Komen sees huge drop in donations after dispute

DALLAS – Susan G. Komen for the Cure saw a 22 percent drop in contributions in the year following the controversy over its decision, quickly reversed, to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings.

Citing audited financial statements posted on its website this week, a spokeswoman for the Dallas-based breast cancer charity said contributions – including donations and corporate sponsorships – dropped from about $164 million from the fiscal year ending in March 2012 to $128 million in the year ending March 2013.

After news of the plan to quit offering grants to Planned Parenthood broke in January 2012, several executives left the organization and fewer people took part in its fundraising Races for the Cure across the country. The organization announced last summer that it would cancel half of its three-day charity walks for this year because of a drop in participation.

The statements also showed that revenue from Race for the Cure and three-day events had a 19 percent drop for the same fiscal period, falling from about $258 million to $208 million.