Rights aren't self-enforcing.
Someone has to stand on them.
Bulwark litigates the cases that set precedent, tracks every bill in 47 statehouses, and shows up — fast — when someone's constitutional rights are on the line.
148 cases litigated · 108 won or favorably settled
Why it matters
On paper, the rights are guaranteed.
In practice, someone has to go to court and prove it.
A constitutional right is only as real as the ability to enforce it. When a law crosses a line, nothing changes automatically — someone has to bring a case, argue it, and win. That work is slow, expensive, and adversarial by design.
Most people facing a rights violation can't afford that fight, and in much of the country there's no civil-rights organization within driving distance to take it for them. Meanwhile, rights-restricting legislation moves faster every session. Bulwark exists to close that gap — to be the side that shows up.
Introduced across statehouses this session — the most Bulwark has tracked in a single year.
Residents living under at least one law Bulwark is currently challenging in court.
U.S. counties with no civil-rights legal organization within 100 miles to take a case.
What we do
Four ways we stand on a right.
From the courtroom to the statehouse to a printed know-your-rights card — the same goal at every scale.
Impact litigation
Test cases chosen to set precedent that protects far beyond a single plaintiff.
Legislative advocacy
Tracking, testifying, and amending — in 47 statehouses, every session.
Rapid-response defense
Lawyers filing within 72 hours when rights are violated in real time.
Know-your-rights
Plain-language materials and trainings so people can name a violation when it happens.
Impact
What standing up actually wins.
Favorable outcomes across all litigation to date.
Covered by a right Bulwark won or defended in court.
Rights-restricting legislation stopped or narrowed.
Every bill, every session, monitored in real time.
Where your money goes
Bulwark Foundation, fiscal year 2025, independently audited.
- Legal & advocacy work82%
- Fundraising10%
- Administration8%
Cases litigated, cumulative
2016 → 2025 — every docketed case, win or lose.
A case that held
Dolores Reyes waited 19 days for a hearing. Now no one will.
Dolores Reyes, a night-shift nurse, was arrested on a misdemeanor and held in county jail for nineteen days before anyone set a bail hearing. She lost her job in the first week. There was no rule being broken — there was simply no rule requiring the county to move faster.
Bulwark took her case as impact litigation: the goal was never just to free one client, but to win a standard. Reyes v. Hartman County established that anyone held in the state must receive a bail hearing within 48 hours — a precedent that now reaches every jail in the state, not just the one that held her.
That's the pattern. The same month, when a city tried to charge organizers a $14,000 "security fee" for a permitted rally, Bulwark's rapid-response team filed within 48 hours. The fee was blocked before the rally's date.
"They told me my case would help people I'd never meet. I didn't really believe it until the ruling came down."
Donate
Fund the side that shows up.
Litigation is a long game. A gift today funds the research, the filings, and the years a precedent-setting case can take. Join the Defenders — monthly support — and you fund the cases we couldn't otherwise risk.
- $25
- an hour of legal research on an active case.
- $50
- know-your-rights materials for an entire community.
- $100
- toward the filing and docket costs of the next case.
Give today
SecureMonthly gifts join the Defenders — predictable funding for multi-year cases.
Gifts here support the Bulwark Foundation, a 501(c)(3) — fully tax-deductible.
2026 Litigation Fund · 21,408 donors so far
Ways to give
More ways to back the docket.
The Defenders
Monthly giving is what lets us commit to multi-year cases — funding we can count on, case after case.
Become a Defender →Employer matching
Many employers match charitable gifts dollar-for-dollar. Two minutes can double yours.
Check your employer →Legacy giving
Name the Bulwark Foundation in your will and fund the cases of the next decade.
Plan a gift →Stock & DAF gifts
Give appreciated stock or recommend a grant from your donor-advised fund — often the most tax-efficient way to give.
Get transfer details →Pro-bono network
Licensed attorney? Join the 1,408-lawyer pro-bono network that extends our reach into every state.
Join the network →Not sure where to start?
A gift today goes straight to the case that's being briefed right now.
Donate now →Transparency
Where your money goes, in the open.
Bulwark operates two entities: the Bulwark Foundation, a 501(c)(3) funding litigation and education, and Bulwark Action, a 501(c)(4) for lobbying. Both are independently audited; the figures below are the Foundation's.
Bulwark Foundation · EIN 52-1644088
Backed by foundations, a 1,408-lawyer pro-bono network, and 31,408 donors
FAQ
Questions donors ask.
Is my donation tax-deductible — are you a 501(c)(3) or (c)(4)?
Both — and it matters which you give to. The Bulwark Foundation is a 501(c)(3): it funds litigation and education, and gifts to it are fully tax-deductible. Bulwark Action is a 501(c)(4): it lobbies on legislation, and gifts to it are not deductible. Our donation form gives to the Foundation by default; if you want to support direct lobbying, you can choose Action explicitly.
How do you pick which cases to take?
A case-review committee weighs three things: how clear the rights violation is, how far a favorable ruling would reach beyond the individual plaintiff, and whether anyone else is positioned to take it. We deliberately prioritize cases in legal deserts and ones likely to set precedent — a single well-chosen case can protect millions, which is the whole point of impact litigation.
What share goes to litigation vs. overhead?
In fiscal year 2025, 82¢ of every dollar funded legal and advocacy work, 10¢ went to fundraising, and 8¢ to administration. We hold a slightly higher fundraising ratio than some charities on purpose — recurring-donor acquisition is what makes multi-year litigation possible — and we publish the audited numbers so you can judge for yourself.
Why does monthly giving matter for legal work?
A precedent-setting case can take three to five years. We can only commit to one if we know the funding will still be there in year four. Monthly Defenders give us that certainty — predictable revenue lets us take the long, hard cases instead of only the ones that resolve before the money runs out.
Can I give anonymously?
Yes. You can opt out of all public donor recognition at checkout, and we never sell, trade, or share donor information. For gifts where privacy is a particular concern, our development team can also accept contributions through a donor-advised fund or with limited internal visibility — just ask.
Be the reason the next
case gets filed.
Somewhere right now, a right is being tested and no one has stood up for it yet. Your gift decides whether someone does.