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Friends Committee on National Legislation
The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan Quaker organization. As a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, FCNL and its network lobby Congress and the administration to promote peace, justice, and environmental stewardship. It was founded in 1943 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
FCNL leads coalitions, such as the Prevention and Protection Working Group, and working groups affiliated with the Washington Interfaith Staff Coalition.
FCNL's approach to lobbying is grounded in Quaker faith and practice. In the mid-seventeenth century, Friends were activists out of necessity. Their refusal to obey laws that they believed were not of God led to imprisonment, confiscation of goods, and execution. A hallmark of Quaker interaction with government is the use of persuasion rather than coercion and violence.
FCNL fields one of the largest faith-based lobbies in Washington, D.C.[citation needed] Its work is supported by a grassroots network of thousands of advocates all over the country. In 42 states and the District of Columbia, many of the grassroots advocates have formed themselves into Advocacy Teams. As of 2021, there were more than 120 such teams, involving more than 1,500 grassroots advocates.[citation needed] Advocates visit the offices of members of Congress and write letters or speak through local media to catalyze federal change.
FCNL was the 2024 recipient of The US Peace Prize "For Efforts Over 81 Years to Educate, Build Coalitions & Influence Congress to Stop Funding War & Nuclear Weapons."
FCNL's approach draws on the expertise of registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C., the work of advocates around the country and relationships cultivated with elected officials and community leaders.[citation needed] The business practice of the Religious Society of Friends is one that seeks for participants to come to unity. FCNL's General Committee follows this practice in determining legislative policy and priorities, a discernment process they undertake every two years or for every new session of Congress.
During the discussions in the US in 1940 regarding World War II, Quakers opposed the war as a matter of conscience. Friends from 22 Yearly Meetings came to Richmond, Indiana, a city that has historically embraced Quaker values, for a conference to address the national draft. This conference set the stage for a subsequent gathering of 52 Quakers in Richmond from June 11–12, 1943. That gathering gave birth to the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) to influence U.S. government decisions related to war and peace.
FCNL's advocacy in solidarity with Native Americans and Alaska Natives dates back to 1956 when the government finalized its plans to prevent flooding in Pittsburgh by building the Kinzua Dam to divert the Allegheny River. The Seneca Nation lost 10,000 acres of its Allegany Territory.
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Friends Committee on National Legislation
The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan Quaker organization. As a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, FCNL and its network lobby Congress and the administration to promote peace, justice, and environmental stewardship. It was founded in 1943 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
FCNL leads coalitions, such as the Prevention and Protection Working Group, and working groups affiliated with the Washington Interfaith Staff Coalition.
FCNL's approach to lobbying is grounded in Quaker faith and practice. In the mid-seventeenth century, Friends were activists out of necessity. Their refusal to obey laws that they believed were not of God led to imprisonment, confiscation of goods, and execution. A hallmark of Quaker interaction with government is the use of persuasion rather than coercion and violence.
FCNL fields one of the largest faith-based lobbies in Washington, D.C.[citation needed] Its work is supported by a grassroots network of thousands of advocates all over the country. In 42 states and the District of Columbia, many of the grassroots advocates have formed themselves into Advocacy Teams. As of 2021, there were more than 120 such teams, involving more than 1,500 grassroots advocates.[citation needed] Advocates visit the offices of members of Congress and write letters or speak through local media to catalyze federal change.
FCNL was the 2024 recipient of The US Peace Prize "For Efforts Over 81 Years to Educate, Build Coalitions & Influence Congress to Stop Funding War & Nuclear Weapons."
FCNL's approach draws on the expertise of registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C., the work of advocates around the country and relationships cultivated with elected officials and community leaders.[citation needed] The business practice of the Religious Society of Friends is one that seeks for participants to come to unity. FCNL's General Committee follows this practice in determining legislative policy and priorities, a discernment process they undertake every two years or for every new session of Congress.
During the discussions in the US in 1940 regarding World War II, Quakers opposed the war as a matter of conscience. Friends from 22 Yearly Meetings came to Richmond, Indiana, a city that has historically embraced Quaker values, for a conference to address the national draft. This conference set the stage for a subsequent gathering of 52 Quakers in Richmond from June 11–12, 1943. That gathering gave birth to the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) to influence U.S. government decisions related to war and peace.
FCNL's advocacy in solidarity with Native Americans and Alaska Natives dates back to 1956 when the government finalized its plans to prevent flooding in Pittsburgh by building the Kinzua Dam to divert the Allegheny River. The Seneca Nation lost 10,000 acres of its Allegany Territory.