WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has become the latest big-name financial supporter to back away from a group that pushes conservative and corporate priorities in U.S. state capitals.
The foundation said it would not award another grant to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in the face of criticism of the council's involvement in voting laws and in "stand your ground" gun laws such as one under scrutiny in the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida.
ColorOfChange, a political group that advocates for black Americans, has led a public campaign to persuade corporations to distance themselves from ALEC. ColorOfChange's executive director is Rashad Robinson, who previously worked for a voting-rights group and a gay-rights group.
Civil rights advocates have said they are considering economic boycotts of companies that support so called "stand your ground" laws that permit civilians to carry and use weapons in cases of self defense. Corporate backers of ALEC were also singled out last year for the group's support of state laws requiring that voters show identification when they vote. ColorOfChange says the laws unfairly burden racial minorities and the poor.
Three companies that have said since January they are cutting their ties with ALEC are the Coca-Cola Co, Kraft Foods Inc and PepsiCo Inc. A fourth company, Intuit Inc, said it left ALEC near the end of 2011 but declined to comment further.
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