Overview
- The auditor’s report found heavy meal spending and about $3,130 on alcohol, with 598 of 734 sampled expenses classified as meals and more than 200 meal items reimbursed to Executive Director Lorez Meinhold.
- Auditor Tim O’Brien criticized the practices as showing a disregard for fiscal accountability and said the foundation is not delivering what voters approved.
- The grant review found 10 of 35 awards did not align with the voter-approved ordinance and 40% of application packets lacked at least one required financial document.
- Auditors cited three cases of misrepresented partnerships on applications, including a grantee that received about $310,000, and flagged nearly $570,000 awarded to a group led by an executive accused of domestic violence; the foundation noted no charges were filed.
- Caring for Denver disputed portions of the audit, said many meetings were coffee with grantees, pledged to stop alcohol reimbursements, and, according to the auditor, rejected seven of 15 recommendations while agreeing to implement others.