Elephant Circle

Elephant Circle is an abortion-advocacy organization that offers consultation services to support efforts to prohibit the incarceration and prosecution of pregnant and postpartum women, to support equity initiatives in midwifery, and to oppose “state intervention” against mothers and family members involved in substance abuse. It has partnered with Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), Colorado Birth Center Coalition, Colorado Coalition to Protect Children and Family Rights, Denver Health Doula Project, Forward Together, Human Rights in Childbirth, Incarcerate Survivors Initiating Social Change, and Midwives Alliance of North America. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Abortion Policy
Website: www.elephantcircle.net
Formation:

2009

Executive Director:

Indra Lusero

Location: Long Beach, CA View on map
Tax ID: 45-4981850

Contents

    Background

    Elephant Circle is a left-of-center organization based in Colorado that was founded in 2009 to advocate for policies related to childbirth, abortion, and gender issues. It began as a fiscally sponsored program of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights. 2

    Since 2010, Elephant Circle has organized campaigns opposing incarcerating and prosecuting women who are pregnant or postpartum, including cases where mothers are responsible for the death of infants due to accusations of negligence or malevolence. In support of its campaigns against prosecuting pregnant and postpartum mothers, Elephant Circle has partnered with ACLU of Colorado, Children’s Campaign, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, COLOR, Healthier Colorado, New Era Colorado, Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, ProgressNow, Soul 2 Soul Sisters, Reimagining Policing Taskforce, Together Colorado, Women’s Foundation of Colorado, and Young Invincibles. 2 3

    Consulting Services

    Elephant Circle provides consulting services to individuals, lawyers, healthcare providers, employers, and advocacy groups on childbirth, gender, and abortion issues. It has been contracted to advise employers on how to match pay across genders, to advise birth care providers on how to comply with applicable laws and regulations, and to advise attorneys on birth discrimination cases. 4

    As of 2025, Elephant Circle was charging between $75 and $150 an hour for its consulting services. 4

    Abortion Advocacy

    Under its resources page, Elephant Circle provides access to a report titled “Abortion Decriminalization is part of the Larger Struggle Against Policing and Criminalization” that was published by Interrupting Criminalization and includes contributions from Elephant Circle founder and executive director Indra Lusero. 5 The report criticizes abortion restriction policies and outlines the Texas Heartbeat Act as an example of legislation that enables a “carceral state.” 6

    The Texas law allows abortion providers to be sued for providing abortions and bans abortions after six weeks. The report argues for abortion supporters to use the identity politics concept of intersectionality to criticize the law, and it argues that other abortion restrictions should be viewed as exacerbating race, gender, sexuality, disability, class, and migration issues. It adds that abortion restrictions are policy tools used to advance white supremacy through the abuse of what it states is “racial capitalism.” 6

    Leadership

    Indra Lusero is the founder and as of 2025 was the executive director of Elephant Circle. At the time, Lusero was also teaching “Race, Class, and Reproductive Justice” as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. From 2018 to 2021, Lusera was an attorney for National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Lusero also worked as director of operations and director of the Palm Center’s Transgender Military Initiative from 2006 to 2013. 7

    Financials

    In 2023, Elephant Circle reported $3.3 million in total revenue, including $44,874 in government grants, making up 1.3 percent of its total revenue. 8 It also reported receiving $549,153 for “healthcare services,” $119,547 for training and education programs, and $114,816 for fiscally sponsoring projects. 9

    Additionally, Elephant Circle reported $3.4 million in total expenses, including $142,000 paid to Full Circle Consulting LLC for creating a “strategic plan” and $122,000 to Adroit Consultancy LLC for a “strategic plan” in 2023. 10 11 It also spent $387,407 for doula services, $375,053 for consulting and contracting services, $284,100 for strategic planning. 12

    Listed on Schedule L, transactions with interested persons, on its 2023 tax returns, Elephant Circle reported making a $35,982 grant to A Mother’s Choice and assumed a $70,679 loan from A Mother’s Choice. 13 Demetra Serika, who as of 2025 was a board member of Elephant Circle, was at the time a partner and operator of the midwifery A Mother’s Choice. 14

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Services.” Elephant Circle. Accessed November 26, 2025. https://www.elephantcircle.net/new-page-2.
    2. “Our History.” Elephant Circle. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.elephantcircle.net/our-history.
    3. “We Must Oppose Inhumane and Unjust Prosecutions of People in the Perinatal Period.” Elephant Circle. May 16, 2025. https://www.elephantcircle.net/circle/2023/5/16/we-must-oppose-inhumane-and-unjust-prosecutions-of-people-in-the-perinatal-period.
    4. “Coaching & Consulting.” Elephant Circle. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.elephantcircle.net/new-page-1.
    5. “Decriminalizing Abortion.” Elephant Circle. Accessed November 26, 2025. https://www.elephantcircle.net/dataresearch. 
    6. Thomas, Maria. “Abortion Decriminalization is part of the Larger Struggle Against Policing and Criminalization.” Interrupting Criminalization. Accessed November 26, 2025. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57126eff60b5e92c3a226a53/t/6279915b865e9d2fd4bc590e/1652134236690/Decriminalize%2BAbortion.pdf.
    7. “Indra Lusero.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 27, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/indra-lusero/details/experience/.
    8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Elephant Circle. 2023. Part I, Line 12.
    9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Elephant Circle. 2023. Part VIII.
    10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Elephant Circle. 2023. Part VII, Section B.
    11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Elephant Circle. 2023. Part I, Line 18.
    12. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Elephant Circle. 2023. Schedule O.
    13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Elephant Circle. 2023. Schedule L.
    14. Jones, Kristin. “For People of Color, Could Home Births Be Safer Than Hospitals?” Collective Colorado. February 4, 2020. https://collective.coloradotrust.org/stories/for-people-of-color-could-home-births-be-safer-than-hospitals/.