ANIMAL PEOPLE Report Charges PETA + PCRM use Foundation to Evade Public Recognition of Their Relationship, True Expenses
December 11, 2001

The activist newsletter ANIMAL PEOPLE charges that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) are using a foundation to evade public scrutiny of the relationship between the two animal rights groups and the amount of money both groups spend on fundraising and administrative costs.

The charges come in the 12th annual "Who Gets The Money?" feature in the late November issue of ANIMAL PEOPLE, which is now in the mail to subscribers. The report is an informative account of the finances of 148 animal-related charities, based on analysis of the organizations' reports to the IRS. (See the AMP News Service article about the ANIMAL PEOPLE feature, below.)

First, a bit of context to put the ANIMAL PEOPLE charges in perspective:

Founded in 1985 under the auspices of PETA, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine over the past few years has tried to re-invent its image to that of a health/consumer watchdog group, and draw attention away from its adherence to an extreme animal rights agenda.  That agenda calls for the abolition of all animal-based biomedical research, regardless of its value.

Nevertheless, PCRM has continued to promote that agenda in campaigns aimed against dozens of health charities such as the March of Dimes, the American Heart Association and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. PCRM also works in coalition on anti-research issues with PETA and other extremist animal groups, targeting both academic and private biomedical research concerns.

Most recently, PCRM lent its support to SHAC, which is leading a campaign of harassment and economic sabotage against Huntingdon Life Sciences, its employees and its clients. This fall, PCRM president Neal Barnard M.D. joined SHAC-US campaign coordinator Kevin Kjonaas in signing letters urging executives not to do business with Huntingdon.

The Foundation to Support Animal Protection (FSAP) was incorporated in 1993, but has come into its own just over the past few years.  AMP became aware of its existence this spring, when PETA listed on its website several fundraising jobs for the Foundation.  The Foundation is located in PETA's headquarters at 501 Front Street in Norfolk, VA.

The Foundation has a three person Board of Directors.  PCRM president Neal Barnard serves as president of FSAP's Board of Directors. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk is FSAP's vice president. The third member of FSAP's Board is Nadine Edles, who serves as Board secretary. PCRM's address is listed for Edles on the most recent IRS form. AMP has no further information about her at this writing.

The FY 2000 IRS form indicates the sole function of the Foundation is to "support the operations of certain animal protection organizations."

The IRS form lists those supported organizations as: 
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
PETA Europe Limited
Stichting PETA Nederland
PETA Research and Education Foundation
PETA Deutschland e.V.
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
Washington (DC) Humane Society

However, the FY 2000 IRS report indicates that the Foundation gave to only one of these groups during July 1999 to June 30, 2000. Dr. Neal Barnard's group, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, received $432,524 in grants. Here is other information about the Foundation's finances during FY 2000: 

budget      $2,554,996     (1999 budget: $1,370,113 / 1998 budget: $68,642)
programs       432,524     (grants to PCRM, as above)
overhead     2,122,472
total assets          5,733,414
cash/securities     3,123,492

ANIMAL PEOPLE notes, "In fiscal 1999 and 2000 combined, (FSAP) raised $7,454,914 in donations and program service revenue, paying the mortgage on the PETA headquarters and leasing the site to PETA; apparently did mailings in the names of the beneficiaries; paid $5,000 to the Washington Humane Society in 1999 and $432,524 to PCRM in 2000..."

ANIMAL PEOPLE continues, "If FSAP, PETA and PCRM were seen as a single fundraising unit, as the existence and activities of FSAP indicate they should be, their spending in 1999 came to $20,391,253; their declared overhead if the costs of all direct mailings containing fundraising appeals were counted as fundraising costs came to $4,053,658: 20% of budget; and their overhead if the cost of all direct mailings containing fundraising appeals were counted as fundraising costs came to $9,633,083: 47% of budget. Their spending in 2000 came to $22,756,984; their declared overhead was $5,778,242: 20% of budget and their overhead if the costs of all direct mailings containing fundraising appeals were counted as fundraising cost came to $9,168,478: 40.3% of budget."