LifeLink: United Way

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October 2007

Each fall, the United Way fires up its fundraising campaigns.  Most people encounter them through their requests for workplace giving.  The United Way encourages individuals to donate to a variety of local charitable organizations or to the United Way itself.  Each local United Way determines whom they will support through their grant programs and their lists of charitable organizations in the area.  Most United Way organizations claim they do not provide money for abortion services through their fundraising program.  In truth, some United Way organizations do support Planned Parenthood or other abortion-advocate agencies, while some do not.

Some areas, such as New York City and Atlanta, provide grants to Planned Parenthood.  The Dallas, Houston, and Austin United Ways do not give money to Planned Parenthood.  However, the Austin United Way does send volunteers to The Lilith Fund, which, according to the United Way, “assists women in exercising their fundamental right to abortion by removing barriers to access.  We [The Lilith Fund] envision a society in which equal access to abortion is guaranteed for all women, regardless of economic situation.”

Nationally, the main United Way website (unitedway.org) does point volunteers towards Planned Parenthood.  Again, not every state or city agency promotes Planned Parenthood, but several do. 

How United Way Funds Charitable Organizations

Charitable organizations can receive funds from the United Way as a “partner agency,” which receives funding through grants from the general “Community Fund.”  They can also receive money if a donor has designated that specific organization on their United Way contribution form.  Therefore, even if a local United Way does not support Planned Parenthood as a “partner agency,” they will still be required to forward any funds designated to them on a contribution form.