Where to put your money and time if you want it to actually do something. A practical guide from people who have done the research.
We give ten percent of every Rebels & Rights order to organizations doing the hard work. Here are the ones we're watching, funding, and recommending — and why.
Reproductive Rights
National Network of Abortion Funds
NNAF doesn't do policy or advocacy — it gives money to people who need abortions and can't afford them or can't travel to get them. Since Dobbs, the need has increased dramatically while state-level restrictions have made access harder. Practical, direct, immediate impact. This is where donation dollars go furthest.
Center for Reproductive Rights
The legal organization doing the hardest courtroom work to defend and expand reproductive rights at the federal and state level. The lawyers who argue these cases and the researchers who build the evidentiary record. Not glamorous work; essential work.
Voting Rights & Democracy
Fair Fight Action
Founded by Stacey Abrams after the 2018 Georgia governor's race, Fair Fight works on voter registration, voter protection, and voting rights litigation. Their work in Georgia — which flipped two Senate seats and the 2020 presidential election — is the case study for what sustained investment in voter registration and protection actually produces.
ACLU Voting Rights Project
The ACLU litigates voting rights cases in every state where voting access is being restricted. If you want to support legal defense of the right to vote, this is one of the most efficient places to put money — their lawyers are winning cases.
Trans Rights & LGBTQ+ Justice
Transgender Law Center
The largest national trans-led legal organization in the U.S. Does impact litigation, policy advocacy, and direct legal services for trans people facing discrimination. The legal landscape for trans people has gotten dramatically more hostile; TLC is one of the primary organizations fighting back in courts and legislatures.
The Trevor Project
Crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ young people. In a moment when anti-trans legislation and social hostility are driving mental health crises in queer youth, Trevor's crisis line and text line are literally saving lives. One of the clearest cases in the nonprofit sector for direct, measurable impact.
Climate & Environmental Justice
Environmental and Climate Justice program (NAACP)
The NAACP's environmental justice work focuses on the communities most impacted by pollution and climate change — predominantly Black communities near industrial facilities, in flood zones, and in heat islands. Connects civil rights infrastructure to environmental justice organizing.
Earthjustice
The legal arm of the environmental movement. They litigate on behalf of communities facing pollution and corporate environmental destruction — for free. Their tagline is "Because the Earth needs a good lawyer," and honestly, it's accurate. Their wins in federal courts have prevented enormous amounts of environmental harm.
Immigration Justice
RAICES
The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services provides free and low-cost immigration legal services in Texas — which, given current federal enforcement priorities, puts them at the center of the crisis. They also do policy advocacy and family reunification work. A direct-service organization doing urgent work.
Mental Health & Community Care
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
America's largest grassroots mental health organization, with affiliates in every state. Peer-to-peer support groups, family education programs, and advocacy for mental health policy and funding. In a moment of widespread mental health crisis, NAMI's community infrastructure is some of the most important work happening in this space.
How to Give Effectively
A few principles worth considering:
Recurring donations beat one-time giving. Organizations can plan around recurring revenue. Even $10/month is more valuable than a $200 one-time gift because it's predictable.
Unrestricted donations are the most useful. When you give to a specific campaign or program, you're constraining how the organization can use the money. Unrestricted general operating support lets them put money where it's needed most.
Volunteer time compounds donation impact. If you have skills — legal, medical, technological, organizational — most of these organizations can use them. Skilled volunteers do things money can't buy.
Local organizations are often under-resourced. The national orgs get most of the donations. Your local abortion fund, your county's legal aid organization, your city's mutual aid network — they're often doing as much work with far less money. Don't underestimate local giving.