What is TPFA?
These Puzzles Fund Abortion (TPFA) is a pack of crossword puzzles created around the belief that everyone should have access to safe and affordable abortion care. Constructed by an all-star group of puzzlemakers and editors who are passionate about reproductive justice, we release an annual pack of crossword and variety puzzles centered around social and reproductive justice themes.
How does it work?
We actively fundraise during the National Network of Abortion Fund's (NNAF) annual Fund-A-Thon each spring. While the campaign is live, you can make a donation at our website, and we will email you your pack of crossword puzzles. After Fund-A-Thon has concluded, you can still get access to the puzzles by making a donation to an abortion fund (suggested minimum $25) and emailing proof of your donation to thesepuzzlesfundabortion@gmail.com.
Help! I donated and haven't received anything yet. What should I do?
You will receive an email from us within 48 hours of making a donation. Be sure to check your spam folder for your puzzles if this is your first time donating to us! If it has been longer than 48 hours and you still haven't received anything, please drop us an email at thesepuzzlesfundabortion@gmail.com.
What do I actually receive when I donate?
We will send you a link to a zip file, which includes .puz files for solving on the computer (using a program like Across Lite or Black Ink), as well as PDFs that can be printed out for solving on paper.
What are abortion funds?
Abortion funds are organizations that directly support people seeking abortions. Some funds provide money for abortion procedures. Others help arrange travel, childcare, food, and supplies. Many abortion funds offer other services related to reproductive health and justice in their communities. (Definition from the National Network of Abortion Funds)
What funds do you support?
We select multiple funds every year to support, and all proceeds are divided equally among those funds. For example, if we are supporting 5 funds and we raise $50,000, each fund will receive $10,000. Supported funds include:
Abortion Fund of Maryland (formerly the Baltimore Abortion Fund)
Chicago Abortion Fund
Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund
Fondo MARIA
Indigenous Women Rising
Kentucky Health Justice Network (KHJN)
Mariposa Fund
Midwest Access Coalition (MAC)
New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF)
Tampa Bay Abortion Fund (TBAF)
Wild West Fund
Why isn’t your project called something more palatable like “These Puzzles Fund Choice”?
In the years since we began this project, we’ve been asked many times why we don’t change the name of our puzzle pack to something more neutral, something less “in-your-face,” something more palatable to people who want to support “women’s health” or “the right to choose” but who might be uncomfortable with the language of funding abortion. We have stood by our decision to be explicit about the purpose of this project right in the name — These Puzzles Fund Abortion — because we believe that abortion should not be stigmatized or sanitized with language that obscures. Abortion is healthcare, and when the government steps in to make this healthcare more difficult to access, we believe it is our duty to step up and work collectively to ensure that anyone who needs an abortion can get one, regardless of where they live or how much money they have.