Founded in 1990 with the mandate to protect religious and constitutional freedoms, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) engages legal, legislative, and cultural issues through advocacy, education, and litigation.
A recurring pattern defines American Center for Law and Justice Inc’s grantmaking: large awards to affiliated legal organizations to support legal activity. The biggest recent grant in the dataset was $922,793 in 2025 to Aclj - DC in Annandale, Virginia, followed by two $853,796 awards in 2024 and 2023 to the same affiliate. That concentration points to a funder built around internal legal capacity rather than broad external philanthropy. Across the recent grants listed, the foundation also supported Aclj - Midwest in New Hope, Kentucky, showing that its giving is tied to named affiliates in different regions. The organization’s stated purpose is to defend constitutional liberties, religious freedom, and the rule of law through litigation, advocacy, and public education, and the grant data aligns with that mission. Its recent awards are not dispersed across many unrelated charities; they are directed to affiliated legal entities for project-specific legal activity funding. That makes the foundation’s profile especially relevant to researchers tracking litigation support, legal advocacy, and organizational support within a single affiliated network.
The clearest topic area in the grant data is law and litigation. The foundation gave $922,793 to Aclj - DC for affiliated legal activities, and that same purpose language appears across its other recent awards. Religious freedom is one of the organization’s stated focus areas, alongside civil liberties and support for Israel, which helps explain why its grantmaking is organized around legal work rather than service delivery. The foundation also names national security, public policy, and pro-life advocacy in its focus areas, but the grant descriptions themselves remain centered on legal activity support. In practice, the pattern is affiliate-based funding: Aclj - Midwest received $162,029 in 2023, then $150,236 in 2024 and 2025, all for affiliated legal activities. That consistency suggests a continuing legal program supported through related entities rather than one-off project grants to outside groups.
American Center for Law and Justice Inc’s recent grant sizes are substantial: the 25th percentile is $153,184, the median is $507,912, and the 75th percentile is $853,796. The grants table shows repeat awards to the same affiliates across multiple years, including Aclj - DC in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Aclj - Midwest in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That indicates recurring support rather than isolated one-time grants. The funder is not described as a DAF or family foundation; it is an operating nonprofit with affiliated legal organizations as beneficiaries. No application process is provided in the data.
$1.1M
$4.5M
$30.2M
$29.9M
Most grants fall between $153K and $854K, with a median of $508K.
25th Percentile
$153K
Median
$508K
75th Percentile
$854K
About 50% of grants go to recipients in KY.
GARY SEKULOW
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Giving is regional and concentrated in Virginia, which accounts for 50% of grants to recipients in the HQ state and is also the top state by grant count. Recent recipient locations include Annandale, Virginia, and New Hope, Kentucky. All grants in the recipient-country distribution were made to US organizations, with 6 grants listed and no non-US recipient countries appearing in the data. The pattern suggests a U.S.-only affiliate network rather than cross-border grantmaking.
It funds affiliated legal activities. The foundation’s stated mission is to defend constitutional liberties, religious freedom, and the rule of law through litigation, advocacy, and public education, and the grant descriptions repeatedly say “to support affiliated legal activities.”
Typical grants are large. In the recent data, the 25th percentile is $153,184, the median is $507,912, and the 75th percentile is $853,796.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeat awards to the same affiliates across multiple years, including Aclj - DC in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Aclj - Midwest in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Virginia is the top state by grant count, and 50% of grants in the data went to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipient locations also include Annandale, Virginia, and New Hope, Kentucky.
The beneficiaries are affiliated legal organizations. The recent grants list names Aclj - DC and Aclj - Midwest as recipients, both funded for affiliated legal activities.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACLJ - DC | ANNANDALE, VA | $922,793 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES. |
| ACLJ - MIDWEST | NEW HOPE, KY | $150,236 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES. |
| ACLJ - DC | ANNANDALE, VA | $853,796 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES. |
| ACLJ - MIDWEST | NEW HOPE, KY | $150,236 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES. |
| ACLJ - DC | ANNANDALE, VA | $853,796 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES. |
| ACLJ - MIDWEST | NEW HOPE, KY | $162,029 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES. |
ACLJ - DC
$922,793TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES.
ACLJ - MIDWEST
$150,236TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES.
ACLJ - DC
$853,796TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES.
ACLJ - MIDWEST
$150,236TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES.
ACLJ - DC
$853,796TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES.
ACLJ - MIDWEST
$162,029TO SUPPORT AFFILIATED LEGAL ACTIVITIES.