Chick-fil-A is ending donations criticized by LGBTQ activists after years of backlash

On Monday, Chick-fil-A announced it was making a major change to perhaps the most controversial part of the company: its charitable giving arm.

In a press release, the company said it will "deepen its giving to a smaller number of organizations working exclusively in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger." A Chick-fil-A representative confirmed that the organization will no longer donate to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army, two organization that have been criticized by LGBTQ advocates.

"We made multiyear commitments to both organizations, and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018. Moving forward you will see that the Chick-fil-A Foundation will support the three specific initiatives of homelessness, hunger and education," the representative said in a statement to Business Insider.

Chick-fil-A had previously worked with the groups to fund specific programs - such as summer camps - that work directly with underprivileged children.

Chick-fil-A has faced backlash for its donations and those of its top executives for years. Prior to 2012, Chick-fil-A made significant donations to right-wing and religious organizations known for lobbying against LGBTQ rights through the WinShape Foundation.

Chick-fil-A stopped making donations to almost all controversial groups after facing backlash in 2012, when CEO Dan Cathy said he did not support same-sex marriage. However, the company continued its relationships with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army.

Rodney Bullard, the head of the Chick-fil-A Foundation, defended the donations in an interview with Business Insider earlier this year, saying they were "relevant and impactful in the community."

"For us, that's a much higher calling than any political or cultural war that's being waged," Bullard said.