The Freedom From Religion Foundation was chosen from more than 8,000 charities to receive an $82,765.95 donation from Reddit, the social networking and news website. The social media giant decided to donate 10% of its 2014 gross ad revenue to 10 charities selected by its users. Over 80,000 users voted.
Reddit partnered with Charity Navigator, a nonprofit that evaluates charities, to vet potential awardees. (Charity Navigator rates FFRF a 97.06 out of 100, and “exceptional” with four out of four stars.) FFRF is a national nonprofit with more than 21,500 members across the country that works to educate the public about matters of nontheism and to uphold the constitutional separation between state and church.
Of the 8,000 charities nominated, the top 10 received awards, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Doctors Without Borders, the Wikimedia Foundation, National Public Radio and FFRF.
“We’re so pleased to be in such illustrious company,” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “FFRF strives to do for the secular movement what charities like Planned Parenthood, Doctors Without Borders and NPR do for their respective fields. We’re honored that Redditors recognize our contribution.”
Other winners include the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which defends civil liberties in the digital world, and the Tor Project, which works to protect online privacy. The full list of 10 winners is available here.
“The Internet is one of the few places some atheists feel comfortable being open about their atheism,” said FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. “This award is an honor, but also a symbol that secularism is gaining strength and acceptance wherever ideas can be freely exchanged.”
FFRF and its staff would like to thank all the wonderful Redditors who voted for us. Upvotes for you all.