SAN DIEGO — Friday, The San Diego Human Dignity Foundation (SDHDF) released parts of the “forensic” financial review undertaken of the Foundation by an independent certified public accountant. The review was conducted at the behest of members of the organization’s board of directors and its Finance Committee, who were concerned about “irregularities” and possibly missing funds in the region of nearly three quarters of a million dollars.
The report by Brinig Taylor Zimmer, states that The Foundation “… improperly used monies from restricted funds for operating expenses and grants on multiple occasions.” The report also stated that the review had “… not observed/uncovered any theft of endowment funds by Foundation personnel.”
The report revealed that six funds were affected. Only two of the funds have been identified to the public, those being The AIDS Foundation San Diego/Sunshine Brooks Permanent Fund and The Flick Fund. Approval to release the names of the other funds has not yet been received from the fundholders.
According to the review, The Sunshine Brooks Permanent Fund was established on July 1, 2008. The purposes of the Fund were to provide funds for “(i) the provision of comprehensive, compassionate support services for people with HIV/AIDS and their family of loved ones; (ii) the advocacy of the civil rights and dignity of people with HIV/AIDS; (iii) the development of an accurate community understanding of HIV/AIDS; (iv) the prevention of the transmission of HIV through complete, culturally sensitive education, each in the San Diego border region; and, (v) research regarding HIV/AIDS.”
Nearly $700,000 was removed from this fund between 2015 and 2016 as described in the review:
- A total of $354,210 was transferred in 2015 and 2016 from this fund to operating expenses. This action was not in accordance with the fund agreement which forbids transfers from principal funds for/to operating purposes/expenses.
- $220,000 in administrative fees were charged to this fund ($20,000 per quarter). The fund agreement does not provide for this charge and we have not reviewed a Foundation policy that allows it. The $20,000 per quarter amount appears to be arbitrary.
The Flick Fund which came into the Foundation as a bequest to the general endowment had a balance of $239,315.37 as of 12/31/14. From Jan. 1, 2015 through Sept. 30, 2016 more than $200,000 was distributed in grants and sponsorships.
The review concluded that, “… It is not clear if this fund was administered properly by the Foundation. If the fund is considered permanent as potentially indicated by the Foundation’s policy for Investment of Unearmarked Bequests, then significant disbursements (grants and sponsorships) would be considered an inappropriate use of funds.”
In making the review public Joselyn Harris, SDHDF Board President, stated in an email, “San Diego Human Dignity Foundation, for the last two or more years, attempted to perform in a manner far beyond its capacity, and this resulted in poor financial management choices. We overcommitted to staffing, events, sponsorships and grants and, when we did not procure sufficient revenue from these investments, we found the foundation in a difficult decision: should we press forward with an ambitious growth plan or cut our losses? Too often, we followed the path of moving forward, in the hopes that there would be a pay-off from the broader giving and exposure that the foundation was receiving. Unfortunately, that day did not come.”
Harris stated that the Foundation had decided to borrow from two funds that belonged to the Foundation, the Flick Fund and The Sunshine Brooks Fund, as well as one additional donor-advised fund to fund additional staff, contract out services for PR, consultant and graphics services, and produce more lavish events.
As of April 1, Harris said that they are “right-sizing” the foundation by reducing staff and making significant reductions to SDHDF expenditures.
Stating her disappointment Harris concludes, “While we are happy to report that no theft occurred, we have to accept responsibility that the board did not provide sufficient comprehensive oversite to the transactions being made. As SDHDF board chair, I am disappointed that this mismanagement occurred, and both myself and my fellow board members have implemented a much stricter review process for all fund activity, and are committed to creating structures that allow a better understanding of our financials, through exhaustive study, and aligning all of our giving to a calendar year, instead of multiple annual grant cycles.”
Will San Diego Human Dignity Foundation be selling the building at 4545 Park Boulevard where Diversionary Theater and Lambda Archives of San Diego are tenants?