Excerpts from a report from the progressive-leaning think-tank Institute for Southern Studies:
North Carolina multimillionaire Art Pope and his groups are often called "libertarian" in their political outlook. But Pope has veered from the views of most libertarians on at least one key issue: gay marriage.

Pope's family foundation has steered nearly $1 million into leading anti-gay marriage organizations, including $860,000 into a North Carolina group leading the push to amend the state's constitution to prohibit gay marriage. ...

This weekend, the American Independent reported that three groups have been leading the push for the North Carolina amendment: the Christian Action League, Return America and the North Carolina Family Policy Council.

According to tax records, the John William Pope Foundation -- the small family foundation run by Republican donor Art Pope -- has given $860,000 in grants to the N.C. Family Policy Council since 1997. As the chart below shows, gifts to the Council grew after John William Pope, Sr. died in 2006 and Art Pope took over the foundation. ...

The Pope Foundation has given grants to at least two other conservative Christian groups active in the gay marriage debate: Christian Leadership Ministries, an offshoot of Campus Crusade for Christ, and the Family Research Council.

The Pope Foundation's tax filings show $70,000 in support for the Family Research Council, which the Southern Povery Law Center has defined as a "hate group" for its extreme anti-gay positions. ...

The Pope Foundation has also given $12,500 to Christian Leadership Ministries, an offshoot of Campus Crusade for Christ. CLM is now known as by the innoccuous name Faculty Commons, with an aim of support Christians in academia. The Crusade has long identified homosexuality as a "sin;" group founder Bill Bright was a co-founder of Alliance Defense Fund, a Religious Right coalition which vows to expose the "homosexual agenda." ...Read the full article