The San Francisco Parks Alliance, a major nonprofit with a long history of beautifying the city’s beloved public spaces, diverted at least $3.8 million earmarked for specific projects to cover its operating expenses as the charity rapidly imploded, the Chronicle has learned.
The stunning admission comes in an email sent Thursday by the nonprofit’s chair, Louise Mozingo, to one of its donors, in which the official described the financial crisis facing the Parks Alliance as “what a friend of mine would call a dumpster fire.”…
The revelations are spurring some of those impacted to call for a criminal investigation. One official on Tuesday called for a hearing at City Hall, and a number of the nonprofit’s partners have come together to try to save it.
The Parks Alliance has been viewed as a crucial supporter and fundraiser for everything from new parks to trail maintenance, gardening projects and habitat restoration in San Francisco. It has also hosted well-attended events, such as outdoor movie screenings, until recently. …
However, the Parks Alliance told Baker Street that its $3.8 million deficit in restricted funds that were used for other purposes includes “approximately $1.9M of Baker Street Foundation money for the Crane Cove project.”
“I think law enforcement should be involved,” Nicola Miner said in an interview Friday. “I think we’re past the point of this was some kind of mismanagement. $2 million that was supposed to go to the people of San Francisco is $2 million, that’s a lot of money.”
The district attorney’s office declined to say whether it is investigating.
The Parks Alliance, while helping funnel private dollars to city projects, also acts like a bank for more than 80 smaller neighborhood organizations around San Francisco seeking to raise money from donors. As a result, these groups don’t need to obtain nonprofit status on their own or hire financial staff to manage their books….
The nonprofit was said to owe an estimated $4.6 million, including $1.7 million to partners and service providers — the latter of which Mozingo described as largely small businesses. The organization owes an additional $1.3 million to $1.7 million to the city parks department for “executed projects” and $1.2 million for a bank loan.
As of Monday, the email said, the nonprofit had just $1.6 million in assets, with $1.2 million in cash….(more)
How much of Parks Alliance money was spent on PR and the Prop K campaign? Remember all those signs and graphics that were sprouting up touting the Great Parkway? Guess they will not be financing any of the anti-recall campaign.