After Raising Millions, Minnesota Freedom Fund Says It’s Spent $200K

From the Minnesota Reformer:

By Rilyn Eischens

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Freedom Fund came under fire Monday after announcing that it had spent about $200,000 to bail out protesters, despite raising more than $30 million in the wake of George Floyd’s killing.

“Appreciate all those calling for transparency. We see y’all. Our values and mission have not changed since 2016. Be on the lookout for things coming on our end. Be well,” the nonprofit wrote in a tweet Monday night, adding, “Without jeopardizing the safety of the folks we bailed out we paid well over $200k in the weeks since the uprising alone. We are working on doing more.”

The tweet sparked criticisms from many wondering why the organization, which was launched in 2016 with the mission of paying criminal and immigrant bonds for people who can’t afford them, hadn’t put donations to use more quickly.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund hasn’t published exactly how much it has raised since Floyd’s killing, but the Star Tribune reported June 10 that it had received $30 million from more than 900,000 donors. Those donors included celebrities like Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and Jameela Jamil, who took to social media to call for others to give to the cause.

“This is unacceptable. You raised 35 million? What does it mean you ‘are working on doing more’? We literally have buildings burned down in North Minneapolis and Black businesses and families without essential resources. And there’s not a single Black person on your Board. SMGDH,” Nekima Levy-Armstrong, former president of the Minneapolis NAACP, wrote in a tweet.

National figures weighed in as well.

“This white run organization allegedly collected $35 million, and only used $200k to actually bail out protesters. Those of us in the real Black grassroots have been getting folks out of jail on our own. This is why we have to stop the coopt,” Tariq Nasheed posted to Twitter.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund’s website says that until recently, the organization handled about $1,000 in a typical day and was “adapting quickly to handle the volume and scale of the current need.” In 2018, it brought in about $110,000, according to tax filings.

The nonprofit is working with legal aid groups to post cash bail for arrested protesters, the website says.

Some jumped in to defend the fund, suggesting that nonprofits aren’t able to spend money rapidly and that the small organization may not be equipped to manage such a large sum.

“I feel like everyone yelling at the Minnesota Freedom Fund for only using $200,000 so far of the $35 MILLION dollars it raised doesn’t understand how hard it is to efficiently spend, manage and account for that kind of money when you’re clearly not set up to work on that scale,” comedian and podcast host Kath Barbadoro wrote in a tweet.

The Minnesota Reformer is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to keeping Minnesotans informed and unearthing stories other outlets can’t or won’t tell..