Council to expand grants program linked to controversial NAACP leader
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City Council is considering an expanding the Philadelphia Activities Fund, a grant program that appears to have been abused by the troubled head of the local NAACP.
City Council is considering expanding the Philadelphia Activities Fund, a loosely run city grant program that appears to have been abused by Jerry Mondesire, the troubled head of the local NAACP chapter.
Mondesire was blasted yesterday by former colleagues in an Axis Philly investigation that detailed alleged mishandling of donations intended for a non-profit run by the NAACP, called the Next Generation Community Development Corporation. However, records obtained by the City Paper indicate that Mondesire also sought and received grants for Next Generation from the Activities Fund.
Receipts indicate that Mondesire accepted grants earmarked for Next Generation for years after the non-profit collapsed in 2010. In total, the non-profit received $16,000 in city grants since 2009.
The Activities Fund, which has been tied to other controversial political players, has been operating without a functional oversight board for years. Most board appointments had lapsed as of 2013, and Council President Darrell Clarke promised last year that he would appoint new members to the board. However, his office did not respond this week when asked whether this had actually taken place, nor did they respond to a request for a list of current board members.
Now, Council wants to expand the Activities Fund with a bill, co-sponsored by Clarke, that would increase the maximum grant amount from $6,500 to $7,500. Because the grants, which are drawn from the Department of Parks and Recreation, are largely doled out by Councilmembers, the bill is likely to pass without controversy. But there is little indication Council has done anything to prevent other figures like Mondesire from gaming the system.
UPDATE: Clarke's office responded this afternoon verifying that Council's appointments to the oversight board are Councilman Brian O'Neill, Councilwoman Cindy Bass and former Councilman Juan Ramos. Other members are appointed by the Mayor, whose press office says it is passing along a full list of board members.
