Patrisse has received a total of $120,000 since the organizations inception in 2013, for duties such as serving as spokesperson and engaging in political education work. Among its larger grants are $2.3million to the Living Through Giving Foundation, a nonprofit charity platform that encourages giving at the local level; and $1.5million to Team Blackbird, LLC, a rapid response communications and movement strategy project that increases the visibility of movement organizations. Controversy surrounding the organization's finances has elicited probes by at least two state attorneys general. The all-cash deal closed five months after George Floyd's murder sparked nationwide protests and widespread donations to various BLM chapters. Many local groups that are part of the movement have called for more transparency and a greater role in making decisions, as well as more money for the organizations led by activists on the ground. Black Lives Matter has come under fiscal scrutiny since 2020, when the group received $90 million in donations amid protests following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. A Huge Majority of Voters in George Santoss Own District Think He Should Resign. According to California business-registration documents, Pascall is the financial manager for Janaya and Patrisse Consulting, an LLC run by Cullors and her spouse, Janaya Khan; Pascall is also the chief financial officer for Trap Heals, a nonprofit led by Damon Turner, the father of Cullorss only child. Who even makes the decision on who writes the checks?, Ms. Cullors, who stepped down as executive director in May 2021, said in an interview last week with The Associated Press that within the group, they often referred to the experience of the past few years as building the plane while flying it.. The Examiner reported that it paid a visit to the Los Angeles address listed on those same tax forms, and was told by a security guard that BLM had never had offices there. You know, we'll pay other people to do this thing. But just three years into existence, Cullors was the only movement founder involved in the organization. Its currently not possible to share the Posts article on Cullorss home purchases on Facebook because the sites parent company, Meta, has labeled the content abusive. At other points, Bowers and his associates direct a private investigator to look into BLMGNF detractors and journalists, including me. 'Our firm stepped in when Black Lives Matter had no structure and no staff,' he said. In February 2021, BLMGN disclosed it had raised $90 million in donations in 2020. The global foundation told the AP that $21.7 million was earmarked for grants to official and unofficial BLM chapters around the country, in addition to 30 black-led groups. Justin Hansford, a professor at the Howard University School of Law, said the stakes were high because the public could not always differentiate between the Black Lives Matter movement and one specific organization. Among her self-identified mistakes was opting not to take a salary, which Cullors claims fueled the accusations of financial mishandling. That was a lot of white guilt money. The co-founder's brother, Paul Cullors, receivedmore than $840,000 for providing security services to the foundation. As Abdullah leveled accusations at Bowers, he shot back in a statement, claiming that she was the one who committed financial malfeasance., He also accused Abdullah of unprincipled decision making, and a leadership style rooted in retribution and intimidation.. That couldn't be further from the truth. ', The Toronto property was bought with grant money that was meant for 'activities to educate and support black communities, and to purchase and renovate property for charitable use.'. Nonprofit experts say that any apparent intermingling of resources among BLMGNF, Cullors, and outside entities might jeopardize the charitys tax-exempt status. Newly released tax filings reveal that BLM paid a company owned by Damon Turner (left), the father of co-founder Patrisse Cullors' (right) child, nearly $970,000 to help 'produce live events' and provide other 'creative services.' REVEALED: BLM founder Patrisse Cullors paid her baby father Transcript: Patrisse Cullors on Making Mistakes. 'Presenting (donor) names after the fact, at this point, would likely be a betrayal of that trust. The propertys upkeep cleaning, pool maintenance, security has been handled by a loose mixture of people working for BLMGNF, Janaya and Patrisse Consulting, the Bowers Consulting Firm, or other entities. Published: 19:13 EST, 18 May 2022 | Updated: 01:58 EST, 20 May 2022, A former Black Lives Matter leader admitted the charity was not prepared to handle such a large influx of what she called 'white guilt money' donated after the murder of George Floyd- and argues mistakes made with the funds are now being 'weaponized against her.'