The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi Foundation is the charitable organization arm of the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi and a state affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). It focuses on left-of-center issues including LGBT activism, voting access, and police accountability, addressing these issues through litigation and communication.

Major funders include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), The Just Trust, Oxfam America Advocacy Fund, the ACLU of Ohio Foundation, Panorama Global, and New Venture Fund. ^{1 2}

Background

The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi (ACLU-MS) was founded in 1969 near the end of the Civil Rights Movement by individuals associated with Delta Ministries and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson. ³ It’s a state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) which was originally founded in 1920. ⁴

The ACLU-MS is a membership organization with membership dues that are not tax deductible. The ACLU-MS Foundation is its charitable organization arm and accepts tax-deductible contributions. The ACLU-MS and ACLU-MS Foundation share the same website. The ACLU-MS focuses on legislative lobbying. The ACLU-MS Foundation does litigation and communication. ⁵  At the end of 2023 the ACLU of Mississippi had a staff of 12. ⁶

Focus Areas and Litigation

ACLU-MS and ACLU-MS Foundation focuses on left-of-center issues concerning LGBT activism, voting access, perceived “white supremacy and racial injustice,” and police accountability. The Foundation addresses these issues through litigation and communication. ⁷

In 2023 ACLU-MS and ACLU-MS Foundation coordinated emails and calls to legislators, organized webinars, town halls, a rally, and a protest, released statements, and appeared in televised interviews to oppose a bill that restricts gender-affirming hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgical procedures for those under 17. The bill was signed into law. ^{8 9}

The LGBTQ Justice Project is a free legal clinic launched in 2022 by ACLU-MS Foundation for the LGBT community that provides support for civil legal matters. It partners with the Mississippi Center for Justice on this initiative. ^{10 11}

In March 2023 Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed into law legislation that limits who can return a disabled person’s absentee ballot to ensure integrity of the vote. The Southern Poverty Law Center, Mississippi Center for Justice, Disability Rights Mississippi, and the League of Women Voters joined with ACLU-MS Foundation in filing a federal lawsuit challenging this legislation. ^{12 13}

ACLU-MS claims that Black Mississippians face voter suppression because Mississippi doesn’t have online voter registration or early voting options, and district voter maps purposefully dilute the Black vote. ACLU-MS Foundation campaigned online and knocked on doors in October 2023 to increase voter turnout. ¹⁴ In December 2022 the Foundation joined with the Mississippi Center for Justice, the NAACP, and others to challenge the 2022 state voting maps, claiming the maps don’t provide Black residents with an equal opportunity to vote for candidates of their choice. ^{15 16}

In 2023 the Foundation created the Police Accountability Project to challenge perceived police misconduct and “racially motivated and discriminatory policing practices” in Mississippi. ¹⁷

Funding

2023 revenues for ACLU-MS Foundation were $1,051,139 and expenses were $1,888,194. ¹⁸

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) contributed $604,473 to the ACLU of Mississippi Foundation in 2023. Other contributors included $250,000 from The Just Trust and a Rapid Response grant of $23,000 from Washington, D.C. ¹⁹ The Just Trust is a left-of-center grantmaking organization launched in 2021 by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to focus on liberalizing criminal justice. ²⁰

2022 donors included the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation, the Oxfam America Advocacy Fund, the ACLU of Ohio Foundation, Panorama Global, and New Venture Fund. ²¹

Leadership

ACLU-MS and ACLU-MS Foundation share the same leadership team and board. Jarvis Dortch is executive director. He’s an attorney from Mississippi College School of Law. He was a Democratic member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2016 to 2020. In 2020 he left office to accept the executive director position for the Mississippi chapter of the ACLU. ^{22 23}

Crystal Welch is board president. She earned a legal degree from Mississippi College School of Law, where she practices and teaches. Welch is involved in several nonprofit organizations including Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi, the Mississippi Commission on Children’s Justice, and Mississippi State Department of Health Office Against Interpersonal Violence. ²⁴

1. ^[1] ACLU of Mississippi Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Schedule B). 2023.
2. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer – search for 64-0694013. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?sort=best&year%5B%5D=2022&q=64-0694013&submit=Apply
3. “Who We Are.” ACLU Mississippi. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/about/about-us
4. ^[1][1] “Who We Are.” ACLU Mississippi. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/about/about-us
5. ^[1] “Difference Between ACLU and ACLU Foundation.” ACLU Colorado. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-co.org/difference-between-aclu-and-aclu-foundation/
6. From Foundation to Fruition. Annual Report 2023. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/foundation-fruition-annual-report-2023
7. “Crystal Welch.” Mississippi Free Press. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/board_members/crystal-welch
8. From Foundation to Fruition. Annual Report 2023. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/foundation-fruition-annual-report-2023
9. “Mississippi House Bill 1125.” LegiScan. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://legiscan.com/MS/bill/HB1125/2023
10. “LGBTQ Justice Project.” ACLU Mississippi. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/campaigns/lgbtq-justice-project
11. Dustin Cardon. “Affirmative Outreach: ACLU Mississippi Launches Free, In-Person LGBTQ+ Legal Clinics. Mississippi Free Press. June 27, 2022. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/25174/affirmative-outreach-aclu-mississippi-launches-free-in-person-lgbtq-legal-clinics
12. Disability Rights Missippi, et al. V. Lynn Fitch, et al.” ACLU Mississippi. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/cases/disability-rights-mississippi-et-al-v-lynn-fitch-et-al
13. “Disability Rights Mississippi v. Fitch.” League of Women Voters. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://www.lwv.org/legal-center/disability-rights-mississippi-v-fitch
14. From Foundation to Fruition. Annual Report 2023. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/foundation-fruition-annual-report-2023
15. “Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP v. State Board of Election Commissioners.” Accessed April 30, 2024. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/cases/mississippi-state-conference-naacp-v-state-board-election-commissioners
16. “Miss. State Conf. of the NAACP v. State Bd. Of Elec. Commrs.” The American Redistricting Project. March 29, 2024. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://thearp.org/litigation/miss-state-conf-naacp-v-state-bd-elec-commrs/
17. From Foundation to Fruition. Annual Report 2023. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/foundation-fruition-annual-report-2023
18. ACLU of Mississippi Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Part I). 2023.
19.  ACLU of Mississippi Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Schedule B). 2023.
20. “Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Announces $450 Million to Accelerate Criminal Justice & Immigration Reform.” Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. January 27, 2021. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://chanzuckerberg.com/newsroom/chan-zuckerberg-initiative-announces-450-million-to-accelerate-criminal-justice-immigration-reform/
21. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer – search for 64-0694013. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?sort=best&year%5B%5D=2022&q=64-0694013&submit=Apply
22. LinkedIn – Jarvis Dortch. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarvis-dortch-esq-1507195b/
23. “Jarvis Dortch.” Ballotpedia. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/Jarvis_Dortch
24. “Crystal Welch.” Mississippi Free Press. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/board_members/crystal-welch