FFRF establishes advocacy ‘Action Fund’
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has created an affiliated organization that will allow it to more directly advocate for legislation.
While FFRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, a status which limits direct lobbying (and where all donations are tax deductible), the new FFRF Action Fund holds a 501(c)(4) tax designation, which allows unlimited lobbying and some use of donations (which are not tax deductible) for election-related activities (such as backing candidates seeking public office).
FFRF has been fighting for the rights of nonbelievers and to defend the constitutional principle of separation between state and church since 1978.
With the changing judicial and political landscapes and shifts to extreme views on the Establishment Clause, a key component of protecting true religious liberty for all Americans — including the growing number of nonreligious Americans — involves increased advocacy in all branches of government.
The mission of the FFRF Action Fund is to develop and advocate for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, to secure the rights and views of nonbelievers and to publicize the views of elected officials affecting our constitutional rights. The Action Fund works to hold elected officials accountable on religious liberty issues.
The FFRF Action Fund maximizes advocacy for atheists, agnostics and other freethinkers by lobbying on the local, state and federal levels. From supporting bills in Congress and in state legislatures, to submitting public comments for new rules and public policy initiatives, to developing model legislation, FFRF Action Fund works to ensure that our elected officials understand the issues important to the “Nones.” Today, the “Nones,” otherwise described by Pew Research Center as “atheists, agnostics and nothing in particular,” are 29 percent of the adult population — numbering more than 75 million Americans. Secular voters trust in reason, science and America’s godless Constitution and want Congress, state legislatures, public officials and our courts to:
• Keep religion out of government and social policy
• Keep religion out of public schools
• Keep religion out of bedrooms, personal lives and health care decisions, including when or whether to have children,
and whom to love or marry.
• Use tax dollars only for evidence-based, not faith-based purposes.
True religious freedom and the separation of state and church is under attack. FFRF Action Fund’s work — now more than ever — is crucial to ensure the freedom of conscience of all Americans.
For more information, please visit FFRF Action Fund’s website: ffrfaction.org.
