RI grant funding , summary financials and closing accounts

[Paola Di Maio]

I am posting this note for the public record, thanking everyone who has helped to dig up facts figures and other documents such as the closing accounts

(remember, we still do not know what happened and why RI closed down, and why the new RI is following a similar curve)

The financial data have become a bit lost and diluted but they are worth preserving imho, because scholars may have to be careful

with whom they associate  in the future, if they do not want to become psychologically abused. embroiled in malpractice

I note that many of the scholars who have received grant money via RI throughout the years have not been active in WG meetings, on slack or anywhere

and we have never heard of their voice either 

Some of these silent scholars may be behind the scene of aberrations

With few exceptions, volunteers never received any grants nor salaries afaik

If scholars may have financial data *incomings and outgoings not listed below, please add a note to this thread so that

we may consolidate some figures, and make them available for further scrutiny

Thanks

PDM

Grant Money handled by Ronin Institute

https://www.highergov.com/awardee/ronin-institute-for-independent-scholarship-inc-12398660/

NSF grants via RI

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/simpleSearchResult?queryText=%22ronin+institute%22

(not sure why these may not come up in the first link)

If you know of grants or other funding not listed in the links above, please add them in this thread

Thank you

PDM

[Regina M]

Nice work, Paola. Well done!

This information had been accessible on the original Ronin site and when that site was taken down, it became more difficult to find.

   These Ronin grants that Paola  just listed are the same as the ones I listed back in the original Ronin discord - and they are the source of the majority of the funding that Ronin institute had in it's operational bank account.

   As stated many times, the total amount of grant money that went through Ronin in the final two years was in excess of *3.5 million dollars*, with over *300k* in the Ronin account for expenses. That >300k which was to Ronin for operational  expenses came from overhead on the grant awards.

   This money remains unaccounted for. Before Ronin shut down, we know they had well over 300k available to complete the accounting, pay for services such as our email server, and any other expenses. Instead that all is unaccounted for and the outgoing board never provided any explanation for closing us down other than their final letter which said they were tired and overwhelmed. They never stated there were any financial issues.

   In effect, this funding money simply appears to have disappeared. At least two grant awardees reached out to the group of Ronin scholars who were trying to save the institute, and asked for assistance as they could not get access to any of their funding.

   Money is incompressible - it does not disappear. We still do not have a final accounting for Ronin. The outgoing board claimed to the IRS on their final filing that they had no access to the financial records and therefore no final accounting was filed.

   The situation remains quite unclear, and I have petitioned that we request an audit from the state, which would have given us financial clarity,  cleared the books at Ronin, and allowed us to move forward with the original Ronin. It was Ruth Durr and a group of volunteers she organized who argued strongly against this plan and instead wanted to start fresh. That group, many of whom are still here, produced new bylaws and incorporated the remaining scholars in a new organization, named after the original Ronin, in California.

   That's the history as I know it. The finances of the original Ronin remain unclear and were never settled.

Please anyone - if there are inaccuracies or holes in what I've stated, I welcome additional information! We all want to understand this.

  As I've said before, I sincerely hope our new organization stabilizes and gives us remaining Ronin Scholars a way to move forward.

Best
Regina

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[Paola Di Maio]

Regina, 

this is due diligence that yourself and others did

Here is document that Keith pulled up and posted on this list 29 March, that shows closing accounts *with strange outgoings that do not make sense 

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/454524080?utm_source=mailgun&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NPEalerts

 how do we request the competent jurisdiction the audit this mess? and make sure it does not get shoved under the carpet?

There is nothing wrong ing getting funding money, but leaving scholars stranded for no reason then syphoning funds from the dead

entity could benefit from inquiry

what may appear as  inappropriate outgoings (pension scheme? for who?) 

Is there a way to request the competent jurisdiction to run an audit?

PDM

[Regina M]

Actually it's not a mess. Any financial audit will reveal that money that is unaccounted for and the old Board, if they can be contacted, will become legally responsible to provide information.

I think requesting a state IRS audit is the first step.

