Election spurs donations to ‘progressive’ charities
Voters appear to seek ways to fight Trump through pocketbooks
Many Americans unhappy with the Nov. 8 election results are using their wallets to push back against President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promises.
According to data released by the charitable giving platform Bright Funds, donations made to “progressive organizations” through the group increased 1,901% the week after the election over the previous week. Donations rose 1,146% over the nine weeks before the election.
Donors gave $18,906.60 to the organizations using Bright Funds between Nov. 9 and 16, the group said.
The organization defined a “progressive organization” as a charitable organization that took a partisan stance during or after the election. Planned Parenthood, the Urban Justice Center and the Natural Resources Defense Council were some of the organizations that received donations.
Bright Funds is just one way to donate to an organization and many donations were given through other platforms or to organizations directly.
Planned Parenthood saw a flood of donations directly to them as well.
“We’ve seen an unprecedented outpouring of support, with more than 315,000 people donating since the election — a quarter of whom pledged to be monthly supporters, recognizing the longterm work that is needed. Tens of thousands more are pledging to make sure access to health care is protected,” Cecile Richards, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in an email to USA TODAY.
And out out of the new donations, $82,000 were made in Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s name. As governor of Indiana, Pence has backed some of the most restrictive abortion regulations in the country and was the first lawmaker to float the idea of taking federal funding from the organization in 2011 when he was a member of Congress.