IdeaLog

Require UPCs to disclose their spending

Posted on October 1, 2025

Nineteen states currently subsidize Unregulated Pregnancy Clinics (UPCs, often called crisis pregnancy centers) and yet, they need no subsidies. They are already spending far more than they provide clients in goods and services. How is their money actually used?

There are more UPCs in your state than you think! More than 2,600 UPCs operate in all 50 states, the vast majority of which are affiliated with one of three national organizations: Care Net, Heartbeat International and National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA). Select your own state on this interactive map and take a look. Just for example, Arizona has 45, Ohio has 124, and Texas has 204.

Based on the most recently available IRS 990 forms (for 2023), about 2,100 UPC locations reported more than $1.9 billion in revenues and $1.7 billion in expenses. The Trump Administration is expected to pour hundreds of millions of new dollars into these facilities.

About 2,100 UPCs reported that they hold $2.5 billion in assets, which averages almost $1.1 million in assets per facility.

Also based on their IRS 990 forms, the average UPC has revenues of almost $1 million a year. And since, nationally, 2,600 facilities see only about 975,000 new clients per year, that means the average pregnancy center is serving about 1.3 new clients per business day, fewer than seven in a 5-day week. How many staff are needed to accomplish that?

In states that directly fund UPCs, there is very little transparency. Usually, it is not clear: (a) how much money has actually been granted from year to year; (b) who receives it and how much is passed along to other groups or individuals; (c) how many unique clients are served in a year; (d) what measurable quantity of products and services each of those clients receive; (e) whether the nonprofits are appropriately audited; and (f) whether audits are reviewed to ensure that state funds are properly spent.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle should agree that tax dollars should not be spent when they’re not needed, nor should they be allocated without clear requirements for fiscal transparency and impact analysis. The American Medical Association urges that: “any entity offering crisis pregnancy services…be transparent with respect to their funding and sponsorship relationships.” That’s not too much to ask.