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Chick-fil-A will no longer fund organizations with anti-LGBTQ ties

4 years 4 months 1 week ago Monday, November 18 2019 Nov 18, 2019 November 18, 2019 5:28 PM November 18, 2019 in News
Source: ABC News

After courting controversy for years, the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A will no longer fund two organizations that have historically opposed same-sex marriage.

The Atlanta-based restaurant chain has come under fire from LGBTQ+ activists for reportedly donating millions of dollars to two Christian charities: The Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

The company told ABC News Monday that it was refocusing its donations to groups centered on "hunger, homelessness and education" beginning in the new year.

“Beginning in 2020 the Chick-fil-A Foundation will introduce a more focused giving approach, donating to a smaller number of organizations working exclusively in the areas of hunger, homelessness and education," Chick-fil-A said in a statement Monday.

"We have also proactively disclosed our 2018 tax filing and a preview of 2019 gifts to date on chick-fil-afoundation.org," the statement added. "The intent of charitable giving from the Chick-fil-A Foundation is to nourish the potential in every child.”

“Beginning in 2020 the Chick-fil-A Foundation will introduce a more focused giving approach, donating to a smaller number of organizations working exclusively in the areas of hunger, homelessness and education," Chick-fil-A said in a statement Monday.

"We have also proactively disclosed our 2018 tax filing and a preview of 2019 gifts to date on chick-fil-afoundation.org," the statement added. "The intent of charitable giving from the Chick-fil-A Foundation is to nourish the potential in every child.”

Tim Tassopoulos, the president and COO of Chick-fil-A, added that "no organization will be excluded from future consideration -- faith-based or non-faith-based."

"Our goal is to donate to the most effective organizations in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger," Tassopoulos said in a statement.

The chain currently boasts more than 2,400 restaurants across the country. Its stance on LGBTQ rights has been the subject of boycotts, anti-boycotts and more for years, since CEO Dan Cathy first drew condemnation from activists in 2012 when he said he supported "the biblical definition of the family unit" -- marriage only between a man and woman.

A Chick-fil-A spokesperson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which first reported the story, that "We made multi-year commitments to both organizations and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018."
The spokesperson declined to comment to Reuters on whether the protests influenced the decision to change donations.

The Salvation Army told ABC News in a statement that it is "saddened" to learn Chick-fil-A is diverting funding and slammed the "misinformation," reiterating its support for the LGBTQ+ community.

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