Charitable troubles

The Susan G. Komen foundation is not the first charitable organization to experience public relations troubles. Charities have experienced problems ranging from public relations controversies to full-on legal troubles. Here is a selection.

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Correction: A previous version of this gallery erroneously reported that The Hershey Trust Company had “come under scrutiny” in Feb. 2011 due to a court filing by former Hershey Trust board member and officer Robert Reese. The filing was a petition, which Reese withdrew in April 2011. The gallery also featured a photograph of a Hershey chocolate bar, incorrectly implying that the Hershey Company was involved in the dispute. The photograph and caption have been removed.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation came under a flood of criticism when it announced on Jan. 30 that the foundation would no longer provide funding for Planned Parenthood, citing the fact that the foundation could not fund grant recipients under investigation. Less than a week later, on Feb. 3, the foundation announced that it would revise its funding policy to allow Planned Parenthood to apply for grants. In this photo, thousands crowded the streets during the Foundation’s annual Race for the Cure on June 4, 2005, in Washington, D.C. The race is a fundraiser for breast cancer research. (Read: Komen Foundation revises funding policy)

/ Getty Images

Former Penn State assistant coach Gerald “Jerry” Sandusky, center, was indicted in November on 40 counts of statutory rape and inappropriate touching of minors both on and off of the Penn State campus. He was arrested on Dec. 7, 2011, for two additional counts. The news may have rocked Penn State, but it has all but shattered The Second Mile — a charity Sandusky founded in 1977. In January 2012, The charity announced that it would sell the 60-plus acre plot of land on which it had planned to build an educational center.

Andy Colwell / AP

The Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children collected more than $1 million in donations from companies that stood to benefit from decisions made by Supriya Jindal’s husband, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. According to a March 2011 New York Times report, the foundation received $250,000 pledges from military contractor Northrop Grumman and Marathon Oil. Donations came in from other companies with business underway or pending in the state. A Jindal representative dismissed claims that the donations influenced the governor’s policy decisions. In this photo, Gov. Jindal and his wife, Supriya, descend the steps of the Old State Capitol to participate in an inaugural celebration on Jan. 9, 2012, in Baton Rouge, La.

Tim Mueller / AP

Singer and former candidate for president of Haiti Wycleff Jean came under scrutiny in November 2011 when his charity, Yele Haiti, was accused of directing less than a third of the $16 million in donations it received to help victims of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. A Nov. 27 report by the New York Post cites payments from the charity to a construction firm owned by Jean’s brother-in-law. Jean denied charges that the charity had used any of the money inappropriately, although he acknowledged that the organization, which he no longer leads, had ”made mistakes before.” In this photo, Jean performs at the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, April 29, 2011.

Gerald Herbert / AP

“Three Cups of Tea” co-author Greg Mortenson claimed to have built 170 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His Central Asia Institute was deemed so successful, President Obama donated $100,000 to the group from his Nobel Prize proceeds. But a “60 Minutes” investigative report as well as an investigation by author Jon Krakauer found at least 30 of the schools were half-empty or not supported by Mortenson’s non-profit. Montana’s attorney general told the Associated Press on April 19, 2011, that he launched an inquiry into Mortenson’s charity as a result of the findings. In this July 15, 2009, photo released by Department of Defense, Mortenson shows the locations of future village schools in Afghanistan.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley / AP

At least two of pop-singer Madonna’s charities have faced scrutiny: Success for Kids and Raising Malawi. The former <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/04/03/040311-news-madonna-fbi/'>reportedly came under scrutiny</a> by the FBI’s Los Angeles branch, while <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://wapo.st/y7clCj'>the latter collapsed</a> after millions were spent on a school that was never built. In this photo, Madonna, second from left, cuts the ribbon at the ground breaking ceremony for the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi, on Oct. 26, 2009. The school was never completed.

At least two of pop-singer Madonna’s charities have faced scrutiny: Success for Kids and Raising Malawi. The former reportedly came under scrutiny by the FBI’s Los Angeles branch, while the latter collapsed after millions were spent on a school that was never built. In this photo, Madonna, second from left, cuts the ribbon at the ground breaking ceremony for the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi, on Oct. 26, 2009. The school was never completed.

Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi / AP

U2 lead singer and ONE campaign co-founder, Bono, speaks as U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon looks on at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York on Sept. 24, 2008. The ONE campaign came under fire.after it was reported by the New York Post in September 2010 that slightly more than 1 percent of donated funds went to charitable causes, even as millions went to paying salaries. Representatives for the organization defend the use of funds, saying the charity’s primary goal is to raise awareness of poverty in Africa and AIDS globally, not to provide direct donations to those in need.

Stuart Ramson / AP

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May 21, 2012: Members of the Naval Academy freshman class (plebes) lock arms and form a human ladder while climbing the Herndon Monument at the United States Naval Academy on May 21, 2012 in Annapolis, Md. Each year members of the Naval Academy's freshman class (plebes) climb the lard covered 21-foot tall Herndon Monument to replace a plebe dixie cup hat with a midshipman's hat at the top of the obelisk.

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JOPLIN, MO - MAY 19: Grace Goebel plays outside of the new Habitat for Humanity home of her parents that was built on the spot of a home that had been destroyed after a tornado hit the neighborhood almost one year ago on May 19, 2012 in Joplin, Missouri. Tuesday will mark the one-year anniversary of the EF-5 tornado that devastated the town. The tornado left behind a path of destruction along with 161 deaths and hundreds of injuries, but one year later there are signs that the town is beginning to recover. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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