NORA'S LAW

Foundation

Making Systemic Injustice Obsolete

Civil rights technology infrastructure. Open-source tools that give caseworkers, families, and courts the shared information they need to honor the spirit of the law.

Visibility
Make the Invisible Visible
Navigation
Make the Complex Navigable
Empowerment
Make the Impossible Winnable
501(c)(3)  |  December 2025  |  noraslaw.org
Executive Summary
The Opportunity
Why this matters, why now, and why we will succeed

The Opportunity in One Sentence

Good laws already exist. When caseworkers, families, and courts have the same information and the right tools, the system works as intended.

The Scale of the Opportunity

400K+
Children Needing Better Outcomes
50K+
Caseworkers Needing Tools
100%
Laws Already Support Families
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Tools Connecting Everyone

What We're Building

Open-source technology that gives everyone in the system—caseworkers, families, attorneys, and courts—the same information and tools to do things the right way.

🔍

AI-Powered Guidance

24/7 intelligent assistance that helps everyone understand requirements, deadlines, and best practices

📊

Shared Information

Technology that ensures caseworkers, families, and courts see the same data and track the same progress

⚖️

Compliance Tools

Real-time tracking and alerts that help everyone meet legal requirements and honor the spirit of the law

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The Impact
Who We Serve
Real people facing real systemic injustice
Family
Parents Fighting for Reunification
Community
Communities Organizing
Advocate
Advocates & Allies

From Isolation to Power

How we transform individual struggles into collective change

😔
Isolated

Facing the system alone

→
💡
Informed

Understanding rights & options

→
🤝
Connected

Linked to community

→
✊
Empowered

Ready to fight & win

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Part One
The Core Insight
Understanding why outcomes fall short despite good intentions

The Real Challenge: Information Gaps

The problem isn't people—it's that everyone in the system is working with incomplete information and inadequate tools. This creates outcomes nobody actually wants:

Without the Right Tools

  • Caseworkers juggle 30+ cases with paper files
  • Families don't know deadlines until they miss them
  • Courts make decisions with incomplete information
  • Everyone works harder, outcomes don't improve
  • Good laws can't be followed without good tools

With the Right Tools

  • Caseworkers have AI assistance and real-time tracking
  • Families see the same information as everyone else
  • Courts get complete, accurate, timely data
  • Everyone works smarter, outcomes improve
  • Good laws are followed because good tools enable it

The Key Insight

You can't solve systemic problems by replacing individuals—the next person faces the same constraints. You solve systemic problems by giving everyone the tools to do things the right way. Same people, better outcomes.

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Part One
Five Gaps We Solve
Where technology creates alignment between law and practice

The spirit of the law is clear. But without the right tools, gaps emerge between what the law requires and what actually happens. We close these gaps:

1. Information Gap

Different parties have different information → We provide shared visibility for everyone

▼
2. Complexity Gap

Processes are hard to navigate → We provide AI guidance that makes requirements clear

▼
3. Timing Gap

Deadlines are missed, actions are delayed → We provide real-time tracking and alerts

▼
4. Documentation Gap

Evidence is scattered or lost → We provide organized, accessible case management

▼
5. Communication Gap

Parties work in silos → We enable collaboration with shared understanding

▼
Result: The System Works

Everyone has what they need to honor the spirit of the law

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Part One
One Platform, Many Domains
The same tools work across every system
Gap Child Welfare Housing Healthcare Employment
Information Families see case status in real-time Tenants know their rights and landlord history Patients understand coverage and options Workers see policies and protections clearly
Complexity AI guides through CHIPS proceedings AI explains eviction defense options AI clarifies benefits and appeals AI navigates accommodation requests
Timing Automated deadline tracking and alerts Response deadlines clearly tracked Prior authorization deadlines visible Filing deadlines auto-tracked
Documentation All evidence organized and accessible Lease history and communications logged Medical records and denials tracked Performance reviews and communications saved
Communication Caseworkers, families, courts aligned Landlords and tenants on same page Providers and patients share understanding HR and employees with shared visibility

The Connected Reality

Families face multiple systems at once. Child welfare connects to housing, employment, healthcare. Our platform sees the whole picture—helping families and professionals coordinate across all the systems in their lives.

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Part One
Why Technology Is the Answer
The right tools make the right way possible at scale
Past Approach Why It Didn't Scale → How Technology Fixes It
Training Training happens once, fades quickly → AI provides guidance at the moment of need, every time
Case Management Paper systems can't handle volume → Digital systems scale to any caseload
Communication Phone tag and missed messages → Real-time updates visible to everyone
Compliance Manual tracking leads to missed deadlines → Automated alerts never forget
Documentation Evidence gets lost in filing cabinets → Digital records searchable forever
Access Only available during business hours → 24/7 access from any device
Expert Help Expensive and limited availability → AI democratizes expertise for everyone
The laws are already good. We don't need to change the rules—we need to give everyone the tools to follow them.
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Part Two
How It Works
Giving everyone the same tools creates alignment

The Alignment Equation

Better Outcomes =
(Shared Information + Right Tools + Clear Process + Real-Time Visibility)
Available to Everyone in the System

When everyone has the same information and tools, the spirit of the law naturally gets honored.

