An out-of-state anti-abortion group successfully lobbied to change Oklahoma law after it was rejected for public funding from a program that encourages women to keep their unplanned pregnancies.
Human Coalition is a Texas-based nonprofit that uses internet marketing to connect women with crisis pregnancy centers and social workers. The group has pushed for several states to expand anti-abortion programs. About two-thirds of the group’s revenue in the 2025 fiscal year — $20.7 million — came from government grants, according to tax records. The group spent about $7.5 million on advertising and $241,728 on lobbying nationwide.
Human Coalition applied for funding from Oklahoma’s Choosing Childbirth program in 2024. The State Department of Health rejected the group because it determined that its lack of a physical presence in Oklahoma didn’t comply with state law.
The Choosing Childbirth program has become a key part of Oklahoma’s strategy to support young children and pregnant women since the state enacted a near-total abortion ban in 2022. Oklahoma nonprofits can get taxpayer-funded grants through the program to provide things like employment assistance, parenting education and diapers.
Senate Bill 1503 removes the requirement for a nonprofit to have a location in the state. Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, and Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, sponsored the bill. A handful of groups headquartered out of state already receive Choosing Childbirth funding, but all awardees maintain a physical location in Oklahoma.
Daniels said the legislation was written with only Human Coalition in mind. She first came in contact with Human Coalition through her involvement in the conservative model legislation group American Legislative Exchange Council. She met with two lobbyists for Human Coalition at the council’s December policy summit and learned it had been unable to participate in the last round of Choosing Childbirth funding.
“I said, ‘Well, tell me more.’ And we realized it would be a very simple change in the law, and so that's what we did,” Daniels said.
Daniels said she thinks Human Coalition’s online model can engage women who might not seek out services at crisis pregnancy centers on their own. She also said it’s “doubly sad” that Human Coalition didn’t receive funding because three crisis pregnancy centers in the state said they’d like to work with the group and wrote letters of support.
In Oklahoma, Human Coalition lobbied to boost funding for the state’s Choosing Childbirth program by about sixfold, from $3 million to $18 million in 2024, Lauren Enriquez, a spokesperson for the nonprofit, said in a statement.
“When Human Coalition advocates and provides care services, funding grows and families gain real, expanded choices,” Enriquez said in the statement. Human Coalition declined an interview after multiple requests from The Frontier and StateImpact.
Human Coalition has five active lobbyists in Oklahoma. Three work for Oklahoma consulting and lobbying firm CMA Strategies, and two work directly for the nonprofit.
Lobbyist Pat McFerron said in an email that the firm is proud to support Human Coalition’s efforts to expand access to “life-affirming care,” but he didn’t answer questions from The Frontier and StateImpact.
“We are pleased with the progress made to expand Oklahoma's Choosing Childbirth program, including SB 1503, and look forward to building on that momentum,” McFerron said.
Programs in seven states
Human Coalition runs government telecare programs in seven states and has several pregnancy centers throughout the U.S., according to its most recent annual report.
Florida lawmakers awarded Human Coalition $500,000 this fiscal year to facilitate a statewide telecare network for “women who are challenged with unexpected pregnancies,” though the group asked the Florida House of Representatives and Senate for more money.
Human Coalition operates a statewide telecare network for the state of Louisiana, providing services for pregnant women and families. The organization is set to receive up to $3 million in state funding through the end of next year.
Whitney LaFrance, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, said in an email that the agency recently celebrated the first birthday of a child “saved through Human Coalition’s services,” and that the group has exceeded the state’s expectations.
Human Coalition first applied in 2020 to serve as Oklahoma’s Choosing Childbirth grant administrator, a role that would allow the group to distribute state funding to other service providers. But the State Department of Health contract was ultimately awarded to another nonprofit, Oklahoma Pregnancy Care Network. The agency determined Human Coalition would have used most of the state funding to support its telehealth program instead of direct services in the state, Erica Rankin-Riley, a spokesperson for the Health Department, said in an email.
Service providers and watchdog groups have raised concerns about Human Coalition’s work in some states.
The liberal watchdog group Campaign for Accountability sent a letter to North Carolina officials in 2019, alleging that Human Coalition had improperly used state funding for religious purposes. According to the letter, Human Coalition’s website at the time said mentoring was “a vital part” of its program “that helps connect our clients to the church.” The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services didn’t respond to a question about whether the complaint was resolved.
North Carolina lawmakers still expanded Human Coalition’s funding from $1.2 million a year between 2019 and 2021 to $3.2 million a year between 2021 and 2023. The nonprofit was allocated more than $3.2 million for the 2027 fiscal year.
Texas Pregnancy Care Network, a nonprofit that contracts with service providers as part of the state’s alternatives to abortion program, said in 2018 that it declined to contract with Human Coalition because the group used advertising that appeared to be from an abortion provider but instead connected women to a crisis pregnancy center.
“TPCN requires that any advertising or marketing of a provider accurately describe and depict the services that the organization offers,” the group wrote in an application for funding. “TPCN does not tolerate any degree of deception or trickery in provider advertising.”
Human Coalition is now a separate service provider through the alternatives to abortion program, and it’s continued to secure growing amounts of state funding. A 2023 fiscal year program report indicates that Human Coalition had received a Texas state contract for more than $10 million. According to a report from the 2025 fiscal year, Human Coalition was awarded another state contract of more than $18 million and said it had recently “expanded its grassroots efforts” into the Austin, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso areas.
Similar services are already offered in Oklahoma
Another provider is already offering services in Oklahoma that are similar to those of Human Coalition.
Her First Women’s Health — an anti-abortion telehealth brand created by Dallas-based nonprofit Heroic Media — also uses online ads that encourage women considering abortion to contact a call center where they’re routed to local resources. It’s been awarded nearly $900,000 in Choosing Childbirth funding since 2024 and has locations listed on its website in Guthrie and Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma’s 211 hotlines are also now required to prioritize referrals to crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies and “other life-affirming resources” to support expectant mothers.
The new law opening up Choosing Childbirth funding to groups without a physical presence in Oklahoma takes effect Nov. 1. Newly eligible nonprofits can start applying for grants next year. Human Coalition said it will evaluate any future funding opportunities as they arise.
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