The Friends Committee on National Legislation is a national, nonpartisan Quaker organization that lobbies Congress and the administration to advance peace, justice, and environmental stewardship.
Founded in 1943 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), FCNL fields an expert team of lobbyists on Capitol Hill and works with a grassroots network of tens of thousands of people across the country to advance policies and priorities established by our governing General Committee.
FCNL is composed of two distinct organizations: the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a lobbying organization; and the FCNL Education Fund, a charitable organization.
Attribution
Matthew Martyr
FCNL Education Fund
The FCNL Education Fund, a 501 (c)3 nonprofit, promotes civic engagement through education and training to achieve a peaceful, just, and sustainable world.
Our Approach
FCNL’s multi-faceted approach draws on the expertise of registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C., the commitment and passion of people around the country in our advocacy network, and the relationships we cultivate with elected officials and community leaders.
We meet both policymakers and advocates where they are and seek opportunities to work together. We pursue legislative policies informed by our belief that there is that of God in every person and that all creation has worth and dignity.
Grounded by faith and morality, we combine a pragmatic and results-driven strategy with a clear-eyed, ambitious vision of the world we seek.
Our Programs
Young Adults
FCNL is building power among the present and future leaders of movements for peace and justice: young adults. Through our Advocacy Corps, Young Fellow program, internships, and more we provide the training and resources needed to affect big, long-term change.
Advocacy Teams
Our Advocacy Teams network is made up of more than 1,500 Quakers and friends from across the country. They are using their power as constituents to make change in Washington, D.C. by building relationships with Congress grounded in mutual respect and listening.
Leadership and Staff
Our staff brings together expertise in professional and constituent lobbying with strong communications, fundraising, and operations support.
Work with FCNL
Statement of Diversity and Inclusion
At FCNL, we embrace having a multitude of voices and talents working together to strengthen our impact in the world. In keeping with the Quaker testimony of equality, we strive to be an organization that welcomes, values and respects the different perspectives of every individual.
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
As we bear witness and lobby in solidarity with Native Americans, we also honor the Nacotchtank tribe on whose ancestral land the FCNL, FCNL Education Fund, and Friends Place on Capitol Hill buildings stand. They are also known as the Anacostans, the Indigenous people who lived along the banks of the Anacostia River, including in several villages on Capitol Hill and what is now Washington, D.C. By the 1700s, the Nacotchtank tribe had merged with other tribes like the Pamunkey and the Piscataway, both of which still exist today.