PDF of the report available here.

For 250 years, Americans have joined together to pursue ideas bigger than themselves.

From churches and charities to civic organizations, labor unions, trade associations, and advocacy groups, voluntary associations have strengthened our communities and shaped our nation.

The freedom to associate in pursuit of shared beliefs is one of the defining characteristics of American self-government. That freedom depends upon more than the right to speak. The Supreme Court has long recognized that the First Amendment’s protections for speech, assembly, petition, and religion also safeguard the freedom of association because those rights cannot be fully exercised without the ability to join together.

During the Civil Rights Movement, the Supreme Court affirmed this principle in NAACP v. Alabama, holding that the government could not compel the NAACP to disclose its membership. More than sixty years later, the Court reaffirmed those protections in Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, striking down California’s blanket collection of confidential nonprofit donor information.

Separated by more than six decades, these decisions reflect the same enduring principle: Americans must remain free to support the organizations and causes they believe in without unnecessary government intrusion.

250 YEARS OF PROTECTING ASSOCIATIONAL PRIVACY

1776: Declaration of Independence affirms that governments exist to secure the unalienable rights of the people.

1787: U.S. Constitution establishes a government of limited and enumerated powers.

1791: First Amendment protects the freedoms of speech, assembly, petition, and religion that together safeguard private association.

1958: NAACP v. Alabama recognizes that compelled disclosure of membership burdens the freedom of association.

1960: Talley v. California protects anonymous advocacy by striking down a law requiring handbills to identify their sponsors.

1976: Buckley v. Valeo recognizes that compelled disclosure can burden First Amendment rights.

1995: McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission recognizes a constitutional right to anonymous political advocacy.

2021: Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta strikes down California’s blanket collection of confidential nonprofit donor information, reaffirming that compelled disclosure burdens the freedom of association.

TURNING CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS INTO LASTING PROTECTIONS

A Supreme Court decision can reaffirm an important principle. Preserving that principle for future generations requires education, broad coalitions, strategic litigation, and lasting public policy.

That has been the mission of People United for Privacy Foundation. Since our founding in 2018, we have worked to ensure that landmark court victories become lasting protections for the American people.

Five years after Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, those protections are becoming durable state law. Working with a broad coalition of organizations, PUFPF has helped transform the Court’s recognition of the freedom of association into meaningful protections for millions of Americans.

Today, our privacy protections have been enacted in 23 states—red, blue, and purple. Through landmark legislation such as the Personal Privacy Protection Act and the Protect Donors at Home Act, we are helping ensure that Americans can support nonprofit organizations and civic causes without unnecessary government intrusion. Together with our coalition partners, we have also defeated hundreds of proposals that would have expanded compelled disclosure or otherwise weakened First Amendment protections.

As new challenges emerge, our mission remains unchanged: to protect the associational privacy rights that preserve every American’s freedom to support the causes they believe in.

CONTINUING THE CONSTITUTIONAL LEGACY

2018: People United for Privacy Foundation is founded to advance lasting protections for associational privacy through legislation, litigation, coalition building, and public education.

2018-2026: Working with coalition partners, PUFPF enacts donor privacy protections in 23 states, protecting more than 115 million Americans, while defeating hundreds of proposals that would expand compelled disclosure.

2026: First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Davenport unanimously reinforces First Amendment protections against compelled disclosure, continuing the Supreme Court’s long tradition of safeguarding associational rights.

LOOKING INTO THE NEXT 250 YEARS

The American story is the story of people joining together.

For 250 years, Americans have built stronger communities by freely associating in pursuit of shared ideals. That tradition depends upon an enduring promise: that individuals may speak, assemble, worship, petition, and associate without unnecessary government interference.

For generations, the Supreme Court has recognized that privacy is often essential to protecting the freedom of association. Preserving that freedom requires continued education, sound public policy, and broad coalitions committed to defending the First Amendment.

That is why People United for Privacy Foundation exists.

As America begins its next 250 years, we remain committed to protecting the associational privacy rights that enable every American to support the causes they believe in—freely, privately, and without fear—for generations to come.