Sordid Southern Poverty Regulation Heart paid for cross burnings

The government’s case against the Southern Poverty Law Center just got stronger.

As we discussed when the original indictment was released, the SPLC used donor funds to strengthen the very hate groups the SPLC sought to “dismantle.” On June 2, 2026, the government filed its superseding indictment, which provides additional factual support of the SPLC’s misuse of donor funds.

The biggest beneficiary of all this wasn’t the KKK or the National Alliance or any other hate group. It was the SPLC. This was the perfect business plan: the manufactured hate increased the visibility – and necessity – of the SPLC.

This, in turn, substantially increased donor funding. In 2010, the SPLC reported revenue of nearly $39 million. By 2023, revenue was almost $130 million. In that same time period, the SPLC’s net assets increased by nearly $550 million.