Match Group to Run Ad Campaign for Domestic Violence Law

(Bloomberg) -- Match Group Inc. will launch an advertising campaign that urges users of its dating apps to call their congressional representatives and advocate for reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. 

“The long delay in reauthorizing this law will result in funding shortfalls that jeopardize its ability to protect women,” Chief Executive Officer Shar Dubey wrote in an opinion piece in Fortune on Wednesday. “It is time to get this done, to ensure key initiatives such as the survivor support program remain funded and intact.”

The campaign will appear on the company’s apps that run ads, such as Tinder, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish. Match will also make a $500,000 corporate donation to the National Network to End Domestic Violence and will match employee contributions to the organization. 

The legislation around the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act includes new funding, housing protections for survivors of domestic abuse and closing loopholes in previously passed firearm legislation, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, a nonprofit organization.  

Dubey, who became CEO at Match in March 2020, has been outspoken on social issues. In September, Dubey said she was creating a health care fund for Match employees in Texas who were affected by the state’s strict abortion law. 

Match’s apps are making safety a priority, Dubey said, speaking at a Fortune panel on Wednesday, as well as increasing spending and focusing on technologies like ID verification and background checks. 

“We are in the business of bringing people together and connecting them and these are people you don’t know,” she said, adding that safety is “essential” to the company’s business. 

Match shares were little changed in New York on Wednesday. They have gained about 5% this year.

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