Americans United for Separation of Church and State has released new research showing that the Religious Right’s funding has increased over the past year. According to the organization–which has a history of monitoring the Religious Right–the Religious Right is attempting to organize churches into a “political machine” that will be able to support whichever candidate they chose to campaign for their agenda. Recent research by the organization has shown that Focus on the Family (http://www.mediamouse.org/resources/right.php?orgId=24) took in $142.2 million in 2006, the Family Research Council $10.3 million, the American Family Association $16.9 million, the Alliance Defense Fund $26.1 million, and the Christian Broadcasting Network $236.3 million. This funding has meant increases in operational budgets from between $900,000 and $49.8 million, while these organizations have at the same time sent letters to churches encouraging them to handout “voter guides” to their congregations.
Many of these organizations have been supported by the Religious Right in West Michigan. The Family Research Council has been a particular favorite, with the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation providing extensive support over the years, including seed money to found the organization and funding–along with the DeVos family–for a Washington DC headquarters in 1997. The Prince family has also funded Focus on the Family, as has the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, the John and Judy Spoelhof Foundation, the Jack and Mary DeWitt Foundation, and the DeWitt Families Conduit Fund.
Related posts:
- Prominent West Michigan Religious Right Activist Funding Anti-Gay Marriage Initiative in California
- Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation Funding the Religious Right
- Holland’s Prince Family Continuing to Fund the Religious Right
- Dick DeVos Connected to Religious Right Boycott of Ford Motor Company
- West Michigan Religious Right Funder Bill DeWitt Dies
