Hobby Lobby, the popular American arts-and-crafts retail chain, is facing renewed scrutiny after a new report linked one of its major philanthropic connections to a campaign seeking to overturn same-sex marriage protections in the United States. According to The Seattle Times, The Servant Foundation donated $300K to the advocacy group Them Before Us, which says it works to defend “children’s right to their mother and father.”
Them Before Us is among dozens of organizations backing the Greater Than campaign, launched earlier this year to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The group was founded in 2018 by Katy Faust, who has publicly opposed marriage equality, surrogacy, IVF, and divorce. In a January promotional video, the Greater Than campaign stated: “Once husbands and wives became optional, mothers and fathers became replaceable.
But for a child, their mother and father are never optional, they are essential. Children need both a mother and a father to provide stability, guidance, and the unique love only a man and woman can give. No adult desire or ideology can change that.” Hobby Lobby founder and billionaire CEO David Green has financially supported both The National Christian Foundation and The Servant Foundation.
The Servant Foundation is also known for funding the He Gets Us advertising campaign, aimed to “reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible.” OpenDemocracy reported in 2024 that The Servant Foundation has also been a significant source of funding for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.
