The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) has announced the departure of longtime strategist and board member Shalomyah Bowers, whose consulting firm has been paid millions of dollars by the organization, including over $2.2 million in fiscal 2024 alone. In a statement titled “Leadership Transition; Reaffirms Commitment to Transparency and Community Investment,” published on November 7, 2025, BLMGNF said Bowers’ “time on the board has come to an end” and that the organization has ceased work with his consulting firm.
The announcement, posted on BLMGNF’s official website, framed the transition as part of a broader renewal effort. The organization pledged to strengthen accountability, including “addressing conflicts of interest in meaningful ways, as the board expands.” The statement invited the public to continue holding the organization accountable while reaffirming its commitment to transparency and community investment.
According to an October 30th, 2025 article published by the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Justice has opened a federal investigation into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) and related organizations over allegations of donor fraud and misuse of charitable funds raised during the nationwide racial justice protests of 2020. Federal authorities have reportedly issued subpoenas and at least one search warrant as part of the probe, which aims to determine whether tens of millions of dollars in donations meant for racial justice initiatives were diverted for personal or unauthorized use.
The foundation has denied any wrongdoing and stated that it has not been informed that it is a target of a criminal investigation, according to the Associated Press. The DOJ has not issued a public statement confirming or detailing the scope of the inquiry, and an agency spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing matter.
The leadership change comes amid years of public scrutiny over the organization’s governance, finances, and internal controls.
BLMGNF reported raising about $100 million in public contributions in the years following widespread protests over the murder of George Floyd. According to multiple reports, including those by The Associated Press and Capital B News, many local Black Lives Matter chapters later complained that they received little or no direct financial support despite promises of shared funding.
Public filings and investigative reports show that BLMGNF paid millions of dollars to companies owned by insiders or their close associates. Among them:
The consulting company owned by departing board member Shalomyah Bowers, received millions of dollars from BLMGNF for management and consulting work during the same financial periods he was reported as “Board Secretary.”
Entities tied to co-founder Patrisse Cullors’ family members were also reported to have received payments for various services, including “security protection” and “property management services.”
Board member Danielle Edwards received over $1 million for “consulting services” while serving on the charity’s board.
Media outlets reported that in 2020 BLMGNF purchased a property valued at approximately $5.8 million in Los Angeles, purportedly for content creation and community work. The transaction drew widespread criticism for lack of disclosure and perceived personal benefit to insiders.
Co-founder Patrisse Cullors resigned from the organization in 2021 amid media reports about her real estate holdings and questions about financial oversight. Bowers subsequently assumed greater leadership authority until this latest announcement of his departure.
BLMGNF has been involved in multiple legal actions, including a 2022 civil suit by Black Lives Matter Grassroots, Inc. (BLM Grassroots) that named BLMGNF as a co-defendant, alleging misuse of funds and alleging that resources meant for local chapters were being controlled by the national entity. That suit was dismissed in June 2023 for lack of standing and failure to show enrichment of the defendants.
In another matter, BLMGNF filed its own suit in May 2024 against the Tides Foundation, its former fiscal sponsor, alleging breach of an oral contract, fraud, mismanagement, conversion of funds (about $33 million claimed) and fiduciary duty violations stemming from the period when BLMGNF was not yet IRS-tax-exempt.
Separately, in 2022 the Indiana Attorney General filed a enforcement action against BLMGNF for failing to cooperate with its investigation into its finances. That case was eventually resolved when BLMGNF provided the required information, and no civil penalty was imposed.
Finally, while not a lawsuit yet, the United States Department of Justice is reported to be investigating whether donations made to BLMGNF in the wake of the 2020 protests were mis-used, including subpoenas and at least one search warrant issued. BLMGNF has denied it is a target.
The Foundation’s latest pledge to renew transparency and integrity follows repeated public commitments of the same nature dating back to 2021. For donors, this latest leadership transition raises renewed questions about how BLMGNF manages and disburses charitable funds. Leadership changes can be an opportunity for reform, but they also risk perpetuating old patterns if not paired with substantive governance improvements. The organization’s pledge to rebuild trust through transparency will be meaningful only if accompanied by full financial disclosure, independent governance, the elimination of conflicts of interest, and verifiable community investment.
CharityWatch has issued Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) a “?” rating for its fiscal year ended 6/30/2024 due to our concerns about the reliability of the Foundation’s financial reporting.
CharityWatch’s previous rating of BLMGNF was a “D” on our “A+” to “F” rating scale based on our analysis of the charity’s fiscal 2023 IRS Form 990 and audited financial statements. We determined that in fiscal 2023, BLMGNF spent only 47% of its cash expenses on programmatic activities and the remaining 53% on overhead.
For its fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, CharityWatch noted that the Foundation reports having only three voting members on its governing body, with only one being reported as independent (IRS Form 990, Part VI, Section A, lines 1a & 1b).
Furthermore, per Audit Note 12 of the Foundation’s audited financial statements for the same period, the Foundation incurred $2,223,663 of “staffing, management, and consulting services” to a consulting firm owned by a Board member, comprising roughly 24% of reported total fiscal 2024 expenses. In addition, “a sibling of the founder owned a security company and a property management firm, which were collectively paid $386,768 for security and property management services,” per Audit Note 12.
In addition, per line 11g of the Foundation’s fiscal 2024 IRS Form 990, Part IX, CharityWatch noted that $1,706,135 of “Other” fees for services expenses paid to non-employees (roughly 33% of the charity’s reported total Program expenses for fiscal 2024) were allocated to Program expense without a sufficient explanation as to the nature of the services included in this total.
Taken together, it is CharityWatch’s position that BLMGNF’s lacking governance and conflicts of interest arising from millions of dollars’ worth of related-party transactions between the organization and one of its board member have rendered its financial statements unreliable for purposes of determining how efficiently it raises and spends public dollars. For this reason, we have issued the organization a “?” for fiscal 2024.
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