Contents
The First Liberty Institute is an associate member of the State Policy Network, a coalition of free-market state-level policy organizations. 3 While the FLI is non-partisan, members of its staff have affiliations with the Republican Party.
Activities
The First Liberty Institute (FLI) is a non-partisan, non-profit legal organization that exclusively defends religious liberty for Americans of any faith. 1
The First Liberty Institute worked in partnership with the Institute for Justice to challenge the exclusion of religious options from Maine’s school choice program. At present, parents cannot use high school tuition payments offered by local school districts at qualified religious schools due to state law. FLI supports its efforts on a 2017 Supreme Court decision that preventing parents from choosing religious options where school choice is available violates the U.S. Constitution’s Free Exercise and Equal Protection Clauses. 4
The First Liberty Institute has been representing high school football coach Joe Kennedy since 2015, after the Bremerton School District told him that he must stop praying after games. FLI initially sent a letter to the district explaining that school employees do not lose their private rights to express their religious beliefs when entering school property, and asked that Kennedy be accommodated with 15 seconds of silent prayer after games, once players cleared the field. After this accommodation was denied and Kennedy was terminated, FLI filed suit against the school district. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of the school district and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case in 2019. 5
In 2019, the First Liberty Institute began its representation of Chick-fil-A in San Antonio. The San Antonio City Council voted to ban Chick-fil-A from its airport because of the company’s history of donating to Christian organizations. FLI claimed that this ban was blatant religious discrimination; a violation of the First Amendment, which protects organizations from hostile treatment because of the owner’s religious views; and a violation of the Texas Legislature’s First Amendment Defense Act. FLI submitted an amicus brief on behalf of Chick-fil-A in 2021. 6
The First Liberty Institute represented the American Legion in response to a 2014 lawsuit filed by the American Humanist Association (AHA). AHA claimed that the Bladensburg WWI Veterans Memorial, commonly known as the “Peace Cross,” violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case in February 2019, and in June 2019, the Court upheld the constitutionality of the Bladensburg memorial. 7
Funding
The First Liberty Institute is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While the First Liberty Institute does not disclose its donors, tax filings show donations routed through the Schwab Charitable Fund, which contributed between 2016 and 2019; 8 the National Christian Charitable Foundation, which contributed between 2016 and 2017; 9 and the Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, which contributed between 2017 and 2019. 10
People
Kelly Shackelford is the president and CEO of First Liberty Institute. Shackelford serves on the board of the Supreme Court Historical Society and is an influencer for the Truth and Liberty Coalition. 11 Shackelford formerly worked as the president of the Free Market Foundation. 12
Jeff Mateer is executive vice president and chief legal officer of First Liberty Institute. Mateer formerly served as the first assistant attorney general of Texas. 13
Hiram Sasser is executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute and formerly served as chief of staff for the Attorney General of Texas. 14
Christine Norwood is the program director of First Liberty’s Fellowship Program. Norwood formerly interned for the Heritage Foundation and the Dallas County Republican Party. She is an alumna of the Arete Academy at Alliance Defending Freedom and the Young Leaders Program at the Heritage Foundation. 15
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
| Year | Total Assets | Total Revenue | Total Expenses | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $25,253,403 | $29,330,476 | $26,422,108 | |
| 2024 | $22,659,438 | $22,142,341 | $24,763,979 | View |
| 2023 | $24,695,679 | $24,336,900 | $23,902,426 | View |
| 2022 | $21,241,603 | $25,974,312 | $19,847,586 | View |
| 2021 | $15,201,181 | $18,813,950 | $14,742,679 | View |
| 2020 | $11,084,882 | $14,810,344 | $11,622,940 | View |
Prior year filings: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Employee Compensation
- Number of Employees: 113
Highest Earning Employees
Grant Activity
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $39,965,439
- Number of Grants: 660
- Number of Funders: 243
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $240,000
- Number of Grants: 11
- Number of Recipients: 9
Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years: