Watchdog Reports Government Payments to Southern Poverty Law Center for School Materials

Direct payments from school districts, cities, counties, universities, and states totaled $1,352,655.07. The organization stated that most payments lacked detailed explanations but suggested the amounts indicated purchases of materials, speakers, or licensing fees.

Payments came from entities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Act request identified a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. The grant funded the "Youth Empowerment Solutions: Engaging Youth for Anti-Racism and Cultural Equity" program that used the SPLC's "Learning for Justice" curriculum in six middle schools.

The project examined effects on students' sense of empowerment, racist behaviors, and violent behavior. The curriculum was previously called "Teaching Tolerance" and was rebranded to reflect a shift toward supporting action to address injustice. The University of Michigan website page for the program was taken down after the OpenTheBooks report was published.

According to Fox News, the Department of Health and Human Services is no longer funding the program.

Schools and Penfield Central School District also purchased the program. Fulton County, Georgia, made three separate payments totaling nearly $40,000 in 2021. Chicago Public School District 299 paid for credit classes, seminars, and workshops. Kansas State University and the Judicial Conference of Ohio reimbursed speaker travel expenses.