Tzedek DC Competitors

The ACLU is an non-profit, non-partisan organization of people who believe in the power of action. We are united by the quest – “We the people dare to create a more perfect union.” Whether in the courts, statehouses, Congress or communities, we fight to defend the rights that the Constitution guarantees to all of us —regardless of who we are, where we come from, whom we love, or what we believe. Together, we take up the toughest civil rights and liberties challenges of our time. We seek to inspire those who want change to become the ones who make change.

Community Legal Services (CLS) is nationally recognized as a model legal services program. CLS assists clients when they face the threat of losing their homes, incomes, health care, and even their families. CLS attorneys and other staff provide a full range of legal services, from individual representation to administrative advocacy to class action litigation, as well as community education and social work. In the past year, CLS helped approximately 13,000 Philadelphians, including seniors facing foreclosure, victims of consumer fraud, young families at risk of homelessness and hunger, people facing barriers to employment, and survivors of domestic violence who need help achieving stability. Since its founding in 1966, CLS has served hundreds of thousands of individuals at what is often the most critical time of their lives.

Maryland Legal Aid (MLA) is a statewide private, nonprofit law firm that provides free, civil legal services to low-income and vulnerable people to address their most fundamental legal problems. From its 12 offices around the state and through its many community-based clinics, we help our clients preserve and access safe and affordable housing, maintain custody of their children, and be safe from domestic violence. MLA increases our clients’ economic security by defending against consumer debt, including foreclosures and tax sales, removing barriers to employment, and accessing critical income supports such as unemployment, food stamps and other vital public benefits. Through special projects, we represent seniors, nursing home residents, children in alleged abuse and neglect cases, migrant farmworkers, and those in mental health institutions. In its advocacy, MLA seeks systemic change through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and storytelling.