In a move announced this week, Amazon removed Black Lives Matter from its charitable giving site, AmazonSmile, citing the organization’s failure to report where its $60 million to charity went.
An Amazon spokeswoman informed the New York Post the social justice nonprofit will be denied access to monies earned through AmazonSmile ‘until they’re back in compliance.’
The organization has been the subject of severe criticism for its financial transparency
Audit Conducted
After charity auditors voiced concern about the administration of BLM’s donations since no one could be identified as being in charge of the money, and amid the organization’s refusal to share financial records, the group has now retracted their statement.
Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement who quit in May, claimed this week the unexplained millions her organization collected in 2020 stemmed from ‘white corporate guilt.’
‘It’s important for people to understand that BLM didn’t seek money,’ Cullors added. White privilege and white corporation guilt provided the funds for this investment, which was simply dumped into the market.
Amazon have suspended BLM from their Charity Platform. Good for Amazon,more businesses need to follow suit and end this .
— Flower Pot (@FlowerP79667758) February 18, 2022
Last month, the states of California and Washington issued legal threats against the organization for failing to declare what it did with the millions of dollars in donations it received in 2020.
It has not been disclosed what happened to $65 million in donations from the charitable organization Thousand Currents, according to records submitted with the California attorney general.
BLM has not yet filed a 2020 tax return, known as a Form 990, as required by the Internal Revenue Service, which might result in a punishment from the IRS.
The California DOJ issued a warning to the group’s founders earlier this month, stating they would be held ‘personally accountable’ for any delinquent fees and fines incurred by the organization.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, an Amazon official stated charitable organizations must meet the conditions listed in their participation agreement in order to be eligible for AmazonSmile.
More Details on the Story
Other conditions for qualifying include the organization be in good standing with its state of incorporation and with all of the provinces and regions in which they are permitted to conduct business.
This applies among other things. Organizations whose eligibility has been suspended or revoked because they do not meet the standards outlined in the contract may be subject to further sanctions.
Charities that have returned to good standing can apply to have their status restored to Amazon.
Amazon suspends Black Lives Matter (BLM) from its charity platform for failing to disclose where it’s $60 million in donations has gone. These two twats knelt for BLM 👇 pic.twitter.com/cAapVI0Smu
— Pugh Himple (@GBullstein) February 18, 2022
The problem began to manifest itself in earnest in May 2021, when BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors resigned from her position as director of Black Lives Matter Global Network.
Cullors collaborated on the formation of BLM in July 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmermann in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, then 17 years old.