. Themba cited disagreements with the organization in a September Twitter post. A Massachusetts woman who accidentally tossed out a $1 million lottery ticket eventually collected her winnings thanks to the kindness and honesty of the owners of the convenience store where she . We are no longer accepting comments on this article. He was acquitted in a Senate trial, BLM's lobbying spending for fiscal 2020 is seen above. The BLM movement first emerged in 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. Other conversations on the BLM Security Hub chat show efforts to monitor social media for negative mentions of BLMGNF, with members using their influence with the platforms to have such remarks removed. Conservative-media outlets later reported that public-property records indicated the transaction involved a transfer of approximately $6.3 million to a Canadian nonprofit, M4BJ, that was established in part by Janaya Khan, who was born in Toronto. Thats a very legitimate critique, says Jacob Harold, a former CEO of GuideStar and the co-founder of Candid, an information service that reports on nonprofits. And in 2020, a tidal wave of contributions in the aftermath of protests over George Floyds murder by Minneapolis police meant the BLM organization needed much more infrastructure. BLMGNF also dished out $2.1 million to Bowers's firm, Bowers Consulting, between July 2020 and June 2021, according to tax forms the BLMGNF provided to the Associated Press. Both told the Washington Examiner that they never took the job. In a recent interview, Cullors acknowledged the foundation was ill-prepared to handle the moment. Employees of Apple, Google, and Microsoft have raised millions of dollars for the Black Lives Matter Foundation thinking it's the international racial justice movement seeking to end police brutality. "Make no mistake, the allegations of Melina Abdullah and BLM Grassroots (BLMGR) are false. BLMGNF said it had raised more than $90 million in 2020. BLM vowed to use the money to be more active. And then I think the job of making a mistake is actually learning from it, and being called in and say, 'Hey, like, this is the way to do this better. We were often scraping for money, and this year was the first year where we were resourced in the way we deserved to be.. They deserve to have equal compensation. The foundation also paid nearly $140,000 in severance to a former managing director who had been at odds with local BLM chapter organizers, prior to Cullors' tenure as director. 'We are decolonizing philanthropy,' Gay said. Bowers and his group denied all claims of financial misconduct and chastised those suing him for falling victim to the carceral logic and social violence that fuels the legal system in taking legal action against him. Anyone can read what you share. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. BLMGNF has since retained the high-profile Democratic lawyer Marc Elias and maneuvered to get more time to formally submit data from 2020 by switching from calendar-year to fiscal-year tracking. BLMGNF was awarded tax-exempt status from the IRS in December 2020, two months after the houses purchase. Cullors, who resigned from BLM last year after it was revealed she amassed a $3.2 million property portfolio, argues that her biggest mistake in regard to her financials was not drawing a salary from the foundation. She paid $390 for its use, according to tax filings. In February 2021, BLM financial documents revealed. As the organization supporting this movement, weve decided that we will wait no longer., Cullors told the AP that a key focus was now on a need to reinvest into black communities.. At the same time, opponents of Black Lives Matter have tried to portray spending by one of the groups founders as evidence of widespread mismanagement in a manner that appears intended to impugn the cause of racial justice as well as the group. Bowers actions led the foundation into investigations by the Internal Revenue Service and various state attorneys general, blazing a path of irreparable harm to BLM in less than eighteen months, the suit claims. Earlier entries in the Signal chat show him performing the same role for properties Cullors purchased with her own funds, which she has said came from book and media deals. My car was stolen from a repair shop then used in a series of break-ins that same night by a guy who was released from prison less than a month prior. Patrisse Cullors is one of the three co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. It's not Patrisse Cullors' real estate, it's the organization's real estate.'. "If you go around calling yourself a socialist, you have to ask how much of . It would have been great if I had coordinated, not just me, but if a bunch of us have coordinated, 'Hey, all these black-led organizations got a bunch of money. 'And I think one of the things that I've been thinking about in this last year specifically is how do you make mistakes in public without being crucified for them. Why arent you spending it on policy or, you know, other strategies that an organization might take to address the core issues around Black Lives Matter?. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. There's a lot of white folks being like, 'We just got to put the money.''. How are we talking about it publicly?' I feel like Im really thriving., Update: After this article was published, a spokesperson for Khan said in a statement, Janaya Future Khan has no knowledge of this house and has never had access to the financials of BLM. Black Lives Matter activists accuse executive of stealing $10 million in donor funds Organizers allege in a lawsuit that Shalomyah Bowers put the organization's finances in his "personal piggy. JACI STEPHEN is left seething after falling prey to the ULTIMATE etiquette faux pas so, do YOU agree with her controversial stance? 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