Focus on the Family, the conservative Christian ministry and media group in Colorado Springs, announced on Monday that it plans to lay off more than 200 of its employees, which account for about 20 percent of the group’s work force, reports The Colorado Independent, an online newspaper run by the Center for Independent Media.

The religious group recently spent more than $500,000 to support the passage of Proposition 8, which overturned a California Supreme Court ruling that allowed gays and lesbians to marry in that state, the newspaper noted.

Focus on the Family is one of the most successful fund-raising groups in the United States. It ranked No. 158 on The Chronicle’s most-recent Philanthropy 400, the ranking of the charities that collect the most from private sources.

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