Watchdog Reports $3.85 Million in Public Funds Linked to Southern Poverty Law Center

A taxpayer watchdog group released a report Friday documenting public spending connected to the Southern Poverty Law Center. 07 paid directly to the organization from school districts, states, cities, counties, universities and other public entities since fiscal year 2016.

5 million. University materials state the project integrates the SPLC's Learning for Justice curriculum, formerly called Teaching Tolerance, into middle school programming in Genesee County, Michigan.

Original grant documents obtained through public records requests described plans to test the curriculum across six middle schools. Eighth-grade materials reviewed in the report direct students to a map of active hate groups that places anti-gay and radical traditionalist Catholic organizations in the same category as the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis.

Other materials encourage students to view themselves as part of a movement for justice and provide toolkits for activism, letter writing, and social media campaigns.

The Department of Health and Human Services stated the program is no longer being funded and has been redesigned to focus on reducing teen and family violence. University of Michigan project pages continue to list the grant as active and name the SPLC as a partner.

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled "The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate" the same week. Rep. Brett Guthrie, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said taxpayer resources should not promote what he described as harmful rhetoric in schools.

Tyler O'Neil, senior reporter at the Daily Signal, testified at the hearing and said federal tax dollars should not support the curriculum.