Editor’s Note: Members from several activist groups including the Pittsburgh Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Thomas Merton Center, Veterans for Peace and Bend the Arc have called on local nonprofits to reject funding from the Colcom Foundation because of its funding of the immigration restriction movement in the United States. GASP has also been contacted by these organizations, as well as local media, so we wanted to go on the record about our involvement with Colcom.
“Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) has received grant funding through the Colcom Foundation. Their funding has enabled GASP, as well as a host of worthy, local nonprofits, to do much good work and we are appreciative of their support.
In late 2018, however, we became aware that Colcom was also funding groups whose missions focus on immigration issues, and that are associated with controversial Trump Administration immigration policies.
Although GASP does not work on immigration issues per se, we take the concerns expressed seriously.
In fact, our board took a close look at the issue, examining it from various points of view. While every nonprofit that receives Colcom funding must do what’s right for them, we decided in 2019 the right course of action for us was ending the relationship.
Should Colcom continue to fund groups such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform, GASP will not seek funding from them.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and CityPaper both covered the issue.