A taxpayer watchdog organization has revealed at least $3.85 million in public funding connected to the Southern Poverty Law Center, including a substantial federal grant supporting a university project that incorporates SPLC’s racial justice curriculum into middle school classrooms. The disclosure comes amid growing scrutiny of the organization’s educational programs and their presence in public schools across the nation. OpenTheBooks released a comprehensive report documenting the flow of taxpayer dollars to the controversial civil rights group. The findings have sparked debate among lawmakers and education advocates about the appropriate use of public funds in classroom instruction.
Federal grant supports SPLC curriculum integration in Michigan schools
Through public records requests, OpenTheBooks discovered $1,352,655.07 in direct taxpayer payments to the Southern Poverty Law Center from various public entities since fiscal year 2016. The funds came from school districts, states, cities, counties, universities and other government organizations. The watchdog also identified an active National Institutes of Health-backed University of Michigan grant worth $2.5 million. University materials indicate the project integrates SPLC’s “Learning for Justice” curriculum, formerly known as “Teaching Tolerance,” into programming designed for middle school students.
The original grant application, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, stated researchers would incorporate “the Teaching Tolerance curriculum from the Southern Poverty Law Center” into an existing middle school program. The initiative was tested across six middle schools in Genesee County, Michigan. The University of Michigan’s current project page continues to list the program as active and identifies SPLC as a partner organization. The project aims to address racism and racial discrimination while measuring students’ beliefs and behaviors related to these issues.
Controversial teaching materials direct students to SPLC hate group map
Eighth-grade lesson materials from SPLC’s curriculum direct students to a “map of active hate groups” that categorizes various organizations under the same classification system. The materials place “Anti-Gay” and “Radical Traditionalist Catholic” groups in the same category as the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis and Black Separatists. Additional Learning for Justice youth materials encourage students to view themselves as participants in a “movement for justice” and include toolkits for sustained activism.
- Resources for nonviolent direct action and public rallies
- Social media campaign planning tools
- Community organizing guides
- Letter-writing templates for contacting corporate or elected officials
- Instructions for organizing live social media awareness campaigns
Materials designed for grades six through twelve include tasks directing students to write letters calling for action from officials and to organize social media events focused on social justice issues. The current Learning for Justice program frames its approach around “educating for liberation,” “racial equity” and the “deconstruction of white supremacy.” These teaching methods have drawn criticism from parents and education advocates who question their appropriateness for public school settings.
Administration announces program redesign amid congressional scrutiny
President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the program “is no longer being funded” and has been “redesigned” to focus on reducing teen and family violence. However, OpenTheBooks points to contradictory information on the University of Michigan’s website, which still describes the active NIH-backed project as integrating SPLC’s Learning for Justice curriculum. FOIA-obtained NIH records show the original grant documents repeatedly described the project as incorporating SPLC’s Teaching Tolerance curriculum into the YES program.
Representative Brett Guthrie, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, expressed support for efforts to expose organizations like SPLC. The Kentucky Republican stated that utilizing taxpayer resources to promote harmful left-wing rhetoric in education systems is inappropriate. He endorsed the House Judiciary Committee’s work to expose what he characterized as the nefarious agenda, funding and tactics of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The scrutiny comes during the same week the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate.”
Tyler O’Neil raises concerns about program’s ideological content
Tyler O’Neil, author of “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center” and senior reporter at Daily Signal, testified at the congressional hearing. He argued that the NIH needs to address parents’ concerns about the grant funding. O’Neil stated that SPLC’s Learning for Justice project promotes critical race theory and transgender ideology while using its hate map to condemn parental rights groups. He characterized the organization’s approach as silencing opposition by comparing mainstream groups to the Ku Klux Klan.
John Hart, president of OpenTheBooks, emphasized that taxpayers have the right to know what groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center are doing with public money. The watchdog’s report suggests the dollar figures uncovered may understate SPLC’s taxpayer-backed footprint because free classroom resources and teacher-training materials often do not appear in spending databases. OpenTheBooks noted it only discovered details about Teaching Tolerance and the SPLC curriculum by submitting a FOIA request and waiting ten weeks. The organization argues this suggests potentially more indirect support for the nonprofit that remains hidden from taxpayers.
SPLC educational materials found in hundreds of school districts nationwide
A previous investigation by conservative nonprofit Defending Education found SPLC’s Learning for Justice program had been integrated into lesson plans and materials in 169 school districts across 42 states and Washington, D.C. The materials appeared in classrooms as early as kindergarten. Defending Education reported the materials promoted themes including anti-racism, White privilege, White supremacy, whiteness, gender ideology and queer theory. The widespread adoption of these materials has raised questions about the extent of SPLC’s influence in public education.
The controversy intensified following newly released information that the group allegedly funneled money to extremists it claimed to combat. The Department of Justice alleges that SPLC’s now-disbanded informant program secretly channeled donor money to informants inside extremist groups. The organization has denied any wrongdoing related to these allegations. OpenTheBooks discovered additional evidence of SPLC learning materials during a separate investigation into the Pentagon’s kindergarten through twelfth grade public schools, suggesting the organization’s educational reach extends beyond civilian school districts.