Charity Check – Susan G. Komen for the Cure

By Matthew Kauffman On February 7, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Karen Handel, vice president of the breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure, resigned today, a casualty of the flap over the foundation’s short-lived decision to pull its funding of Planned Parenthood chapters, purportedly because the group was under Congressional investigation. Handel, who opposes legalized abortion, said the decision to cut ties to Planned Parenthood was not based on ideology or politics, but rather a need to “distance Komen from controversy.”

That didn’t happen. After a firestorm of criticism, Komen officials reversed the decision last week, and Handel, widely seen as the driving force behind the initial impetus to cut Planned Parenthood off, stepped down.

Komen’s annual giving to Planned Parenthood totaled about $680,000, a tiny fraction of the foundation’s budget. So how much financial power does Komen have? To find out, click here or the image below, for the full report in our latest Charity Check.

Note: The Scoop’s calculation of fundraising expenses often differs from a charity’s calculation. IRS rules allow non-profits to treat part of the cost of a fundraising appeal as a program expense if the appeal also includes a programming function, such as educating the public. In The Scoop’s calculation, all of the expenses associated with fundraising appeals are counted as fundraising expenses.