Change Happens When...

Everyone can see the same picture and has tools to act on it.

For Caseworkers

  • AI assistance for every case decision
  • Automated compliance tracking
  • Real-time alerts before deadlines
  • Easy documentation and reporting
  • Clear guidance on legal requirements

For Families

  • See exactly what's required and when
  • Track their own progress in real-time
  • Understand their rights clearly
  • Document everything that matters
  • Get the same information as everyone else
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Part Two
Four Strategic Pillars
How we allocate resources and attention
🔧

TECHNOLOGY

Build open-source tools that shift information power from institutions to people

👥

COMMUNITY

Organize and empower affected communities as governors, not beneficiaries

🔍

TRANSPARENCY

Make hidden systems visible and impose accountability on harmful institutions

📣

ADVOCACY

Convert individual empowerment and collective power into systemic change

Resource Allocation

80%
Core Mission Activities
Technology + Community + Transparency + Advocacy
20%
Org Sustainability
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Part Two
The Virtuous Cycle
Each success feeds the next—creating compounding impact
1. Individual Empowerment

Users gain power through knowledge and tools

2. Stories & Evidence

Users document and share safely

3. Pattern Recognition

Systemic issues surface from aggregated data

4. Collective Power

Isolated individuals become united community

5. Institutional Pressure

Costs of harm rise through transparency

6. Systemic Change

Policies, practices, and precedents shift

7. Demonstrated Impact

Change becomes visible and credible

8. Trust & Engagement

More people join the movement

→ Cycle Continues

Momentum builds exponentially

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Part Three
What We're Building
Technology platform and capabilities

Platform Architecture

User Interfaces
🌐 Web App (Next.js)
📱 Mobile (PWA)
🎤 Voice (Vapi)
🔌 Partner APIs
AI/Intelligence Layer
🤖 Claude AI (Primary LLM)
📚 RAG Knowledge Base
🔍 Pattern Detection
📄 Document OCR
Core Capabilities
🔐 Authentication
📁 Case Management
💬 AI Chat
🔎 Smart Search
📊 Analytics
Data Infrastructure
🐘 PostgreSQL
🧠 Qdrant (Vectors)
⚡ Redis (Cache)
☁️ S3 (Documents)

AI Philosophy

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Part Three
The Platform in Action
Intuitive interfaces designed for real people in crisis
Dashboard
Case Dashboard
AI Chat
AI Rights Assistant
Analytics
Pattern Analytics
📱

Mobile-First Design

Works on any device, optimized for users who primarily access the internet via smartphone. No app download required.

🌐

Multi-Language Support

Automatic translation for 50+ languages. Spanish, Hmong, and Somali prioritized for Wisconsin launch.

♿

Accessibility Built-In

WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. Screen reader optimized. Voice interface for hands-free access.

🔒

Privacy by Default

End-to-end encryption. User-controlled data. No tracking. No ads. Ever.

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Part Four
Non-Negotiable Principles
These are constraints, not aspirations

We do not violate these for convenience, efficiency, funding, or growth.

1

Build With, Not For

Affected communities have genuine power over tools built to address their violations—governance authority, not just advisory input.

2

Power, Not Just Help

Our goal is shifting power so systems become less unjust, not helping people navigate unjust systems more effectively.

3

Transparency by Default

Radical transparency about our organization—public finances, public decisions, public acknowledgment of failures.

4

Privacy as Protection

For users, privacy is survival. Minimum data collection, maximum user control, encryption by default, no data monetization ever.

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Part Four
Non-Negotiable Principles
Continued
5

Sustainability Without Capture

Diverse funding sources (no funder >20% of budget). Clear boundaries on influence. Willing to refuse problematic funding.

6

Open by Design

All code publicly available (AGPL). Self-hosting documentation that works. Architecture designed for forking. No vendor lock-in.

7

Honest About Limitations

Clear disclaimers about what we can and cannot do. We are not lawyers. AI has limits. We acknowledge when we don't know.

8

Long-Term Over Growth

Optimize for durable change, not organizational size. Measure outcomes over outputs. Depth of impact over breadth of reach.

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Part Four
Absolute Boundaries
What we will never do, regardless of justification

🚫 Never Share User Data

Not with funders. Not with researchers. Not with government. Not with partners. Not under legal pressure—we will fight.

🚫 Never Build Surveillance

No tracking without knowledge. No weaponizable features. No cooperation with law enforcement against users. No predictive profiling.

🚫 Never Monetize Data

No selling data. No advertising. No "anonymized" data sales. No data partnerships that extract value from users.

🚫 Never Provide Legal Advice

Legal information only. Connect to lawyers, don't substitute for them. Clear about unauthorized practice boundaries.

🚫 Never Work Against Communities

No tools that help agencies remove children faster. No tools that help police surveil. No tools that help landlords evict.

🚫 Never Prioritize Survival Over Mission

We will take risks. We will refuse funding. We will shut down rather than become captured. Mission before organization.

