It’s time for the Global Poverty rock concert in Central Park this weekend. Jay Z, No Doubt, Carrie Underwood and a bunch of stars are headlining on Saturday. But what is it for? Who are these people? And where does the money go?
I’ve asked Global Poverty for their Form 990 for 2013, but they’ve so far evaded me. Jane Atkinson, head of PR, will only say they’ve filed an extension with the IRS and the report isn’t due until November. So if you give them money this year, be aware they still have no paperwork for last year.
All we have still is the report for 2012, which shows a deficit of $1.356 million.
The 2012 report also claims over $2.5 million listed for unspecified, miscellaneous expenses.
We learn some salient points from the 2012 report: four directors of Global Poverty loaned them a total of $230,000 to put on the Stevie Wonder-Alicia Keys- John Mayer- Kings of Leon concert. It’s unclear if the loans were repaid.
Three Global Poverty execs–CEO Hugh Evans, COO Simon Moss and Operations Manager Wei Soo claimed salaries of $77,000 apiece.
There is no mention of a man named Bradden Young, advertised as Executive Producer of the Central Park concerts and other Global Poverty shows. In fact, Global Poverty has never said a word about 39 year old Young’s untimely death this summer. He died at home in Washington DC on July 4th. The medical examiner concluded it was from “acute alcohol intoxication” and by accident. Very little else is known, and no formal announcement has been issued by Global Poverty.
Despite revenue of $7.5 million in 2012, Global Poverty still came up short. Their expenses totaled $8.9 million. They finished 2012 in the red– $1.356 million in the minus column.
It should be noted that in 2012, $850,000 of that revenue came from a Beverly Hills woman named Malia Andelin, a “close friend” of Sumner Redstone who used to be a flight attendant on his private plane. In 2011, Andelin donated $1.5 million. She must have been a great stewardess.
And of the revenue, none of it went to grants or helping other charities. I’m not sure if people are aware that GPP is an “advocacy group.” It goes around the world telling people that poverty and hunger exist. It doesn’t give its money to the poor or hungry. That’s legal, but maybe misunderstood.
“We’re an advocacy group. We got $1.3 billion last year in commitments from other groups and corporations,” Hugh Evans told me in 2012, before the 2012 report was made available.
