Adobe Software & the Politics of (Non)Discrimination
06/13/2005 23:45 Filed in: Faith & Reason
If your organization is a non-profit with 501(c)(3) status, good news--you qualify for discounts on your software. However, if you also have a religious affiliation, forget it...
You know, I really prefer that companies I do business with be apolitical. Just sell me a product. Isn't that enough? Can't companies just innovate, create new products and make a profit? Not anymore, evidently. We are truly in a brave new world.
The issue that I'm about to describe caught my attention today while reading a forum entry on the MacNN website. Evidently, if your organization is a non-profit school or service to the hungry or homeless, you can receive donations of Adobe software at deep discounts, UNLESS you also have some kind of religious affiliation. If so, you're out of luck. That includes every religious school, college, church, soup kitchen and homeless mission.
I've attached the whole document at the bottom of this blog entry for you to read in its entirety, in full context. But let me give you an excerpt that defines exactly what I'm talking about.
An organization is eligible for consideration if its primary mission is: K-12 education; developing K-12
curriculum; improving K-12 student performance; providing K-12 teacher training; and/or working
to prevent hunger or homelessness.
Eligible organizations must also meet the following criteria:
• Have 501(c)(3) or non-profit status; a Canadian Charitable Registration Number; or be a recognized
Indian Reservation.
• Provide a copy of their 501(c)(3) letter, letter from Revenue Canada, or other non-profit or tax-exempt
documentation.
• Provide a copy of their non-discrimination policy. Organizations must not advocate, support or
practice unlawful discrimination based on race, religion, age, national origin, language, sex, sexual
preference, or physical handicap. If you do not have a non-discrimination policy, please create one
using this language and have it signed by an executive of your organization.
• Must not have the nomination or election of candidates to political office as an explicit purpose.
• Must not exist solely as fundraising groups. Only agencies providing direct services in one of the
focus areas will qualify for this program.
• Must be located in North America. Organizations outside of the U.S. or Canada can apply using the
international application form which can be downloaded at www.giftsinkind.org/resources/software.asp .
Adobe does NOT support: individuals, religious organizations, churches, temples, seminaries, political
organizations or private foundations. Also, Adobe does not support any organizations having unlawful
discriminatory practices. Organizations with a secular designation (that is a separate 501(c)(3) status from
the religious organization) that provides services to people regardless of their religious beliefs and does
not propagate a belief in a specific faith are eligible for this program. Example: A food bank that is a
separate 501 (c)(3) organization from a church that provides food and meals to anyone who qualifies for
services, regardless of religious belief would qualify.)
So how do you qualify for a discount? Well, you must be a non-profit school and/or an organization working to prevent hunger or homelessness. But wait...there's more.
Make sure you take note of who is NOT supported: religious organizations, churches, temples, seminaries, political organizations or private foundations. And if you read the rest of the paragraph, these groups are assumed to have discriminatory practices. In fact, even if your non-profit organization does qualify as not having religious affiliation it must also include a copy of the non-discriminatory policy that uses the language found in the third bullet above.
Now, does Adobe have the right to decide who gets their discounts? Sure. I'm not even going to argue that. And there are some software companies that offer discounts to schools, but not to other non-profits. Fine. What gets me here is that Adobe goes out of its way in the wording of the eligibility application to exclude religious groups--any religious group. And, like many who take up such positions, they end up discriminating themselves--doing the very thing they are critical of. How hypocritical!
I don't know what the statistics are, but I would dare say that the majority of homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and clothing closets are run by religious organizations. And most of them minister to anyone in need. They don't stop to screen people based on race, religion, or sexual preference. How stupid to even suggest something like that!
How much Adobe software do you and I have on our computers? Photoshop? Photoshop Elements? InDesign or Illustrator? How many churches still do their newsletter in Adobe PageMaker (now discontinued)? Adobe's bias against organizations with religious affiliations might better come into play the next time we decide to upgrade our software. Adobe makes great products--the best in some categories. But they aren't the only game in town...
For more information on the IRS' tax-deductible 501(c)(3) status, go to http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/ .