Accessibility is Non-Negotiable

Financial inability never blocks access. Disability never blocks access. Language never blocks access. Technology access never blocks access. Location never blocks access. Period.

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Part Five
Governance Structure
Power flows from community upward, not from leadership down

Traditional Nonprofit

  • Board → Staff → Programs → Users
  • Power flows down
  • Board represents funders
  • Community is "served"
  • Accountability to board

Nora's Law Foundation

  • Community → Governance → Operations
  • Power flows up
  • Board represents community
  • Community governs
  • Accountability to community
COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY

Ultimate authority. Affected community members, users, volunteers. Sets strategy, vetos major decisions, recalls board.

▼
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Majority (>50%) must have lived experience in domains we serve. Cannot be dominated by funders.

▼
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Operational authority within board-set strategy. Reports to board.

▼
Domain Councils

Per-domain community governance

Tech Governance

Open-source community

Operations

Finance, HR, Admin

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Part Six
Domain Expansion
Starting deep, expanding strategically
✓ Active Now

Child Welfare

Primary focus, pilot domain. Full infrastructure, Wisconsin launch, community partnerships established.

◐ In Development

Housing

Eviction defense, discrimination

Police Accountability

Misconduct, use of force

○ Planned

Criminal Justice • Employment • Healthcare • Disability • Immigration • Education • Voting • LGBTQ+ • Elder Rights

Geographic Expansion

Phase 1: Pilot State (Current)

Wisconsin — Full infrastructure build-out, all systems tested, community partnerships established, model developed for replication.

Phase 2: Regional Expansion

Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa — Adapt pilot model, build state-specific content, establish state partnerships, maintain quality standards.

Phase 3: National Scale

All 50 states + territories — State-by-state rollout, federated content management, local community governance, national coordination.

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Part Seven
Why We Will Succeed
Our unique advantages
1

Structural Approach

We address mechanisms, not symptoms. We create durable change rather than endless band-aids.

2

Community Governance

Those affected lead. This ensures relevance, builds trust, and creates sustainability.

3

Open Source Model

Cannot be captured, controlled, or shut down. Technology as permanently distributed power.

4

AI-Powered Scale

Democratize expertise that was previously only available to the wealthy. 24/7, in any language.

5

Cross-Domain Leverage

Universal tools serve all civil rights domains. Build once, deploy everywhere.

6

Lived Experience + Expertise

Team combines personal experience with technical capability, legal knowledge, and organizing power.

"We're not waiting for anyone to change the system for us. We're giving everyone the tools to do things the right way—caseworkers, families, and courts working together with shared information."

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Part Eight
Strategic Partnerships
Building the ecosystem for change
Legal Aid
Legal Aid Organizations
University Research
University Research Partners
Community Orgs
Community Organizations

Partnership Types

⚖️

Legal Partners

Legal aid societies, law school clinics, civil rights attorneys who take referrals and provide oversight

🏛️

Community Organizations

Parent advocacy groups, tenant unions, police accountability orgs who co-govern and distribute tools

🎓

Research Institutions

Universities that evaluate impact, provide expertise, and train the next generation of advocates

💡

Technology Allies

Open-source contributors, civic tech organizations, and ethical AI researchers who build with us

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Join the Mission

Give caseworkers, families, and courts the tools to do things the right way. Same people. Better outcomes.

Launch Fund Progress $12,500 / $50,000
127 supporters 25% of goal
Partner With Us

Join 500+ supporters. We'll never share your email.

🔒 Tax-Deductible 501(c)(3) 🛡️ Open Source 👥 Community Governed
Contact
info@noraslaw.org
noraslaw.org
501(c)(3)  |  Civil Rights Technology  |  Built with ❤️
Appendix
Image Resources
All image URLs for website development

Cover & Background Images

Section Description URL
Cover Page Community/People Together https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1529156069898-49953e39b3ac?w=1920&q=80
Call to Action Team Collaboration https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1521737711867-e3b97375f902?w=1920&q=80

Content Images

Section Description URL
Who We Serve Family https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1531983412531-1f49a365ffed?w=600&q=80
Who We Serve Community Organizing https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1582213782179-e0d53f98f2ca?w=600&q=80
Who We Serve Professional Advocate https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1573497019940-1c28c88b4f3e?w=600&q=80
Platform Dashboard/Technology https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551434678-e076c223a692?w=600&q=80
Platform AI/Digital Assistance https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1516321318423-f06f85e504b3?w=600&q=80
Platform Analytics/Data https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1460925895917-afdab827c52f?w=600&q=80
Partnerships Legal/Justice https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1589829545856-d10d557cf95f?w=600&q=80
Partnerships University/Research https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1531545514256-b1400bc00f31?w=600&q=80
Partnerships Community Meeting https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1517048676732-d65bc937f952?w=600&q=80

Usage Notes

All images are from Unsplash (unsplash.com) and are free for commercial use. For production, consider downloading and self-hosting for performance and reliability. Replace with original photography when available for authentic brand representation.

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