Regina

[Paola Di Maio]

The bank accounts show who has been the beneficiary of transactions

I am sure scholars would like to know what happened, in the absence of communication at least

the financial flow can provide some information

It could help transparency and better premises for the future institute so that indeed this can be  cleared up and put behind us

I dont know if the link below contains accurate information but apparently the general public can request an audit

https://www.springly.org/en-us/blog/how-to-request-an-audit-of-a-nonprofit/

I presume it should be *easier for a US resident/citizen and RI stakeholder

If someone does request such an audit, please share the outcomes

Best regards 

PDM

[Regina M]

Looks like all that needs to be done is for someone to file this form, which may be done anonymously:

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf

So anyone who gets this email can be the person who submitted this form ~

Best
Regina

[A.J. Lumsdaine]

Hi all,

It’s only so much I can do to reply right now. As you all know, I have had some serious medical issues that have made it difficult for me to participate. I want to say again, that it would help a lot if all communications from Ronin would, like all effective groups I’ve been in, have a header in the subject line that identifies the group and lets me automatically sort those communications. I did try to set up a Google group for us, but somehow ran into technical difficulties and it wasn’t sending out what I produced to everybody. At some point, I will try to go back and catch up, please have patience with me as I try to do that.

Nothing about my situation has been resolved. Ronin Institute took in what are called “restricted” funds for my project. They did this through a platform that overtly calls the setup “restricted” donations. 

The law is very specific about what nonprofits can do with restricted funds. They cannot use them for anything else, but the project the donor specified them for. That they were restricted funds for my project, and what that project is for, was clear in the donation platform too.

I’ve taken video of all of that and the platform that shows without question that when someone donated for my project with that platform, those funds were legally restricted for the use of my project. Ronin’s own accounting of those restricted funds has been provided to the previous board who wouldn’t reimburse me for project expenses I’d already out laid against those donated funds but promised they would have the lawyer for the institute contact me, but never did. 

New Jersey law is well established and has had appeals court published rulings clarify this, that if restricted funds are not used for the purpose they were donated for, a nonprofit must return them to the donor. Donors can take legal action against the board if they don’t do this and against the institute. The funds were not returned to the donor either. Nonprofits can be harshly fined by the IRS for misusing donor restricted funds, anmong other punishments.

I’ve held off reporting Ronan Institute to the IRS over this issue in part because I support the effort to revive the institute, but also because of the medical I just could only do so much last year. But I deserve to get my funds reimbursed or for the donor to receive them back so they can otherwise donate them to my project work. As I pointed out before, the amount of those funds that Ronin was holding was just over $1000.

A new board was supposed to be elected in April, wasn’t it? What did the previous board do?

A slightly more difficult question needs to be answered, and that is were other funds that were donated to Ronan Institute through that platform – that was set up for the purpose of restricted funds to my project initially, but also included a possibility to make unrestricted donations and donations restricted to the travel and scholarship fund– were any of those funds that went into those two other pots actually intended by the donors to be restricted to my project?

The reason to ask this question is because the link that was created for that platform included the name of my project and was searchable by Internet search by anyone wanting to make a donation to my work having used my website. 

If somebody searched on my website wanting to make a donation, they would’ve found a link that used the word “restricted” the name of my website, but defaulted to making an unrestricted donation to Ronin Institute. It gave the impression that they were making an unrestricted donation to my work. I’ve taken video of this as well. I think the donations were small from the standpoint of Ronin Institute, but they were important to me if they were made by donors wanting to support my work.

I think it’s incumbent on Ronin Institute to contact anyone who donated through that platform after it was set up and find out what their intention was in their donation, was it to make a Ronin Institute donation for independent scholarship, or was it to make a donation for my project? Since Ronin Institute didn’t promote that link for any other purpose, and it was set up for my project, and because anyone reaching that link using a general search would have gotten the idea that the donation was for the purpose of my project, it’s a reasonable question. 

If this situation can help in your efforts, please reach out to me. But recognize that I’m still going to struggle to participate if there isn’t some kind of a header in the communications allowing me to sort them specifically.

Thank you all again for trying to revive this wonderful institution

Anne

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ronin-scholars/CAArdj%2B1sNMc667BYCKmZDpwJqb7FrigtVghy7ahXt%2BZ0k0L7RA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Regina M]

Anne, I didn't realize you had been having medical issues - I hope you're feeling better and recovering from whatever it was you had!

I appreciate this very clear detailing of your own situation. It's clear that something is very wrong in the way grants and donations were handled at Ronin and I sincerely hope you are able to recover your expenses at some point.

Meanwhile this is valuable information if anyone decides to trigger an IRS investigation via the form - the link is in my prior email.

I think an IRS review would clarify a lot of questions we all have~

Best,
Regina