Charities across the country are using lists compiled by left-wing groups to prevent donor funds from going to conservative and faith-based groups, according to a review of public records and documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. We are using.

When vetting grant recipients, some community foundations that operate donor-advised funds (DAFs) rely on lists compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Horizon Forum, and they often It classifies religious and faith-based organizations as “hate” groups. This designation could effectively blacklist conservative groups, cutting off funding they would otherwise be entitled to.

“'Hate group' is a serious charge, and few donors want their name associated with it,” Robert Stilson, a research expert at the Capital Research Center, told DCNF. I guess so,” he said.

Stillson said that while most conservatives “know it doesn't automatically defer” an organization's designation, “the bigger risk is that charity intermediaries and promoters like DAF will give a biased view of the SPLC.” “We need to continue to replace this with the donor's own views.”

“Standard Protocol”

DCNF identified Eleven community foundations collectively manage more than $12 billion in assets as of 2022 and leverage resources generated by the SPLC or Horizon Forum to shape their giving policies.

These community foundations operate Donor Recommended Funds, which is a type of charitable account that allows individuals to donate stock or cash to a foundation to be distributed at a later date. After establishing one of these funds, donors can advise the community foundation to disburse some or all of its assets to another organization of their choice. (Related: Fund manager advised by major donor allegedly blocked anonymous donations to conservative groups, according to complaint)

However, the charity administering the DAF reserves the right to refuse any donor nomination. Several major community foundations use lists compiled by the SPLC and Horizon Forum to reject donor nominations, according to grant policies and public statements reviewed by DCNF.

For example, the Pittsburgh Foundation will send a $5,000 grant to Turning Point USA (TPUSA) after Horizon Forum flagged it as a “hate” group, according to a May 2023 letter obtained by DCNF. It is shown that the donor's request was refused.

Horizon Forum provides foundations with an “investigative tool” that flags organizations that are “widely considered by academics, journalists, and advocacy groups.” [to be] engaging in hateful activities,” the letter said. Horizon's investigative tools flagged TPUSA as “an organization believed to be involved in hateful activities,” according to the letter.

The letter does not specifically explain why TPUSA was designated as a hate group, nor does it detail the methodology used to arrive at that designation.

TPUSA is a conservative political advocacy group. worked with Several elected officials. The letter said it is the foundation's “standard protocol” to route proposed donations through the Horizon Forum database.

A Pittsburgh Foundation spokesperson told DCNF that a “decision has been made.”[s] It says it “determines an organization's funding eligibility on a case-by-case basis” and “does not maintain a list of organizations whose funding requests have been denied as a result of its evaluation.”

Similarly, several other community foundations also support SPLC'shate map”, or other materials prepared by the organization to determine whether to approve a donor's grant recommendation.

Charities that refer to SPLC materials when deciding where to send grants include: Greater Washington, Delaware, fox valley region, western massachusetts, napa valley and stone wall Community Foundation, according to documents prepared by the charity. None of these foundations responded to DCNF's requests for comment.

of cleveland foundation, boston foundation and St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation The charity also uses SPLC materials to shape its grant-making policies, according to its website. None of these foundations responded to requests for comment.

“The SPLC's 'hate map' could deter people who call themselves donors to conservative or mainstream Christian causes, because those causes have the same hate as the Ku Klux Klan. “It's a sign that it's full,” said Tyler O'Neill, editor-in-chief of the Daily Signal and author of SPLC. “Getting a Price for Hate: Corruption at the Southern Poverty Law Center,” DCNF said.

SPLC's hate map published Each year, the SPLC plots the approximate locations of hate-flagged organizations on a map of the United States.

some charities like East Bay Community Foundation; hartford foundation And that connecticut foundation According to documents on its website, it “may” refer to SPLC documents to determine whether a donation recommendation is approved. None of these foundations responded to requests for comment.

A Chicago Community Trust spokesperson told DCNF that the SPLC uses the SPLC's hate list to ensure that it rejects grant recommendations to “nonprofits that engage in hateful activities.” he said.

Chicago Community Trust manages $4.2 billion in assets as of 2022. according to For tax disclosure. None of these funds can flow to groups flagged by the SPLC.

“A real extremist”

conservatives and libertarian They point out that the SPLC's list juxtaposes mainstream conservative, faith-based organizations like the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) with notorious extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party. is criticizing. ADF is a conservative Christian legal foundation. I support Parental rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and traditional marriage.

