Planned Parenthood is a network of nonprofit health care organizations that provides sexual and reproductive health services, education, and advocacy across the United States. It is the single largest provider of sex education in the country, reaching 1.2 million people through educational outreach each year, and its health centers deliver roughly 9.9 million medical services annually. While often associated primarily with abortion, the organization’s day-to-day work is dominated by STI testing, contraception, and preventive screenings.
How the Organization Is Structured
Planned Parenthood is not a single entity. It is made up of many separately incorporated nonprofit organizations tied together by a shared mission: protecting access to sexual and reproductive health care and education. At the national level, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) works to expand access and provides support to its member affiliates. Those affiliates are independent public charities that operate health centers in communities across the country, each with its own leadership and budget.
This structure means that services, pricing, and availability can vary from one affiliate to another. A health center in California may offer a different set of services than one in Texas, depending on local laws, funding, and community needs.
Services Provided
Most people visit Planned Parenthood for routine reproductive and sexual health care. The largest category of service, by far, is STI testing and treatment, which accounted for over 5.5 million of the organization’s 9.9 million services in its most recent reporting period. That includes testing for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, trichomoniasis, and HIV. Rapid HIV testing, done with a finger stick, returns results in 10 to 40 minutes. For people at high risk of HIV, Planned Parenthood can also prescribe preventive medication regimens known as PrEP and nPEP.
Birth control information and services made up another 2.3 million services. Health centers help patients choose among a wide range of contraceptive methods, including the pill, IUDs, implants, condoms, and emergency contraception like the morning-after pill.
Cancer screenings and prevention accounted for roughly 389,000 services. These typically include cervical cancer screenings (Pap tests), breast exams, and HPV vaccinations, which can prevent several types of cancer.
Beyond these core areas, many health centers also offer:
- Pregnancy testing and prenatal or postpartum care
- Gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender and nonbinary patients
- Mental health services or referrals
- General wellness and preventive care, including annual vaccines
- Abortion services, where legally permitted
Abortion is among the most publicly debated services Planned Parenthood provides, but it represents a small fraction of total clinical activity. The vast majority of visits involve preventive care, testing, and contraception.
Who Uses Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood serves people of all genders, though many patients are women of reproductive age seeking contraception or routine screenings. A significant portion of patients are lower-income or uninsured individuals who rely on Planned Parenthood as an affordable, accessible option for basic health care. Many health centers operate on a sliding fee scale, adjusting costs based on what a patient can pay.
How It Is Funded
Planned Parenthood affiliates receive funding from a mix of government reimbursements, grants, and private donations. Between 2019 and 2021, affiliates received approximately $148 million in federal grants or cooperative agreements from the Department of Health and Human Services, plus $1.54 billion in payments through Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Those Medicaid reimbursements work the same way they do for any other health care provider: the government pays for covered services delivered to eligible patients. Federal law already prohibits the use of federal funds for most abortions, so government money flowing to Planned Parenthood reimburses other clinical services like contraception, STI testing, and cancer screenings.
Private donations, fundraising, and patient fees make up additional revenue, though exact figures vary by affiliate and year.
Sex Education Programs
Outside the clinic, Planned Parenthood runs the largest sex education operation in the United States. Its educators work across the lifespan, teaching in elementary, middle, and high schools as well as reaching young adults, parents, and older adults. Programs include evidence-based pregnancy and STI prevention curricula, peer education, LGBTQ+ youth programs, and training for professionals who work with young people.
Planned Parenthood also brings sex education into settings where access is otherwise limited, including foster care facilities and criminal justice settings. Online resources extend this reach further, providing information to young people who may not receive sex education in school.
Origins and Growth
The organization traces its roots to 1921, when Margaret Sanger founded the American Birth Control League. In 1923, Sanger opened the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau, the first clinic to dispense contraceptives under the supervision of licensed physicians and study their effectiveness. These two organizations merged in 1939, and by 1942 the combined organization adopted the name Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Through the 1940s and 1950s, Planned Parenthood expanded steadily, adding affiliates across the country. By 1960, its centers were seeing over 300,000 visitors per year. Sanger also helped establish the International Planned Parenthood Federation in 1952, extending the mission globally.
International Work
Planned Parenthood Global, the organization’s international arm, operates in 10 focus countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Senegal, and Uganda. In these countries, it partners with local organizations to provide sexual and reproductive health information and services, with a particular focus on reaching women, men, and young people who lack reliable access to care.