Organize Ohio suffers major setback as CCHD rescinds grant

[colist-admin at comm-org.utoledo.edu]

[ed:  Bill is responding to the National Organizers Alliance 
Alliance posted August 24.  A quick comment from me below.]

From: Bill Treadwell <wtreadwell at usc.edu>

The article bemoans the Campaign for Human Development 
(CHD) for promoting Catholic belief, while still wanting to gain 
funding from them.  This is a perverse notion.  A funding 
organization has the self-determination right to attach 
conditions to their funding.  If one cannot obligate to such 
requirements (i.e. conservative sexual morale and life as 
sacred), then look elsewhere for funding.  

What appears to be more problematic today, is President 
Bushes proposal for government funding of religious centric 
organizations.  This could evolve into a dangerous path of 
government funds promoting religion orientations as 
prerequisites of receiving what are currently considered to be  
endowments.  

What would be wrong is for CHD to receive government 
funding and then continue to promote an "extremist" 
conservative stance as outlined in the Ohio setback article.  

*************************

[ed:  I am one of those who thinks that foundations do not 
have a right to make arbitrary funding decisions.  Foundations 
exist because of money either donated by the people, in the 
case of CHD, or extracted from them in the form of profit.  In 
either case it's not the foundation's money but the people's 
money.  For me, that's justification enough for trying to 
change any foundation policy counter to grass roots 
empowerment.]