Concerns about the final destination of money contributed by San Francisco city employees to a nationwide charity clearinghouse, or federation, has resulted in the city pausing a website used to promote the charitable giving after it was revealed there are anti-LGBTQ groups on one of them.
This is after concerns were raised that one of the federations, Creating Healthier Communities, includes a number of anti-LGBTQ groups in its mix of charitable organizations. By donating a little at a time over the course of a year, city employees can give more, better supporting charities that are important to them, according to promotional materials the Bay Area Reporter reviewed. The fear, however, is that donations made to the CHC federation are being distributed to these right-wing groups, whether or not the donor specifies them as recipients.
The San Francisco Chronicle first reported this story.
In 2022, city employees have made $50,892.82 in donations to CHC, with $1,974 being donated directly to CHC itself, which then distributed those funds to various charities under its umbrella, according to a combined charities report compiled for Heart of the City, the city's annual campaign.
Heart of the City kicked off its 2022 campaign in September. It goes through December 2, according to the materials.
While other organizations such as the Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR), the American Heart Association, and the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation are among the potential recipients, so too are right-wing organizations such as the Alliance Defending Freedom and the American Family Association. Both of these groups, only two of numerous organizations in the list of potential donation targets, have been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as being anti-LGBTQ. The Family Research Council is another anti-LGBTQ group CHC has listed.
"The American Family Association (AFA) says it promotes 'traditional moral values' in media," notes SPLC on its website. "A large part of that work involves 'combating the homosexual agenda' through various means, including publicizing companies that have pro-gay policies and organizing boycotts against them."
Of the Alliance Defending Freedom, SPLC states it "is a legal advocacy and training group that has supported the recriminalization of sexual acts between consenting LGBTQ adults in the U.S. and criminalization abroad; has defended state-sanctioned sterilization of trans people abroad; has contended that LGBTQ people are more likely to engage in pedophilia; and claims that a 'homosexual agenda' will destroy Christianity and society."
San Francisco's Heart of the City combined charities campaign is a program designed to allow city employees to donate to charities via payroll deduction. "Workplace campaigns are a very efficient form of non-profit fundraising," notes the campaign's promotional material. "They are a proven cost-effective alternative to direct mail, telemarketing, annual fundraiser drives, and special event marketing."
CHC did not respond to an inquiry from the B.A.R. asking whether donations made by San Francisco employees to CHC were distributed to the anti-LGBTQ organizations. However, the San Francisco City Administrator's office told the B.A.R. it had paused the program as it seeks answers to questions about the matter.
"The intent of the city's Combined Charity Program has always been to support efforts by city employees to donate their own funds to local organizations that work to improve our community," said Angela Yip, a spokesperson for the city administrator's office. "We've temporarily paused the program in order to work with our partners at the Board of Supervisors to evaluate the parameters of the program. We will find a path forward that amplifies the engagement of our city workers on such pressing issues as ending hunger, protecting the environment, and providing services to our most vulnerable neighbors."
District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said he wasn't sure what role the Board of Supervisors might play in this issue, but "as a gay supervisor," he was concerned about money going to anti-LGBTQ hate groups.
The problem, he noted, is "[t]here may be some First Amendment issues here" if the city were to allow charitable giving to some groups, but not to others.
Gay District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey did not return messages seeking comment.
Jen Kwart, spokesperson for City Attorney David Chiu, referred questions to the city administrator's office. She noted that the Board of Supervisors approves the charities and charity federations. Any advice the city attorney's office provides is confidential, Kwart added.
Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going in these tough times. To support local, independent, LGBTQ journalism, consider becoming a BAR member.