Chick-Fil-A Denies Charitable Donations Target LGBTQ Groups

The Chick-fil-A Foundation gave $1.8 million to three groups with a history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

Thursday, March 21st 2019, 4:55 am

By: News On 6

Chick-Fil-A Denies Charitable Donations Target LGBTQ Groups

Seven years after CEO Dan Cathy voiced support for "the biblical definition of the family unit," Chick-fil-A is again on the defensive against claims the fast-food chain has an agenda -- this time in its charitable donations.

The private company's conservative Christian leanings are back in view with newly released tax filings first publicized by ThinkProgress. The left-leaning news site found the Chick-fil-A Foundation gave $1.8 million to three groups with a history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

The donations include payments of $1,653,416 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an organization that spreads an anti-LGBTQ message to college athletes; $150,000 to the Salvation Army, which has opposed LGBTQ rights; and $6,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, a Christian residential facility for troubled youth that teaches homosexuality is wrong.

Chick-fil-A also listed the donations on its website, which noted that the company's foundation as of June 2017 "no longer supports" the Paul Anderson Youth Home.

Chick-fil-A, which has previously denied that it discriminates against any group, reiterated that stand. "To suggest our giving was done to support a political or non-inclusive agenda is inaccurate and misleading," the company stated in an email to CBS MoneyWatch.

The private company's conservative Christian leanings also drew attention last year when then-EPA head Scott Pruitt explained why he had looked into having his wife own a Chick-fil-A franchise. "I love, she loves, we love Chick-fil-A as a franchise of faith," Pruitt told a reporter.

","published":"2019-03-21T09:55:35.000Z","updated":"2019-03-21T09:55:35.000Z","summary":"The Chick-fil-A Foundation gave $1.8 million to three groups with a history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination. ","affiliate":{"_id":"5c784a0c4961cb23ad330098","callSign":"kotv","origin":"https://www.newson6.com"},"contentClass":"news","createdAt":"2020-02-01T18:59:12.713Z","updatedAt":"2022-03-31T19:29:44.098Z","__v":2,"breakingNews":[],"entities":[{"_id":"6244c42a6880e45323adf545","text":"Dan Cathy","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"62421b356880e45323a3bf1f","text":"Scott Pruitt","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"62421fe36880e45323ac0622","text":"Chick-fil-A","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"6244c42a6880e45323adf561","text":"ThinkProgress","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"6244c42a6880e45323adf566","text":"Chick-fil-A Foundation","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"62421a716880e45323a24565","text":"Salvation Army","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"6244c4576880e45323ae365d","text":"Paul Anderson Youth Home","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"623a88c26880e45323e30429","text":"EPA","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0}],"hasBeenCheckedForEntities":true,"openInNewWindow":false,"show":true,"link":"/story/5e35ca802f69d76f620149cf/chickfila-denies-charitable-donations-target-lgbtq-groups","hasSchedule":false,"id":"5e35ca802f69d76f620149cf"};