Black Lives Matter Facing an Internal Rebellion

CRC research and researchers were quoted extensively in a recent Washington Times report about growing dissention within the Black Lives Matter movement:

Black Lives Matter is facing a rebellion within its own ranks as regional affiliates seek greater control over the movement and demand answers about where millions of dollars in donations have gone.

. . .

Before the protests, the foundation listed about $3.4 million in assets, according to a 2019 financial audit by Thousand Currents, which served as the group’s fiscal sponsor from 2016 until July, when the philanthropic giant the Tides Center took over.

“This puts Black Lives Global Network Foundation squarely in the middle of a massive political network, with total revenues that exceeded $636 million in 2018 alone,” Capital Research Center researcher Hayden Ludwig said in a July 28 post.

. . .

Scott Walter, president of the conservative watchdog group Capital Research Center, said the “fiscal sponsorship” relationship works to the advantage of nonprofit groups seeking to camouflage their financial picture.

“My first thought is the old saying: Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and ends as a racket,” said Mr. Walter, whose group runs the InfluenceWatch website. “I don’t blame BLM chapters for being upset.”

He said the activists should “demand BLM Global Network Foundation stop operating as a ‘fiscally sponsored project’ of the Tides Center.”

“That lets the group hide its revenues, assets, salaries, vendors, expenses (broken into categories like travel and fundraising), lobbying, grants to other groups, and much more,” Mr. Walter said. “It should operate as an independent charity that discloses such information to stakeholders.”

This news report [paywall] was published in the Washington Times on December 2, 2020.