Multiple organizations that pushed for COVID-19 vaccine mandates received funding from Pfizer, according to financial disclosures.
The Chicago Urban League President Karen Freeman-Wilson said in August 2021 that the benefits of mandates “far outweighs” concerns about them. She did not mention that her organization was on the receiving end of a $100,000 grant for a “vaccine safety and effectiveness campaign,” according to a Pfizer disclosure.
That same month, the National Consumers League said it supported mandates imposed by governments and employers.
“In recent weeks, it has become evident that employer mandates are effective at nudging reluctant people to get the COVID-19 vaccine,” the group said in a statement.
The league received $75,000 from Pfizer in the third quarter of 2021 for “vaccine policy efforts.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics drew more than $250,000 from Pfizer in 2021, the bulk coming before the organization announced support for COVID-19 vaccine mandates for health care workers. The group claimed mandates would curb COVID-19 transmission and cases.
The American Pharmacists Association, American College of Preventive Medicine, Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, American Society for Clinical Pathology, and the American College of Emergency Physicians also received grants from Pfizer before signing a letter that urged the Biden administration to impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates on private employers with 100 or more workers.
Journalist Lee Fang first reported on groups supporting mandates receiving money from Pfizer.
Other groups received money from Pfizer, which makes the most-used COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, after championing vaccine mandates.
Months after the American Academy of Family Physicians called for health care worker mandates, Pfizer granted it $249,000 for a “collaborative consumer vaccine awareness and educational campaign.”
The American Osteopathic Association received $150,000 for “primary care physicians addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy” in late 2021, after signing on to the call for health care worker vaccination requirements.