The SPLC also lists: Family Research Council (FRC), a conservative Christian advocacy group.of American Academy of Pediatricsan organization of medical professionals. american gun owners, Second Amendment supporter.And that Pacific Justice Instituteis a legal nonprofit organization focused on civil liberties and is listed on the Hate Map.

In 2012, a gunman tried to break into the FRC's Washington, D.C. office in order to “kill as many people as possible,” according to prosecutors. The gunman, who was subdued after firing several shots and wounding a security guard, cited the SPLC's inclusion of FRC on its “hate map” as a motive for the attack, Fox said. report.

SPLC Added In 2023, parental rights organizations will be added to the list of hate groups, causing considerable controversy.

“These groups were partially fueled by a right-wing backlash against COVID-19 public safety measures in schools,” but they also “targeted any inclusive curriculum that includes discussions of race, discrimination, and discrimination.” It has grown into an anti-student inclusion movement that embraces “LGBTQ identities,'' the SPLC's 2022 Extremism Report states.

Groups designated as hate groups by the SPLC in 2023 include groups such as “Moms for Freedom,” “Parents Defending Education,” “Parent Army,” and “No Left Turn in Education.”

A group of House Republicans has introduced a resolution to censure the SPLC for labeling parent groups a hate organization in 2023, FOX News Digital report.

“I introduced this resolution because I am tired of far-left groups demonizing people who are simply standing up for their rights,” Michigan Republican Rep. Lisa McClain said at the time.

The SPLC “lumps together true extremists and traditional mainstream conservative organizations that have no connection to each other,” Stillson said. He also expressed concern about the SPLC's ability to effectively “veto'' contributions to more than a dozen major community foundations.

The SPLC did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

horizon forum

While the SPLC is open about who it puts on its list of hate organizations, Horizon Forum is more opaque.

Horizon Forum does not disclose the foundations it serves, but DCNF obtained documents showing the Pittsburgh Foundation managed more than $1 billion in assets as of 2022. around Tax returns use hate group research tools to determine where donors can and cannot direct their money.

Horizon Forum does not publish a list of organizations that it classifies as hate groups, nor does it publish a methodology for designating groups as hate groups.

Horizon Forums did not respond to multiple requests for comment seeking clarification.

horizon forum Conceded a point The 2021 document states that “an agreed definition of hate speech has eluded experts and practitioners around the world.”

The organization says sample definitions of hate include “actual race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.” Horizon Forum recommended that other foundations adopt the definition of hate speech to guide their giving practices.

Horizon Forum’s fiscal sponsor, Proteus Fund, To tell Horizon Forum said it was “supporting nearly 75 community foundations” as of 2021.

The Proteus Fund is a DAF and Offers Financial sponsorship services for organizations that aim to ensure diversity in philanthropy, address racism, and develop future leaders of liberal organizations.

Fiscal sponsorship is an arrangement that allows a registered nonprofit organization, like the Proteus Foundation, to process tax-deductible contributions to another group without having to register with the IRS. according to to the American Bar Association. Groups that receive fiscal sponsorship services like Horizon Forum are not required to file their own tax forms.

The Proteus Fund is “focused on the interrelated goals of racial, gender, gay and disability justice, and an inclusive and fully representative democracy.” according to Go to that website. In addition to financial sponsorship services, Offers DAFs allow donors to anonymously transfer funds to left-wing organizations.

moreover, Abbas Barzegar and Zainab Alineonly 2 staff members listed Both men previously worked at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Horizon Forum website said. The council is a controversial pro-Islam advocacy group whose leaders have been repeatedly criticized for anti-Semitic comments.

An FBI special agent testified in a 2008 court hearing that CAIR was born out of a 1993 meeting of Hamas supporters in Philadelphia. according to To the Dallas Morning News. The organization's executive director, Nihad Awad, said he was “happy to see” Palestinians fleeing Gaza following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel, a comment echoed by the White House. connected. deny care.

The SPLC is the United States' primary organization that monitors the activities of domestic hate groups and other extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, white supremacists, neo-Nazi movements, anti-government militias, and others.

Check out our interactive hate map: https://t.co/A50xM3fe69

— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) May 23, 2022

The foundation bans donors from donating to some mainstream conservative organizations on the grounds that they are hate groups, while allowing funds to flow to groups allegedly associated with Palestinian terrorists. There was also.

of Chicago community trust And that cleveland foundation Between 2016 and 2021, it allowed about $100,000 in grants to flow to the Alliance for Global Justice, according to tax filings. The Alliance for Global Justice was a financial sponsor of Samidoun, an organization with alleged ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a US-designated terrorist organization. according to To the Washington Examiner.

CAIR did not respond to DCNF's request for comment.