-12 education.
  • Index on Censorship: “Index on Censorship is a nonprofit that campaigns for and defends free expression worldwide. We publish work by censored writers and artists, promote debate, and monitor threats to free speech. We believe that everyone should be free to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution – no matter what their views.”
    • About Free Expression
  • National Book Foundation: “The mission…is to celebrate the best literature published in the United States, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in our culture.”
  • National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC): The NCAC acts as a first responder for free expression. The NCAC upholds free expression as a fundamental human right and essential for democracy in the ever-changing American nation. Their objective is freedom of thought and opposition to censorship, promoting dialogue between diverse voices, including those that have been historically suppressed.
  • National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD): A membership organization that engages and mobilizes people to come together and strengthen understanding of each other and issues in ways that support community-building and collaborative problem-solving.
  • National Constitution Center: A private, nonprofit organization serving as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate.
  • PEN America: [S]tands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.”
    • Free Expression and Education: “[F]ree expression and education program works to reconcile these tensions by working with schools, colleges, and universities to ensure robust protections for academic freedom and freedom of speech are balanced with advancements in diversity and inclusion, as well efforts to redress legacies of discrimination and inequity. Our team of experts engage in research, advocacy, trainings, public events, and youth programming, and we have developed specialized resources for college administrators, faculty, and students.”