Know Your IX

Know Your IX
Name	Know Your IX
Formation	2013
Founders	Tarana Burke, Andrea Pino, Annie Clark
Type	Nonprofit advocacy organization
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts
Region served	United States
Focus	Campus sexual assault, civil rights, Title IX enforcement

Know Your IX is a grassroots advocacy organization that focused on campus sexual assault, Title IX rights, and survivor support within United States higher education institutions. The group combined legal education, survivor organizing, policy advocacy, and strategic litigation to influence institutional responses to sexual misconduct at colleges and universities. Through training, toolkits, and public campaigns, it sought to connect individuals with civil rights remedies and to shift institutional practices across campus environments.

Overview

Know Your IX provided outreach and resources aimed at students, survivors, campus administrators, and legal advocates. It published guidance on Title IX procedures, complaint pathways under Clery Act reporting, and interactions with offices such as campus police and student affairs—while assisting connections to civil rights enforcement bodies like the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The organization engaged with national movements and organizations including Me Too Movement, National Sexual Violence Resource Center, American Civil Liberties Union, and campus-based groups that addressed campus safety and survivor support. Its programming intersected with policy debates involving actors such as the U.S. Department of Justice, members of the United States Congress, and state-level attorneys general.

History and Founding

The organization emerged in the aftermath of high-profile campus cases and national awareness campaigns that followed activism by figures and groups tied to survivor advocacy. Founders included student activists and advocates who mobilized after incidents that drew scrutiny from outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. Early organizing drew on precedents set by advocacy around sexual assault on campuses and built alliances with established civil rights entities such as Equal Rights Advocates and legal clinics at institutions like Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. The group operated during regulatory shifts under secretaries at the U.S. Department of Education, collaborating with policymakers in hearings before committees including the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Programs and Services

Know Your IX developed toolkits, model letters, and training curricula for use by students, student governments, and campus coalitions. These resources referenced federal frameworks like FERPA and administrative remedies available through Office for Civil Rights complaint processes, and complemented legal assistance networks including the American Civil Liberties Union Women's Rights Project and university legal clinics. The organization hosted trainings at conferences such as United States Student Association gatherings and collaborated with survivor networks and campus-based organizers from institutions including University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Michigan, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Its staff and volunteers offered know-your-rights workshops, rapid-response teams for high-profile cases, and guidance integrating research from centers like the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

Advocacy and Policy Work

Advocacy efforts targeted federal regulations, congressional oversight, and university policy reforms. The organization engaged in campaigns around rulemaking under the U.S. Department of Education and testified or organized testimonies before panels involving policymakers allied with groups such as Know Your IX's partner coalitions and national advocacy organizations like End Rape on Campus. It joined amicus coalitions in litigation on campus adjudication standards alongside legal centers such as Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and advocated for changes reflected in guidance issued during tenures of Education Department officials. Campaigns also pressed for transparency through mechanisms like Freedom of Information Act requests pursued by allied groups and for accountability via state attorneys general investigations similar to probes conducted in states represented by offices including the Massachusetts Attorney General.

Funding and Organization

The group's funding model combined individual donations, foundation grants, and in-kind support from partner organizations and university clinics. It collaborated with philanthropic actors and foundations known for supporting civil rights and public-interest law initiatives, aligning with funders who have supported entities such as Southern Poverty Law Center and Legal Momentum. Staffing drew upon student leaders, campus organizers, public-interest lawyers, and policy researchers, with governance involving boards and advisory councils including academics from institutions like Georgetown University, New York University, and UCLA.

Impact and Reception

Know Your IX influenced campus discourse, contributed materials adopted by student governments and university policy offices, and intersected with national media coverage from outlets such as NPR and The Atlantic. Its work informed regulatory debates that involved the U.S. Department of Education and legislative proposals in the United States Congress. Reception among survivor advocates, legal scholars, and higher-education administrators was mixed: many praised its empowerment of survivors and clarity of resources, while critics debated the implications for due process and institutional autonomy in campus adjudication. The organization’s role became part of broader conversations involving movements and actors across the landscape of sexual-misconduct policy, including university presidents, state legislators, civil rights litigators, and student activists from campuses nationwide.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States