Following a string of career successes with his latest album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West is now hitting a personal low with the sudden demise of his charity, The Kanye West Foundation, which closed up shop just four years after its creation.
According to boombox.com, news that the foundation had shut down came suddenly after former executive director Joseph Collins sent an email to associates stating that he was now out of a job and that the phone lines had been disconnected at the foundation’s headquarters.
“I am reaching out to let you know that the Kanye West Foundation (kanyewestfoundation.org) has officially closed its doors after a successful 4+ years of programming and events [sic],” he wrote. “It has been an incredible experience working with Kanye and the board to realize his mother’s vision, and I am honored to have been given the opportunity to lead the Foundation.”
The foundation, which was created in 2007 by West’s mother, Donda West, was intended to “help combat the severe dropout problem in schools across the United States by partnering with community organizations to provide under-served youth access to music production programs,” according to the foundation’s website, which is still online for now.
Although the foundation bore the acclaimed rapper’s name, reports are saying that West never actually funded the establishment. Strictly following the mission statement, the foundation filed its taxes as though it were a private charity, reaching out for donations from businesses that West had relationships with.
Madison Square Garden donated $151,754 to the foundation, while clothing shingle Karmaloop donated $20,000 to the organization. In total, the foundation raised an average of $492,000 in donations each year.
Although an explanation for the foundation’s closing has yet to be given, speculators are assuming that the death of Donda in 2007 may have contributed to its demise.
What do you think of the closing of The Kanye West Foundation? –nicholas robinson
