Virginia Council of Churches 90% funded by taxpayers

I just came across this puff-piece article from Richmond, VA about the Virginia Council of Churches (VCC) having its annual assembly this past week.  They were thrilled by Obama’s election, but that isn’t what I found interesting.

There was a line near the end of the article about how much money VCC invests in its rural family development and refugee resettlement programs.   The implication is that this is hard-earned church folk’s donations.  It isn’t!   The Virginia Council of Churches is just over 90% funded by federal and state taxpayers!

The Richmond-based council spent more than $3.2 million on rural family development in 2007-08, which accounted for about 66 percent of its expenses. It spent about another $1.4 million, or 28 percent, on refugee resettlement.

Go to their annual report for 2007 here and check out the numbers yourself.    The East Coast Migrant Head Start grants comprising 58 % of the “churches” income is from the Department of Health and Human Services.  It’s a grant program that began in the Clinton Administration.   The State of Virginia kicked in 15 % of their annual income and the 18% from Church World Service is also federal money just passed through to VCC as a federal subcontractor to Church World Service.

The total amount of taxpayer funding is just over $4 million and around 90% of their income.   I doubt the reporter writing this story ever thought to ask where the money they so generously distribute actually comes from.

The final kicker is that because VCC is a “church” they don’t file a Form 990 so you can’t see the finer details of where YOUR money is going.

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