Black Lives Matter Foundation must stop soliciting donations in NY, says state AG

A state attorney general in New York says that the Black Lives Matter Foundation must immediately stop seeking donations from New Yorkers who believe the organization is affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The foundation is a California-based company that is not registered in New York as a charitable organization, which makes it illegal to collect donations from inside the state, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Monday.

“Every organization that seeks to solicit donations from New Yorkers must follow state laws. We will also fight for transparency so that donors’ goodwill isn’t preyed upon by opportunists," James also said. “The Black Lives Matter Foundation failed to register or file any financial documents with the state, and therefore, has failed to provide New Yorkers with information on how their donations will be used."

The foundation, which is listed as a nonprofit with a singular employee and a UPS store as its address, raised more than $4 million following the May 25 death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. The majority of those funds have now been frozen as the foundation came under scrutiny.

Many donors have given to the foundation in recent weeks thinking that they were contributing to the organization whose cause is to end police brutality. Companies including Apple, Microsoft and Google have recently made donation to the Black Lives Matter Foundation.