FAQ

Who is The Forefront Project?

The Forefront Project is a free legal service for organizations that advance and defend reproductive rights, health, and justice. We help groups maximize their ability to advocate under federal tax law, federal and state lobbying disclosure and campaign finance laws, and other rules.

What are the benefits to engaging Forefront attorneys as a client?

Federal, state, and local laws regarding policy advocacy, lobbying, election-related activity, etc. can be complicated—and can apply to activity that organizations might not suspect. Being a client of Forefront attorneys allows you to get actual legal advice (for free!) from lawyers who can help you conduct advocacy campaigns that comply with all laws.

How do I work with The Forefront Project?

First, if your organization is not yet a client, click on this link to set up a free consultation. Forefront lawyers will explain more about The Forefront Project, ask you about your organization’s work, and collaborate with you to discuss how we can help. If you want your organization to become a client of Forefront attorneys, you will be asked to sign a client engagement letter. Once you are a client you can email questions, call the lawyers, or set up an appointment through their online calendar system. As often as you need. Whenever you need.

Who funds the Forefront Project?

The Forefront Project is funded by donors who support nonprofits in the reproductive rights, health, and justice space. These funders want RRHJ organizations to fully and confidently advocate while remaining in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

My organization works on maternal mortality, do we still qualify to be a client?

Yes! Forefront attorneys advise nonprofits that work in reproductive health (service delivery), reproductive rights (legal issues), and/or reproductive justice. We abide by the definition of reproductive justice as upholding the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.

We have a reproductive health project as a part of our work but are not a reproductive health organization, do we still qualify to be a client?

Yes! If you are an organization that aims to advance and defend reproductive rights, health, and/or justice as even a part of your mission, while you do other work as well, you qualify to become a client. Take a look at our client list on our website to get examples of the breadth of our clients work.

What does “legal representation” mean?

It means a Forefront attorney is actually your lawyer who can give you legal advice—and you can rely on their advice. Forefront attorneys can help your organization carry out its activities in line with the level of risk that it is comfortable with, and help groups get the most bang for their advocacy buck. They can also defend your organization in the unlikely event that it is audited or scrutinized. Forefront attorneys carry their own professional liability insurance, and you can speak honestly with them as communications with your lawyer are protected by attorney-client privilege (meaning they may not be used against you).

Is it really legal for 501(c)3 organizations to lobby?

Yes! The United States Congress has expressly affirmed that 501(c)3 public charities—as opposed to private foundations—are permitted to lobby legislatures at all levels (federal, state, local, international, tribal, etc.) to pass or defeat legislation.

We don’t have a lobbyist or anything, we just sometimes forward emails from other groups that lobby to our supporters. Is that lobbying?

Potentially! If that group’s email qualifies as lobbying, forwarding it would also qualify as lobbying against the forwarding organization’s lobbying limits. Check with the Forefront lawyers about those emails to determine whether they are considered lobbying (at the federal, state, or local level) and how to record expenses related to your forwarding (likely minimal!)

Who in my org can be involved with Forefront?

Anyone you want in your organization to have access to us! Typically, we work with folks in leadership and folks who in participate in public policy work (planning, lobbying, participation in coalitions, etc.), but we work with many other folks as well!

My policy team knows a lot about lobbying rules, why do we need Forefront?

Having a lawyer on-call can give you an additional set of eyes to ensure you are fully and confidently advocating while remaining in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Why should my accountant and Board know about our engagement?

Your accountant should know because lobbying needs to be reported on 501(c)(3) tax returns and many states have disclosure rules where you must tell them how much you are lobbying. Accountants often help with that. Your board of directors should know you’ve signed an engagement letter with us because they are legally responsible for your organization, including your participation in policy advocacy.

We’re a fiscally sponsored project, can we still be a client?

We occasionally engage fiscal sponsors to work with specific projects but many fiscal sponsors have their own lawyers who are available to you for these types of questions. Set up a time to talk with us and we can discuss. Ultimately, even if your organization does not become a client of ours, we can provide free education and technical assistance to help you understand the relevant laws at play and how to best approach your fiscal sponsor’s attorneys.