A group of liberal activists are demanding the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) return some of the millions they raked in last year.
The International Black Freedom Alliance (IBFA) are asking for $20 million of the more than $90 million in donations that BLMGNF made last year in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Michael Brown Sr., the father of the black teen who was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, wrote to the organization in a letter: “Where is all that money going?”
“Who are they giving [the money] to, and what are they doing with it?” Brown asked. “Why hasn’t my family’s foundation received any assistance from the movement? How could you leave the families who are helping the community without any funding?”
“The group of Ferguson activists alongside Mike Brown Sr. and many other families say they will utilize this funding for multiple years to re-establish community efforts, provide mutual aid and programs for the Black community as well as establish a community center in honor of Mike Brown Jr. to serve the community,” reads a statement from IBFA.
Even before the article that @aaronlmorrison came out #Ferguson Mike Brown Sr. and many Black community members have had questions about the money #BlackLivesMatter was raising. Here is their statement pic.twitter.com/ykpGZ5Z4KJ
— TheIBFA (@THEIBFA) March 2, 2021
In a letter reported on by the Washington Examiner, local BLM chapters called for more transparency from its leadership: “For years there has been inquiry regarding the financial operations of BLMGN and no acceptable process of either public or internal transparency about the unknown millions of dollars donated to BLMGN, which has certainly increased during this time of pandemic and rebellion.”
“To the best of our knowledge, most chapters have received little to no financial support from BLMGN since the launch in 2013. It was only in the last few months that selected chapters appear to have been invited to apply for a $500,000 grant created with resources generated because of the organizing labor of chapters. This is not the equity and financial accountability we deserve,” the letter added.
As The Daily Wire reported regarding BLM’s windfall last year:
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) made more than $90 million amid the unrest that swept the U.S. in 2020.
Disclosing their financial situation for the first time in their eight-year history, the foundation revealed in documents shared exclusively with The Associated Press that much of the windfall came from small donations gathered via their main fundraising platform.
The average donation, according to the report, was approximately $30.
“We want to uplift Black joy and liberation, not just Black death. We want to see Black communities thriving, not just surviving,” the organization said in an impact report provided first to the AP.
[…]
The AP also noted “the foundation’s coffers and influence grew immensely following the May 2020 death of George Floyd.”
Black Lives Matter had about $8.4 million worth of expenses last year, which included “staffing, operating and administrative expenses, civic engagement, programs and field expenses, rapid response, and crisis intervention,” according to the impact report. They also dispensed more than $22 million in grants to the organization’s local chapters and other black-run organizations around the U.S. They ended the year flush with $60 million.
Related: Black Lives Matter Foundation Raked In More Than $90 Million Last Year: Report