Charitable troubles

The Susan G. Komen foundation is not the first charitable organization to experience public relations troubles. Charities have experienced problems ranging from public relations controversies to full-on legal troubles. Here is a selection.

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Correction: A previous version of this gallery erroneously reported that The Hershey Trust Company had “come under scrutiny” in Feb. 2011 due to a court filing by former Hershey Trust board member and officer Robert Reese. The filing was a petition, which Reese withdrew in April 2011. The gallery also featured a photograph of a Hershey chocolate bar, incorrectly implying that the Hershey Company was involved in the dispute. The photograph and caption have been removed.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation came under a flood of criticism when it announced on Jan. 30 that the foundation would no longer provide funding for Planned Parenthood, citing the fact that the foundation could not fund grant recipients under investigation. Less than a week later, on Feb. 3, the foundation announced that it would revise its funding policy to allow Planned Parenthood to apply for grants. In this photo, thousands crowded the streets during the Foundation’s annual Race for the Cure on June 4, 2005, in Washington, D.C. The race is a fundraiser for breast cancer research. (Read: Komen Foundation revises funding policy)

/ Getty Images

Former Penn State assistant coach Gerald “Jerry” Sandusky, center, was indicted in November on 40 counts of statutory rape and inappropriate touching of minors both on and off of the Penn State campus. He was arrested on Dec. 7, 2011, for two additional counts. The news may have rocked Penn State, but it has all but shattered The Second Mile — a charity Sandusky founded in 1977. In January 2012, The charity announced that it would sell the 60-plus acre plot of land on which it had planned to build an educational center.

Andy Colwell / AP

The Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children collected more than $1 million in donations from companies that stood to benefit from decisions made by Supriya Jindal’s husband, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. According to a March 2011 New York Times report, the foundation received $250,000 pledges from military contractor Northrop Grumman and Marathon Oil. Donations came in from other companies with business underway or pending in the state. A Jindal representative dismissed claims that the donations influenced the governor’s policy decisions. In this photo, Gov. Jindal and his wife, Supriya, descend the steps of the Old State Capitol to participate in an inaugural celebration on Jan. 9, 2012, in Baton Rouge, La.

Tim Mueller / AP

Singer and former candidate for president of Haiti Wycleff Jean came under scrutiny in November 2011 when his charity, Yele Haiti, was accused of directing less than a third of the $16 million in donations it received to help victims of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. A Nov. 27 report by the New York Post cites payments from the charity to a construction firm owned by Jean’s brother-in-law. Jean denied charges that the charity had used any of the money inappropriately, although he acknowledged that the organization, which he no longer leads, had ”made mistakes before.” In this photo, Jean performs at the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, April 29, 2011.

Gerald Herbert / AP

“Three Cups of Tea” co-author Greg Mortenson claimed to have built 170 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His Central Asia Institute was deemed so successful, President Obama donated $100,000 to the group from his Nobel Prize proceeds. But a “60 Minutes” investigative report as well as an investigation by author Jon Krakauer found at least 30 of the schools were half-empty or not supported by Mortenson’s non-profit. Montana’s attorney general told the Associated Press on April 19, 2011, that he launched an inquiry into Mortenson’s charity as a result of the findings. In this July 15, 2009, photo released by Department of Defense, Mortenson shows the locations of future village schools in Afghanistan.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley / AP

At least two of pop-singer Madonna’s charities have faced scrutiny: Success for Kids and Raising Malawi. The former <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/04/03/040311-news-madonna-fbi/'>reportedly came under scrutiny</a> by the FBI’s Los Angeles branch, while <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://wapo.st/y7clCj'>the latter collapsed</a> after millions were spent on a school that was never built. In this photo, Madonna, second from left, cuts the ribbon at the ground breaking ceremony for the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi, on Oct. 26, 2009. The school was never completed.

At least two of pop-singer Madonna’s charities have faced scrutiny: Success for Kids and Raising Malawi. The former reportedly came under scrutiny by the FBI’s Los Angeles branch, while the latter collapsed after millions were spent on a school that was never built. In this photo, Madonna, second from left, cuts the ribbon at the ground breaking ceremony for the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi, on Oct. 26, 2009. The school was never completed.

Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi / AP

U2 lead singer and ONE campaign co-founder, Bono, speaks as U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon looks on at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York on Sept. 24, 2008. The ONE campaign came under fire.after it was reported by the New York Post in September 2010 that slightly more than 1 percent of donated funds went to charitable causes, even as millions went to paying salaries. Representatives for the organization defend the use of funds, saying the charity’s primary goal is to raise awareness of poverty in Africa and AIDS globally, not to provide direct donations to those in need.

Stuart Ramson / AP

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

epa03714567 A Thai Buddhist family take an offering of lotus flowers to pay respects to a giant Buddha surrounded by more than 1,000 smaller Buddha statues at a Buddhism Park, on Vesak or Visakha Bucha day, in Nakhon Nayok, north of Bangkok, Thailand, 24 May 2013. Buddhist devotees throughout the world offer blessings at temples to mark one of the holiest days in Buddhism, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and the death of Buddha. EPA/BARBARA WALTON

Photos of the day

Buddhist Wesak festival, prisoners-of-war reunion, bridge collapse, world’s largest Lego model and more.

A portion of the Interstate 5 bridge is submerged after it collapsed into the Skagit River dumping vehicles and people into the water in Mount Vernon, Wash., Thursday, May 23, 2013 according to the Washington State Patrol. (AP Photo/Skagit Valley Herald, Frank Varga)

I-5 bridge collapse in Washington state dumps vehicles, passengers into river

No fatalities reported; collapse over Skagit River shuts down main route between Seattle and Canada.

SILVER SPRING MD: MAY 18
from left to right, Bodybuilders Jorge Villatoro, Sidney Bumbrey, Eric Holmes and Ron Coleman show off their most muscular poses for the judges at the 2013 Musclemania - Capital Tournament of Champions Contest held at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring, Maryland on May 18, 2013.
(Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Flexing their muscles

Dozens of bodybuilders came out to Silver Spring to compete in the 2013 Musclemania Capital Tournament of Champions.

epa03714543 US actress Carmen Electra arrives for the Life Ball gala, at the airport Schwechat, in Vienna, Austria, 24 May 2013. The 21th Life Ball, an annual fundraising charity event for HIV and Aids projects, takes place at the Vienna City-Hall on 25 May 2013. EPA/HERBERT NEUBAUER

Eye on entertainment

Carmen Electra, Barbara Eden, Sharon Stone, Goldie Hawn, Jaden Smith and more.

A police forensics officer investigates a crime scene where one man was killed in Woolwich, southeast London May 22, 2013. British Prime Minister David Cameron has called a meeting of his government's emergency Cobra security committee after the killing of a man in south London, his office said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Terrorism cited in London cleaver attack

Two assailants hacked to death a British soldier on a busy southeast London neighborhood street Wednesday afternoon before delivering an apparent...

MOORE, OK - MAY 24: A 'For Sale' sign hangs in a tree in a storm ravaged neighborhood on May 24, 2013 in Moore, Oklahoma. The tornado of EF5 strength and two miles wide touched down May 20 killing at least 24 people and leaving behind extensive damage to homes and businesses. U.S. President Barack Obama promised federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Assessing tornado damage in Oklahoma

Amid great destruction, residents of the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore begin to assess the severity of the twister that hit Monday.

WASHINGTON DC: MAY 22
Contestant Travis Rumans, 31 dances with his beloved glow sticks for talent at Penn Social in Washington, DC on May 22, 2013. The contestants help raise over $15,000 for the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The Mr. DC pageant is a fundraising event to benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
The qualifications for the Mr. District of Columbia finalists is that they must live, work and attend school in the District of Columbia between the ages of 21-30 who are unmarried, intelligent, and dapper in a suit.
(Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Mr. D.C. Pageant contestants compete for charity

Contestants in the Mr. D.C. Pageant, a fundraising event, helped raise more than $15,000 for the Children’s National Medical Center.

A Burrowing owl tries to perch on a protective rope in a public park in Cooper City, Fla. Monday, May 20, 2013 as rain falls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Animal views

Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.

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