By SECULAR COALITION FOR AMERICA
Added: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:00:00 UTC

Contact: Paul Fidalgo, 202-299-1091 / paul@secular.org

The Secular Coalition for America Education Fund today announced a gift of $500,000 from philanthropist Todd Stiefel. The SCA Education Fund engages in outreach to enlighten all Americans as to the need for a secular influence in government and supports activism and networking among secular Americans.

“The Secular Coalition for America's member organizations represent a powerful united front in support of nontheist advocacy and of the separation between church and state. I make this gift to the SCA Education Fund to bring to the next level coordination and networking among secular Americans throughout the entire United States and to help educate all Americans about the important issues we articulate," said Todd Stiefel. "Americans must become better-informed about the dangers of the privileging of religion in American public policy."

Mr. Stiefel’s gift creates the Stiefel Fund, named in honor of his family, within the Secular Coalition for America Education Fund.

“This gift is the cornerstone of a new era for secular Americans," stated Secular Coalition for America Board President Herb Silverman. "We cannot thank Todd Stiefel enough for a gift that truly transforms what the Secular Coalition for America Education Fund can accomplish for the cause of secularism in the United States.”

Advisory Board President Woody Kaplan said, “Beyond this extremely generous gift, Todd Stiefel is also a business leader and strategist, and a vital addition to the secular movement."

Executive Director Sean Faircloth said, “Directly because of Mr. Stiefel’s gift, the Education Fund will be able to help lead the growth in the number, the diversity, and the geographic breadth of secular activists and their networks throughout the country. Millions of Americans are growing increasingly frustrated as they witness the religious right's erosion of the separation of church and state on which this nation is founded. Millions of secular Americans are looking for a broad and robust movement that embodies their values. This gift allows them to have a more sophisticated media and web presence and more thorough community outreach, and sends a strong signal that the secular movement has reached a new level of credibility and strength.”
* * *
Todd Stiefel lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife, Diana, and their two young children. He graduated cum laude from Duke University. He worked 12 years for Stiefel Laboratories, holding positions in marketing, sales operations and strategy. He was the Chief Strategy Officer, the Enterprise Leadership Team chairman and member of the executive committee of the Board. He was responsible for 250 people including the finance, strategy, risk, facilities, administration and program management functions. He co-led the teams that sold equity to Blackstone and Stiefel Laboratories to GlaxoSmithKline. Todd is a secular humanist, an atheist and full-time freethought activist. He is the Founder and President of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation. His mission is to gain respect for freethinkers and ensure the complete separation of church and state. Todd envisions a world where government favors liberty over dogma and freethinkers are overt, united and influential. He serves on the development committee of Secular Coalition for America and American Atheists and advisory board of Secular Coalition for America, Secular Student Alliance and Atheist Nexus. He also serves on the National Advisory Council (NAC) of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

The Secular Coalition for America Education Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to better educating all Americans about the necessity of reason-based public policy, and to the facilitation of greater grassroots networking in the secular and nontheist community, encourage local and national activism, and media outreach. Its sister entity is Secular Coalition for America, a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation focusing on lobbying for the separation of church and state and greater prominence of and acceptance for Secular Americans.

To find out more about the Secular Coalition for America go to www.secular.org. The Secular Coalition for America will work with the Secular Coalition for America Education Fund to further educate Americans about secular values in public policy.

--
Paul Fidalgo
Communications Manager
Secular Coalition for America
(202) 299-1091 (office)
(202) 615-1295 (cell)
paul@secular.org
http://www.secular.org

TAGGED: ATHEISM, HUMAN RIGHTS