As unrest swept the nation and donations poured in for protesters’ bail, the small nonprofit was facing internal turmoil.
In the weeks following the killing of George Floyd, tens of millions of dollars have flowed into small nonprofit organizations in Minnesota. Now many donors would like to know how those funds will be distributed.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund, a bail fund that earlier this month only had one full-time employee, has raised more than $30 million alone since Mr. Floyd’s death on May 25. Its name became ubiquitous on social media as activists and celebrities posted screenshots of their donations to the fund and implored their followers to match them. (Bail funds raise money to release those who have been jailed, so that they can await trial freely.)
On Monday, the fund announced that it had contributed “well over” $200,000 to bail payments in the weeks since the protests began. That revelation followed an open letter addressed to two other organizations that had seen a surge in donations, Black Visions Collective and Reclaim the Block, asking that the nonprofits be more transparent about fund-raising and the allocation of funds.
After the Minnesota Freedom Fund shared the $200,000 figure, several commenters on Twitter expressed disappointment that such a small portion of the donations had been distributed. Some also noted that the fund’s board, as it had been depicted on its website, appeared to be composed entirely of white people. (The web page that lists the organization’s staff has been removed at least twice this month as the board’s membership has shifted.)
Any organization as small as the Minnesota Freedom Fund — which is run by fewer than 10 people, including its board — might have struggled under the weight of such a sudden influx of funding. “Not sure how any small organization would spend $35 million in a matter of 2 weeks when they’ve never dealt with such a large amount of money in their lives,” tweeted Noname, a rapper who helped signal-boost the fund in late May.
But the organization was in a particularly difficult position when it found itself in the spotlight. It had already been grappling with questions about the leadership of its only full-time employee, Tonja Honsey.
In April, a page called “Tonja Honsey — Native Rachel Dolezal” appeared on Facebook.
