Shell USA Foundation Donates to Climate-Skeptic Christian Groups and Southern Baptist Institutions

The Shell USA Co. Foundation has been identified as a major financial supporter of conservative Christian groups that reject the idea of human influence on climate change. Over a decade, the foundation donated half a million dollars to organizations that oppose environmental regulations and advocate for the elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency. These groups include the Heritage Foundation and 14 organizations aligned with its Project 2025 initiative, which promotes increased oil production and consumption.

Shell maintains it does not endorse any organizations it funds, but its donations have supported groups that view climate change as a leftist myth. These include Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, the Alliance Defending Freedom, the American Family Association, the American Center for Law and Justice, the Discovery Institute, and Texas Right to Life. Each of these groups has expressed skepticism about human-induced climate change, often framing it as a political or ideological issue rather than a scientific one.

The Shell Foundation’s donations also extended to numerous Southern Baptist churches and institutions. Despite the Southern Baptist Convention’s earlier acknowledgment of human impact on climate change, the denomination has since shifted its stance, aligning more closely with Republican political values. The foundation’s 990 filing reveals donations to churches in oil-producing states like Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania, as well as to institutions such as New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board.

The Shell Foundation’s support also reached the Heartland Institute, a right-wing think tank known for its climate skepticism. The institute has been criticized for comparing environmentalists to Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, and has received significant funding from energy companies. However, it has stopped publicly disclosing its donors.

Shell’s foundation is part of a broader corporate strategy that encourages employee charitable giving, with the company matching donations up to $7,500 per employee. This approach allows Shell to support a wide range of nonprofits, including those with diverse ideological perspectives.

Focus on the Family, one of the groups receiving Shell’s support, has developed materials that challenge the scientific consensus on climate change. In 2010, the organization collaborated with others to produce a climate-skeptic DVD series, which was distributed to churches and received funding from various sources. This effort reflects a broader trend among conservative Christian groups to frame environmental concerns as part of a larger ideological battle.

The Guardian, in partnership with DeSmog, uncovered these donations through investigative reporting, highlighting the intersection of corporate funding and ideological advocacy. This case underscores the complex relationship between business interests and religious organizations, raising questions about the influence of financial support on public discourse and policy positions.

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