There has been a strong surge of criticisms of the founders of Black Lives Matter after the nonprofit organization took in over $90 million in donations in 2020.
The new tax filing, which was shared exclusively with The Associated Press amid relentless scrutiny from right-wingers over Patrisse Cullors’ purchase of five multi-million dollar properties and $32 million investment in the stock market.
The 63-page Form 990 shows the BLM has $42 million in donations remaining in its coffers and has an operating budget of around $4 million.
Also revealed is the fact that Cullors paid her former boyfriend and her son’s father, Damon Turner, $970,000 for “creative services” and consulting for the BLM. Cullors also paid her brother, Paul Cullors, over $840,000 for security services. Furthermore, a consulting firm run by former Black Lives Matter board member Shalomyah Bowers received over $2.1 million.
The tax documents show Cullors spent $6 million on a mansion which was intended as a “safe space” for Black people in the Studio City section of Los Angeles.
What may be disconcerting for some observers is that the $40-million-strong BLM is currently without leadership and has no executive director nor in-house staff, according to TheGrio.
The tax filings are the first view into the organization’s finances since it was incorporated in 2017. The 63-page Form 990 is an annual filing required of organizations that claim tax-exempt status as a nonprofit. Form 990 wasn’t required until BLM became an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit in December 2020.
The filing by the BLM could possibly open the organization to additional scrutiny, an industry pundit speculates.
“It comes across as an early startup nonprofit, without substantial governance structure in place, that got a huge windfall,” said Brian Mittendorf, a professor of accounting at Ohio State University who specializes in tracking nonprofit organizations and their financial statements, according to TheGrio.
“People are going to be quick to assume that mismatch reflects intent,” he added. “Whether there’s anything improper here, that is another question. But whether they set themselves up for being criticized, I think that certainly is the case because they didn’t plug a bunch of those gaps.”
