Komen also shines for what it pays founder and CEO Nancy Brinker: $417,712 in 2011. The Wishing Well Foundation, which fulfills requests from terminally ill children, gets zero stars and 4.8. Komen issues audited financial statements, for instance, and has policies on conflicts of interest and whistleblowing.īy comparison, the American Cancer Society (ACS) gets three stars and a score of 53.85. That reflects the relatively small amount Komen reports spending on administration and fundraising (18 percent of donations) and its accountability and transparency. Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit that scrutinizes such groups’ finances, awards it four out of four stars, and 65.55 out of 70 points for financial performance. Still, in categories like administration and overhead Komen wins plaudits from outside experts. The Connecticut mother of three was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, ran her first “Race for the Cure” in 2008, and raised $15,000 for Komen in 2009.Īlthough Adams knew that Komen spends a large fraction of its revenue on raising awareness of breast cancer and promoting screening, she said that the much smaller amount that goes to finding a cure “is definitely a concern 15 percent is shockingly small.” When informed of the figures, Komen supporter and widely-followed breast cancer blogger Lisa Bonchek Adams expressed surprise. In that period, Komen saw its annual revenue rise by almost $100 million to $420 million and increased its spending on education. (Various other items accounted for the rest.)Īun did not immediately address the declining share of revenue that went to research in the past few years. The organization’s 2011 financial statement reports that 43 percent of donations were spent on education, 18 percent on fund-raising and administration, 15 percent on research awards and grants, 12 percent on screening and 5 percent on treatment. “We’re the only organization doing breast cancer on all these fronts - in research, global work, advocacy and community work.” “In 2011, 83 cents of every dollar spent went to mission programs,” spokeswoman Leslie Aun said in an email statement to Reuters. Komen reports spending a total of $685 million for research in the past 30 years, a considerable sum in private cancer philanthropy, and its money goes to a wide variety of initiatives. The annual financial statements cover April 1 through March 31. In 2008, that percentage reached 29 percent of donations. That proportion was down from 17 percent in 20. In 2011, the foundation spent 15 percent, or $63 million, of its donations on research awards that fund studies on everything from hard-core molecular biology to the quality of breast-cancer care for Medicaid patients. Komen’s financial statements since 2003 reveal how much the group known for its pink ribbon symbol spends on activities from research to education, screenings, treatment and fund-raising. Although it reversed that decision on Friday, the outcry has prompted a closer look from activists, media and lawmakers at how the charity powerhouse operates.Ĭritics within the philanthropic and research communities in particular have raised questions over its scientific approach to some issues and how it spends the money it raises. Komen has come under heavy public scrutiny since it moved last week to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, a women’s health network that provides birth control, abortions and other services. While the absolute dollar amount of those grants has steadily grown, it has not kept pace with the surge in donations Komen has received, a Reuters analysis of the group’s financial statements shows. Komen for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker making an address which aired on the organization's website on February 1, 2012. Still image taken from video shows Susan G.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |