Amazon suspended Black Lives Matter from its charity platform AmazonSmile this week for failing to disclose where its $60 million in donations has gone.
The social justice organization, which has been facing intense scrutiny over financial transparency, will be deprived from funds raised on AmazonSmile ‘until they’re back in compliance,’ a spokesperson told the New York Post. It was unclear how much money had been raised on the platform.
The suspension, which was first reported by the Washington Examiner, deprives the BLM of revenue from the organization, which has provided $306 million to U.S. charities.
It comes after charity auditors expressed alarm at the management of BLM’s donations when no one seemed able to say who was handling the finances and the group’s reluctance to release financial records.
BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who resigned in May, said last week that the unaccounted millions her group received in 2020 came from ‘white corporation guilt.’
‘People have to know we didn’t go out and solicit the money,’ Cullors said. ‘This is money that came from white guilt, white corporation guilt, and they just poured money in.’
Earlier this month, California and Washington issued legal threats to the group for its failure to report what it did with the millions received in donations in 2020.
According to documents filed with the California Attorney General, the group took in more than $65 million in donations from the charity, Thousand Currents, but has failed to disclosed what happened to the money.
Amazon suspended Black Lives Matter from its charity platform AmazonSmile this week for failing to disclose where its $60 million in donations has gone
Protesters march in Pennsylvania in 2021 demanding justice and to mark the second anniversary of Osaze Osagie, who was shot and killed by State College police
The most recent tax filing for the charity, from 2019, gives an address in Los Angeles that does not exist, and the two remaining BLM directors identified by The Washington Examiner were not able to assist – with one even scrubbing BLM associations from his social media after he was contacted by the paper.
They have yet to file a 2020 return, a Form 990, as required – which could see BLM fined by the IRS.
The California Department of Justice warned the group’s leaders earlier this month that they would be ‘personally liable’ for any delinquency fees and fines.
‘Charitable organizations must meet the requirements outlined in our participation agreement to be eligible for AmazonSmile,’ an Amazon representative told the Washington Examiner.
‘Among other eligibility requirements, organizations are required to be in good standing in their state of incorporation and in the states and territories where they are authorized to do business. Organizations that don’t meet the requirements listed in the agreement may have its eligibility suspended or revoked. Charities can request to be reinstated once they are back in good standing.’
The problem began in earnest in May 2021, when BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors stepped down as director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the national body representing all the individual local chapters.
Cullors co-founded BLM in July 2013, after a Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Alicia Garza, an Oakland activist, posted what she called a love letter to black people on Facebook, writing, ‘Our lives matter.’
Cullors, a friend of Garza, replied with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.
New York activist Opal Tometi then used the words while building a digital network of community organizers and antiracism activists.
BLM protesters are seen in August 2020 in Portland, Oregon
Garza and Tometi are no longer affiliated with the network, and Cullors was its figurehead and leader throughout the George Floyd protests – which saw huge donations flood in.
The organization’s finances had been managed by a group called Thousand Currents, which says it has a ‘mission of supporting grassroots movements pushing for a more just and equitable world.’
In the summer of 2020, leaders sought nonprofit status with the IRS, which was granted in December 2020 – allowing the organization to receive tax-deductible donations directly.
The designation requires the foundation to file public 990 forms, revealing details of its organizational structure, employee compensation, programming and expenses.
In September 2020, Cullors signed documents with Thousand Currents transferring $66.5 million into BLM’s accounts.
In February 2021, Black Lives Matter confirmed it took in $90 million throughout 2020, distributed to their partner organizations, and had $60 million remaining in its accounts.
In its report, a snapshot of which was shared with AP, the BLM foundation said individual donations via its main fundraising platform averaged at $30.76 each.
More than 10 percent of the donations were recurring.
The report does not state who gave the money in 2020, and leaders declined to name prominent donors.
Expenses were approximately $8.4 million — that includes staffing, operating and administrative costs, along with activities such as civic engagement, rapid response and crisis intervention.
BLM said at the time that they were sharing the details in a bid to be more transparent – admitting that their structure and finances had previously been opaque.
But two months later, in April 2021, reports began emerging – provided by the National Legal and Policy Center – which showed Cullors had amassed a $3.2 million property empire.
Patrisse Cullors (pictured) co-founded BLM in July 2013 with Opal Tometi and Alicia Garza. She left the group in May 2021
Cullors, Garza and Tometi (left to right) co-founded the group, but Garza and Tometi left, leaving Cullors in charge as executive director
Garza (center) and Tometi (left) are no longer affiliated with BLM. Cullors (right) was its figurehead and leader throughout the George Floyd protests in 2020 – which saw huge donations flood in
Cullors is seen in 2015 speaking at Harvard Law School
It is not clear who is currently in charge of the activist group after all three of its founding members – Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi – left the organization.
Cullors, 38, stepped down as executive director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network last year amid scrutiny of her $3.2 million property empire.
The scrutiny into BLMGN’s finances came after it was reported that the group transferred $6.3 million to Cullors spouse, Janaya Khan, and other Canadian activists to purchase a mansion in Toronto in 2001.
The most recent tax filing for the charity, from 2019, gives an address in Los Angeles that does not exist, and the two remaining BLM directors identified by The Washington Examiner were not able to assist – with one even scrubbing BLM associations from his social media after he was contacted by the paper.
They are yet to file a 2020 return, a Form 990, as required – which could see BLM fined by the IRS.
Laurie Styron, executive director of CharityWatch, said the findings were deeply troubling, and said they should have filed their 2020 form by now.
‘Like a giant ghost ship full of treasure drifting in the night with no captain, no discernible crew, and no clear direction,’ she said.
Black Lives Matter has grown into a global organization. Protesters are seen in Leeds, England, on June 21, 2020
Makani Themba (left) and Monifa Bandele were announced as directors of BLM in May 2021, but never agreed terms and never took the job
Demonstrators protest in May 2020 response to the death of George Floyd
BLM protesters tussle with police in Washington DC during the RNC in August 2020
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