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Writer's pictureFirst Step Alliance

25 Social Justice Non-Profit Organizations that are Changing the Narrative


Social justice issues are pervasive in today’s world, but fortunately there are countless human rights organizations committed to addressing inequities and dismantling long-term patterns of prejudice. Their guiding principles focus on various aspects of advocacy, awareness building, legislation, or implementation of programs.


We have compiled a list of 25 established organizations that fight for humanity and continue to make impactful change across different communities. Many of these organizations overlap in their mission and vision, and collectively strive to address historical inequities in political, social, and economic systems. More specifically, they provide help and support to those who are directly affected by injustices and consistently denied access and equal rights.



Southern Poverty Law Center is a human right focused group that works to dismantle white supremacy and confront hate groups. Southern Poverty Law Center works to protect the most vulnerable groups and individuals in the South and provide resources to those that need them most.



As a part of the United Nations system, International Organization for Migration works to support migrants across the world. The organization works to ensure humane and ordered migration across the world, and assists governments in maintaining human rights and dignity for migrants.




Fair immigration is a national coalition of immigration focused organizations in the United States. Fair immigration provides support for immigrants within the United States and serves as an organizational hub for non-profits across the country seeking to ensure immigrant rights in local, state, and federal levels.




The Native American Rights Fund is an organization that provides legal assistance to Native American persons and tribes in an effort to protect freedom, rights, and natural resources. Native American Rights Fund are respected consultants to policy makers and engage in drafting legislation that ensure Native American religious and civil rights while protecting tribes from unlawful government intrusion.





The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a civil rights law-based organization that works to ensure individual rights provided by the Constitution and law of the United States to all people. The organization works in courts, legislatures, and communities to guard social liberties and address social injustices.





Media Justice (Formerly Known as Center for Media Justice) is an organization that advocates for universal access to media and technology for marginalized communities. Media Justice advocates for access to media and technology with the belief that the prevention of access inhibits communities from active communication and harms the ability to address racial, economic, and gender justice in the digital era.





The National Fair Housing Alliance is a national civil rights organization that is dedicated to eliminating housing and lending discrimination. National Fair Housing Alliance works to achieve its goal in achieving equity in housing by providing home ownership, credit access, tech equity, education, member services, public policy, community development and enforcement initiatives.






The National Alliance to End Homelessness utilizes research and data to discover solutions to homelessness and partners with federal and local partners to advocate for and provide resources to support solutions to end homelessness.





Girls Inc. partners with schools and utilized organizational centers to assist young girls in developing self esteem and strength. Through the use of mentoring relationships, pro-girl environments and programs, Girls Inc. works to help girls navigate gender, economic and social barriers to grow up independently.






Madre as an organization works internationally to address gender inequality around the world. With a focus on ending gender violence, supporting women’s efforts to defend against climate change, and strengthening women’s ability to prevent, survive and recover from war through lobbying and grant making.





Equality Now is a law-based nonprofit that seeks to provide equality for women and girls internationally. Equality Now utilized legal advocacy to address issues related to women and girls’ equality including gender violence, sexism, and other forms of gender inequality.




The Global fund is an international organization that invests money into health services across the world to increase access to healthcare and aid to eradicate HIV, TB, and malaria.





The National Organization on Disability works to close gaps in occupational participation between people with and without disabilities. The organization analyzes, advises and assesses employment abilities for the disabled and advocates for companies to achieve equality in the work place.





The National Disability Rights Network is a national coalition that advocates for federally mandated Protection and Advocacy Systems and Client Assistance programs for individuals with disabilities. The organization works to protect people with disabilities against abuse and inequality and advocate for basic human rights.



The Human Rights Campaign is an advocacy focused organization that works to achieve equality for LGBTQ+ people. The organization’s mission is to end discrimination and violence towards members of the LGBTQ+ community both nationally and around the World.




The Center for Children and Youth Justice partners with parents, advocates, service providers, and policy members to advocate for youth-centered approaches to address children based social justice issues in juvenile justice and child welfare systems. The organization works to divert youth from entering juvenile justice and child welfare systems and provide support and assistance to children who have been involved in these systems.





Children’s Rights is a child and family advocacy organization that works to support children, parents, and families by providing resources and supporting local, state, and national legislative action for children. The organization provides resources to families and works to address child mental health, educational, legal and medical issues to promote equality in child treatments.





First Star is an academic based national organization that works to improve the lives of foster children by ensuring children have academic, life skills, and adult support needed to succeed in the transition to adulthood after leaving foster care.





The Innocence Project is a criminal justice and law based national organized organization that works to free wrongly convicted individuals. The organization both works with wrongly convicted individuals to release them from incarceration and advocates for criminal justice reform in the United States.





Prison Policy Initiative is a research-based organization that conducts and reports research on mass incarceration in the United States. The organization’s research aids advocates in their push towards criminal justice reform and mass incarceration by providing accessible research on the impacts of mass incarceration.




The Dream Corps focuses on the intersection of legislation and human dignity. They leverage changing culture through campaigns like Cut50 and Empathy Network. They work to shift the narrative and bring together grassroots organizations in order to drive culture and policy change, striving to bring freedom and dignity to all communities.





Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in a national advocacy organization that provides resources to the families, friends, and individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and works to end discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community in the United States. The organization provides support to ally’s and individuals through peer-to-peer meetings, online outreach, and telephone hotlines.





The Vera Institute of Justice is a Criminal Justice reform-based organization that works to end mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people who are experiencing poverty. The organization’s advocates, researchers, and activists, provide support and accessible research regarding mass incarceration and advocate for criminal justice reform.





The Justice RoundTable is a national coalition of criminal justice reform-based organizations in the United States. The coalition works to influence public policy to reduce mass incarceration, racial disparities, and reintegrate formerly incarcerated people into society.





The National Urban League is a Civil Rights organization that works with community leaders, policymakers, and corporate partners to address racial inequality nationally. The organization works to help Black Americans and other People of Color achieve economic self-reliance and equality by providing services and education with job training, housing and community development, workforce development, and health resources.



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