Chick-fil-A said that starting next year, they will no longer donate to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Both organizations have come under fire for their stances against same-sex marriage.
“We made multi-year commitments to both organizations, and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018,” a spokeswoman for Chick-fil-A said.
The company said that in 2018, they donated $1.65 million to the FCA and $115,000 to The Salvation Army.
The fast-food chain announced that they would donate money to charities that focus on education and ending homelessness and hunger. Those charities include Junior Achievement USA and Covenant House International. Chick-fil-A also promised to donate money to local food banks.
Chick-fil-A has faced growing criticism and boycotts over their support of charitable organizations that are seen as hostile to LGBTQ interests. While the fast-food chain is one the most popular in the country, their attempts to expand and open new restaurants have met resistance from political leaders and local residents.
The San Antonio City Council recently voted to prevent Chick-fil-A from opening a restaurant inside the San Antonio Airport. The controversy has also spread overseas, where protesters forced the chain to announce the closure of their first location in the United Kingdom just eight days after it opened.
Officials with Chick-fil-A hope the decision will take some of the heat off the company as it continues to expand into new markets.
“There’s no question we know that, as we go into new markets, we need to be clear about who we are,” Chick-fil-A President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Tassopoulos said in an interview with Bisnow. “There are lots of articles and newscasts about Chick-fil-A, and we thought we needed to be clear about our message.”
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