ABOVE: A Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich (from Wikimedia Commons)
Fast food restaurant Chick-fil-A has announced that its charitable foundation will no longer be donating to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes — organizations known for having anti-LGBTQ views.
The Chick-fil-A Foundation will focus on solving problems of hunger, homelessness and education by giving to organizations such as Junior Achievement USA, Covenant House International and local food banks in over 120 communities.
The foundation released their 2018 tax form, showing donations of $1.65 million to the FCA and $115,000 to the Salvation Army. A Chick-fil-A spokesman told Thrillist that they continued to donate to these organizations due to “multiyear commitments” and that they “fulfilled those obligations in 2018.”
The Salvation Army has a history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination while the FCA’s “Statement of Faith” blatantly defines marriage as “exclusively the union of one man and one woman” and calls homosexual acts “sexual sin.” Chick-fil-A’s previous support of these organizations brought on a mountain of criticism from LGBTQ community members, advocates and allies, prompting many to boycott their food altogether.
According to a statement, the Chick-fil-A foundation promises to assess the organizations it partners with more closely in the future.
“The Foundation will no longer make multiyear commitments and will reassess its philanthropic partnerships annually to allow maximum impact,” the statement says. “These partners could include faith-based and non-faith-based charities.”
