Celebrating 30 years of helping you give wisely
America's most independent,
assertive charity watchdog

F Rated Planet Aid the Subject of a New Investigation

   Mar 25, 2016

"Alleged cult leader plays shell game with US foreign aid" is the title of The Center for Investigative Reporting's (CIR) in-depth investigation into Planet Aid, broadcast in March 2016.

For years CharityWatch has warned donors about Planet Aid's financial reporting and has consistently assigned the charity low ratings for its low program spending and high fundraising costs. The CIR investigation asserts that "money from USDA grants, over $130 million, up to 70% was allegedly taken from the projects it was meant for and stripped from employees salaries," and attempts to answer the question, "for what?" Planet Aid's ties to an alleged overseas cult and millions in clothing sales to fund projects in Africa with few visible results are just some of the concerns raised by CIR as it traverses continents to follow the charity's cash.


NOTE:  On November 5th, 2019, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting published an article entitled, Reveal has been fighting a lawsuit for three years. Now we're speaking up about it. The article discusses Reveal's legal battle with Planet Aid related to the investigation cited above, which spurred a libel lawsuit from the charity. Please click on the article link for more information.

Related Charities

Charity  
Planet Aid