Dear Friend of the First Amendment,

The New England First Amendment Coalition began 20 years ago on a simple but critical principle: democracy only works in the sunshine. We have since grown to become the region’s leading advocate for First Amendment freedoms and open government.

Our mission today is an urgent one. Transparency and constitutional freedoms are being threatened in our own backyards. Public meetings are closed. Community members are silenced. Government information is kept secret. Journalists are struggling to cover matters of public concern.

For two decades, NEFAC has fought back and we’re only getting stronger. Click here to enjoy an interactive review

of our 20 years of education, advocacy and defense.

We are helping to keep meetings open, liberate countless public records, and push for legal precedents that protect transparency across the region. Just this past year, we responded to hundreds of urgent requests for legal assistance and expertise. We provided critical training to newsrooms, public agencies and community members navigating increasingly complex access laws.

But here’s what makes NEFAC irreplaceable: we are the only regional organization working across all New England with deep expertise in each state’s unique freedom of information laws. No other regional organization provides this comprehensive, six-state shield for First Amendment freedoms and transparency.

Your support will help make sure that:

Agencies in Connecticut will comply with FOI laws rather than routinely ignoring public requests. Police records in Maine are opened to public scrutiny. Hybrid meeting access becomes permanent and equitable for all residents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Unconstitutional “civility” speech codes in New Hampshire are rescinded. Antiquated court systems in Vermont are modernized for public access.

These aren’t theoretical battles. Each is already underway. The First Amendment and the public’s right to know are only as strong as our collective will to defend them. Every dollar you contribute helps provide legal representation to journalists, court challenges to protect public access to information, and rapid-response advocacy when officials attempt to operate in darkness.

Your investment today ensures that the next generation of New England’s history is written in the light, providing a permanent shield against those who would undermine the transparency and personal freedoms that are our democracy’s foundation.

Thank you for standing with us in this essential work.

Please donate today.