At the end of April and the beginning of May, we are participating in Give Local, an online celebration of giving created to connect local community members with the causes they care most about. The goal is simple: inspire people to come together, show their pride in their communities, and support the work of local nonprofit organizations in campaigns across the state.  This year, we are participating in:

Will you join us by making a gift online by May 1? 

Your support will bolster our efforts toward:

  • Ensuring Education Equity – Our recently published report, Empty Desks: Discipline & Policing in Montana’s Public Schools, documents how school practices disproportionately push Indigenous students out of school and deprive them of their right to an education. The report is just the first step towards working with community members and school officials to change policies.
  • Ending Criminalization of Poverty – In a huge legislative success, we worked with legislators from both sides of the aisle to stop Montana from suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid fines and fees – a practice that criminalized poor people and affected over 10,000 Montanans. This work continues with other policies that need reform.
  • Protecting Voting Rights – In early March, we filed a lawsuit against the state of Montana for passing a new law that makes voting nearly impossible for Native Americans living in rural communities on reservations. The Montana Ballot Interference Prevention Act (BIPA) is one of thousands of voter suppression efforts across the country, which often target people of color and Indigenous communities.
  • Responding to COVID-19 – In the midst of the greatest public health crisis of our time, marginalized community members are most affected. That’s why we have doubled down on our work to create a Montana that is fair, equitable, and welcoming to all. While we are monitoring this crisis as it changes by the hour, we are also preparing for the inevitable impact it will have on our elections – specifically the threat it poses to voter turnout, access to the polls, and ballot processing. 
  • Work in your Community – In Great Falls, we stood behind Melissa Smylie, who, against all odds, learned to be her own advocate as she navigated a probation and parole process that seemed to want her to fail. In Billings, we are fighting for transgender rights through our case Maloney v. Yellowstone County. In Missoula, we defended Eugene Mitchell and Shayleen Meuchell against the $2 billion bail bond industry, which sent armed bounty-hunters to invade their bedroom one night after Mitchell missed a court date for a traffic violation. In Helena, the ACLU of Montana and the Montana Racial Equity Project stood in support of members of the American Indian Caucus’ call to remove Helena’s Confederate memorial fountain. In Bozeman, we are fighting for immigrants’ rights through our case Soto-Lopez v. Gallatin County.

We can’t do it without you. Celebrate our local impact by making a donation online from your community by May 1:

Stay informed! Become a member of our action team

What to Do When Faced With Voter Intimidation

Know Your Rights