From Nancy Vaughan's Disclosure form we learn that hubby Don Vaughn is a board member of the African American Atelier which is one of those that has been around so long its filings are not listed with the NC Secretary of State.
It's founder, Eva Hamlin Miller died in 1992.
According to their Facebook page the AAA might be city funded:
"The acquisition of funding from local and state agencies as well as foundations, corporate sponsors and individuals within and beyond the state reflect the strength and success of the gallery’s performance to meet the needs of the community and its mission."
They're located in the city funded Greensboro Cultural Center at 200 North Davie Street and their website is AfricanAmericanAtelier.org. As a matter of fact, according to a public information release from the City of Greensboro:
"The African American Atelier, Incorporated received a Human Services Grant from the City in the amount of $11,000 during the 2001-2002 grant year. The grant was reduced to $8,250 due to the City’s Budget constraints."
And this:
"There was another grant in the amount of $11,000 during the 2002-2003 grant year"
You'll be happy to know they passed their audits back in 2002 and again in 2003. So why were all those rich white non profits exempt from audits until 2013 and still resisting transparency today?
They list one of their community partners as the ICRCM: Last year Nancy Vaughan was a board member of the ICRCM.
No info on who works there or who the other board members might be but it can be found on Federal Form 990s... Right? That is what we've been told...
So I searched Guidestar.org and found the Federal Form 990 for the African American Atelier and learned that their treasurer is Arthur M Winstead Jr. Does that name ring a bell? Mr Winstead works with Forbes Financial Advisors on Green Valley Drive, is a partner in DMJ Wealth Advisors LLC, a CPA, is or was a member of the North Carolina State Board of CPA Examiners, is Director of A&A for CPAmerica International and apparently very busy. That's probably why his name rings a bell.
According to their Form 990, the AAA has 14 board members and employed 23 people paying a total of $68,019 in employee compensation and benefits in 2013 but in direct contradiction to claims made by Mayor Nancy Barakat Vaughan, Councilman Matheny, Councilman Barber and dozens of people in threads on blogs and Facebook, there are no salaries listed. That's right, the talking head know-it-alls spinning for the status quo were wrong.
So much for transparency via Federal Form 990s.
Madam Mayor herself has a seat on 2 non profit boards, Reading Connections Inc and Greensboro Day School. Reading Connections lists Jennifer Gore as earning $75,201 in 2013 but does not list the second highest paid employee. That's right, no second highest paid employee listed on their Federal Form 990.
Greensboro Day School's 2013 Form 990 wasn't listed so I went with 2012 (another reason the City of Greensboro needs to be keeping track of these things) They list the top 5 earners there because Federal Law requires that all directors who earn over $100,000 a year be listed. But what say if one of these non profits were to divide a pay check in half and pay half to husband and half to wife even though hubby doesn't work there just to get around showing it on a Federal Form 990? As long as the personal income taxes were being paid the IRS would never be the wiser and the public would never know the family was cleaning up at city taxpayers' expense.
That's right, another reason City Council should have passed Tony Wilkins' resolution a week ago asking that the salaries of the 2 highest paid employees of every City funded non profit be made public knowledge.
I didn't ask if Greensboro Day School or Reading Connections ever received City funding as this post has already proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that not only are the City of Greensboro's transparency rules for non profits unfair, seemingly biased in favor of rich white non profits and messy, but that Federal Form 990s cannot be counted on as a means to keep watch on City funding of non profits as claimed by Mayor Vaughan, Councilmen Barber and Matheny and Councilwoman Hoffmann.
Well I've just proved they lied to us again. Just as they've been lying to us for years. Transparency and disclosure aren't just words, Mayor Vaughn, they have meaning and I suggest you learn them ASAP and stick to your promises before eating the rich becomes the only way for the poor to survive in Greensboro.
Please continue reading Mike Barber's Council Disclosure Form.
