The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) is a faith-based organization which uses strategic investment to promote left-of-center social change. ¹ The Center is a coalition of nearly 300 investors controlling over $100 billion of invested capital. ² Located in New York City, the ICCR focuses on climate change, healthcare, and corporate governance, while advocating for numerous other left-of-center agenda items. ³

History

The ICCR was founded in 1971 by lawyer Paul Neuhauser to oppose apartheid in South Africa. ⁴ Neuhauser wrote a shareholder proposal for General Motors on behalf of the Episcopal Church, which called on GM to withdraw business from South Africa until apartheid was abolished. ⁵

For the past several decades, the ICCR has influenced a range of industries, with special focus on energy and pharmaceutical companies. The ICCR uses several strategies to influence corporate decisions, including creating dialogues with company management under confidential conditions, hosting roundtables with stakeholders to address industry-wide issues, and drafting shareholder resolutions to push companies to adopt left-of-center policies. ⁶

In addition to direct advocacy, the ICCR participates in numerous educational and mentorship programs, publishing white papers, reports, and statements on corporate issues. The ICCR also publishes the Corporate Examiner, a quarterly magazine, and an annual proxy resolution and voting guide. ⁷

In May of 2018, the ICCR launched the Investor Alliance for Human Rights to drive companies to support the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. ⁸ The Alliance has since gained the support of 137 institutions from 14 countries with $3.5 trillion in collective assets. ⁹

Issues

The ICCR attempts to implement left-of-center, private-sector policies on a range of issues, from corporate governance to gun control.

Despite being a corporate organization, the ICCR has taken several stances designed to limit corporate freedom. The ICCR advocates against corporate lobbying, especially on climate issues, demanding that companies disclose lobbying expenditures. ¹⁰ The ICCR also participates in the familiar left-of-center anti-executive rhetoric, focusing on limiting the power of executives. The ICCR is fighting for the separation of “chair” and “CEO” positions, specifically in the financial, pharmaceutical, and energy sectors through shareholder votes. ¹¹ In its anti-executive action, the ICCR also targets executive salaries, publishing a list of the “100 Most Overpaid CEOs” and supporting pushes to lower CEO salaries by tying income to the achievement of various left-of-center social justice goals and average worker pay. ¹²

The ICCR is involved in left-of-center reform movements in the financial sector, including fighting to preserve the Dodd-Frank Act that regulates large banks. ¹³ The ICCR also promotes “responsible lending,” limiting a bank’s freedom to assign interest rates and supporting federal government regulation. ¹⁴ Under the guise of financial regulation, the ICCR has supported other left-of-center causes, such as the Standing Rock Sioux protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline project. ¹⁵

The ICCR also advocates for environmentalism, pressuring corporations to move to a low-carbon energy system and phase out fossil fuels. ¹⁶ In 2016, the ICCR targeted limiting greenhouse gas emissions through the “Company Challenge,” an initiative that has since engaged 21 companies to adopt “science-based” targets on emissions reductions. ¹⁷ The ICCR is devoted to reducing methane emissions by supporting top-down, federal government regulation. ¹⁸

In addition to environmental projects, the ICCR focuses on the private health sector, advocating for pharmaceutical companies to be more transparent in their risk assessment protocols and challenging high drug prices. ¹⁹ The ICCR is also involved in agriculture, pushing for increased food regulation and monitoring.

Under the guise of “Human Rights,” the ICCR has taken left-of-center positions on issues that do not directly relate to investment in the private sector, primarily on immigration and gun rights. On immigration, the ICCR has spoken out against President Donald Trump’s proposal to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census and against the United States Customs and Immigration Services Tip Form, which allows for anonymous citizen reporting of illegal immigrants. ²⁰ On immigration, the ICCR has partnered with the controversial, left-of-center Center for Popular Democracy. ²¹ The ICCR has also acted to limit access to legal firearms from the private sector, participating in Dick’s Sporting Goods’ 2018 decision to stop selling modern sporting rifles. ²²

People and Funding

Because it is registered as a church, the ICCR is not required to file an annual return with the IRS. As such, the organization’s financials are not open to the public. The ICCR self-reported a revenue of $1,770,863 in 2018, with $979,932 coming from membership dues. ²³ In addition to annual dues, the ICCR reported $265,701 in gifts to the Center, as well as $491,404 generated by fundraising. ²⁴

The ICCR publishes a complete list of coalition members, including numerous left-wing organizations. These include groups like the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the United States. ²⁵ AFL-CIO is known for supporting left-wing policies, including those unrelated to the economy. Other coalitions include the environmentalist Park Foundation, the Sierra Club Foundation, and the United Steelworkers labor union. ²⁶

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4. “History.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2019. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/about-iccr/history-iccr.
5. “History.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2019. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/about-iccr/history-iccr.
6. “Our Approach.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/our-approach/what-we-do-how-we-do-it.
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9. “History.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2019. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/about-iccr/history-iccr.
10. “Lobbying & Political Contributions.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/iccrs-issues/corporate-governance/lobbying-political-contributions.
11. “Executive Compensation.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/our-issues/corporate-governance/executive-compensation.
12. “Executive Compensation.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/our-issues/corporate-governance/executive-compensation.
13. “Financial Practices and Risk.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/iccrs-issues/financial-practices-and-risk.
14. “Financial Practices and Risk.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/iccrs-issues/financial-practices-and-risk.
15. “Financial Practices and Risk.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/iccrs-issues/financial-practices-and-risk.
16. “Environment.” .” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 04, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/iccrs-issues/environment
17. “Transitioning to a Clean Energy Economy.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 3, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/our-issues/climate-change/transitioning-clean-energy-economy.
18. “Methane Emission Reduction.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 3, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/our-issues/climate-change/methane-emission-reduction
19. “Domestic Health.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 3, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/iccrs-issues/domestic-health
20. “Immigration Policy.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 3, 2019 https://www.iccr.org/our-issues/human-rights/immigration-policy
21. “Immigration Policy.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 3, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/our-issues/human-rights/immigration-policy
22. “Gun Violence.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 3, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/our-issues/human-rights/investor-action-gun-violence
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25. “ICCR Members.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 3, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/membership/iccr-members
26. “ICCR Members.” ICCR (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility). 2018. Accessed August 3, 2019. https://www.iccr.org/membership/iccr-members