Fidelity Charitable bars donor-advised fund holders from donating to Southern Poverty Law Center
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Apr 29
Fidelity Charitable bars donor-advised fund holders from donating to Southern Poverty Law Center
11 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Apr 29
The move follows a Justice Department indictment last week accusing the S.P.L.C. of financial crimes and triggering a federal investigation.
Fidelity’s decision affects over 350,000 charitable giving accounts, blocking donations to the S.P.L.C. during the ongoing probe. Other major fund sponsors, like Vanguard and Schwab, have not publicly announced similar actions.
The S.P.L.C. has criticized donor-advised fund sponsors for supporting extremist groups, while the organization itself now faces scrutiny and public allegations, including unsubstantiated claims by President Trump regarding its activities.
How will this case redefine the rules for non-profits that use covert methods for their mission?
If federal agencies used the SPLC's intelligence, could the group's financial crime charges still stand?
Where is the ethical line between monitoring extremist groups and financially sustaining their members?
Was the SPLC's secret informant program a necessary tool or a massive deception of its donors?
If an anti-hate group pays informants in hate groups, is that fighting extremism or funding it?