Monday, October 5, 2009

Embattled ACORN Losing Private Funding

I have reported before how the government agencies like the Census Bureau are dropping ACORN like a hot potato. Congress voted to deny them any kind of funding, with seven holdouts. That hurts their funding some but not greatly because they get the majority -- 90% -- of their funding from private sources like foundations, membership dues and private donations.

The Ford Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Marguerite Casey Foundation and Bank of America have stopped funding the group and its affiliates over the past year and a half.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation gave an average of $270,000 a year to ACORN but stopped making grants to ACORN in early 2009, according to spokeswoman Sue Lin Chong. The foundation saw good results from the grants and believes the funding was used appropriately, according to Cho.

Yet the Ford Foundation, which has given nearly $2 million, suspended funding for ACORN and its affiliate organizations about a year ago because of concerns about inadequate financial controls and procedures, according to spokeswoman Fiona R. Guthrie.

And some organizations are increasing their support. They include the Needmor Fund, a family foundation based in Toledo that gave about $150,000 a year to local organizations affiliated with ACORN. The fund suspended grantmaking in June 2008 because of an alleged embezzlement. It resumed its funding in September after ACORN took corrective action, said Dave Beckwith, Needmor's executive director.

You can find the original article here.

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