To read the application for donating Adobe software in its entirety, go to http://www.giftsinkind.org/pdf/adobe_web.pdf or download this attached PDF file: adobe.pdf.
You know, I really prefer that companies I do business with be apolitical. Just sell me a product. Isn't that enough? Can't companies just innovate, create new products and make a profit? Not anymore, evidently. We are truly in a brave new world.
The issue that I'm about to describe caught my attention today while reading a forum entry on the MacNN website. Evidently, if your organization is a non-profit school or service to the hungry or homeless, you can receive donations of Adobe software at deep discounts, UNLESS you also have some kind of religious affiliation. If so, you're out of luck. That includes every religious school, college, church, soup kitchen and homeless mission.
I've attached the whole document at the bottom of this blog entry for you to read in its entirety, in full context. But let me give you an excerpt that defines exactly what I'm talking about.
An organization is eligible for consideration if its primary mission is: K-12 education; developing K-12
curriculum; improving K-12 student performance; providing K-12 teacher training; and/or working
to prevent hunger or homelessness.
Eligible organizations must also meet the following criteria:
• Have 501(c)(3) or non-profit status; a Canadian Charitable Registration Number; or be a recognized
Indian Reservation.
• Provide a copy of their 501(c)(3) letter, letter from Revenue Canada, or other non-profit or tax-exempt
documentation.
• Provide a copy of their non-discrimination policy. Organizations must not advocate, support or
practice unlawful discrimination based on race, religion, age, national origin, language, sex, sexual
preference, or physical handicap. If you do not have a non-discrimination policy, please create one
using this language and have it signed by an executive of your organization.
• Must not have the nomination or election of candidates to political office as an explicit purpose.
• Must not exist solely as fundraising groups. Only agencies providing direct services in one of the
focus areas will qualify for this program.
• Must be located in North America. Organizations outside of the U.S. or Canada can apply using the
international application form which can be downloaded at www.giftsinkind.org/resources/software.asp .
Adobe does NOT support: individuals, religious organizations, churches, temples, seminaries, political
organizations or private foundations. Also, Adobe does not support any organizations having unlawful
discriminatory practices. Organizations with a secular designation (that is a separate 501(c)(3) status from
the religious organization) that provides services to people regardless of their religious beliefs and does
not propagate a belief in a specific faith are eligible for this program. Example: A food bank that is a
separate 501 (c)(3) organization from a church that provides food and meals to anyone who qualifies for
services, regardless of religious belief would qualify.)
So how do you qualify for a discount? Well, you must be a non-profit school and/or an organization working to prevent hunger or homelessness. But wait...there's more.
Make sure you take note of who is NOT supported: religious organizations, churches, temples, seminaries, political organizations or private foundations. And if you read the rest of the paragraph, these groups are assumed to have discriminatory practices. In fact, even if your non-profit organization does qualify as not having religious affiliation it must also include a copy of the non-discriminatory policy that uses the language found in the third bullet above.
Now, does Adobe have the right to decide who gets their discounts? Sure. I'm not even going to argue that. And there are some software companies that offer discounts to schools, but not to other non-profits. Fine. What gets me here is that Adobe goes out of its way in the wording of the eligibility application to exclude religious groups--any religious group. And, like many who take up such positions, they end up discriminating themselves--doing the very thing they are critical of. How hypocritical!
I don't know what the statistics are, but I would dare say that the majority of homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and clothing closets are run by religious organizations. And most of them minister to anyone in need. They don't stop to screen people based on race, religion, or sexual preference. How stupid to even suggest something like that!
How much Adobe software do you and I have on our computers? Photoshop? Photoshop Elements? InDesign or Illustrator? How many churches still do their newsletter in Adobe PageMaker (now discontinued)? Adobe's bias against organizations with religious affiliations might better come into play the next time we decide to upgrade our software. Adobe makes great products--the best in some categories. But they aren't the only game in town...
For more information on the IRS' tax-deductible 501(c)(3) status, go to http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/ .
To read the application for donating Adobe software in its entirety, go to http://www.giftsinkind.org/pdf/adobe_web.pdf or download this attached PDF file: adobe.pdf.