A recent outside investigation into a whistleblower’s complaints against the head of the Giving Back Fund, the fiscal sponsor for Damar Hamlin’s and other pro athlete charities, resulted in no punishment for the executive. The employee who spoke up, however, was dismissed.
In late May, the organization’s board of directors retained the Boston-based law firm, Rubin and Rudman, to probe a number of claims made about founder and CEO Marc Pollick. The investigation followed a Sportico story published earlier that month that brought to light numerous controversies within the 26-year-old nonprofit, which has handled tens of millions of dollars in charitable contributions over the years and plays host to a high-profile annual fundraising event at the Super Bowl’s host city.
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What emerged was a behind-the-scenes picture of an organization that, despite its four-star Charity Navigator rating, has long struggled to carry out some of the basic functions of a philanthropic fiscal sponsor, often promises more than it can deliver and is routinely impaired by the combative and wayward tendencies of its leader.
While the story’s reporting encapsulated issues and anecdotes dating back many years, and was based on the accounts of dozens of sources, GBF’s recent...
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