When the Guilford County Board of Commissioners adopted a new 2024-2025 fiscal budget on Thursday, June 20, $1.7 million of that budget was taxpayer money that the board is handing out to community-based organizations and other non-profits.
The group of chosen recipients this year is especially interesting because, unlike in past years, the Board of Commissioners didn’t hold any public discussions at budget time on which organizations should or shouldn’t get money.
Usually, the commissioners hold at least one entire work session in June devoted largely to that question.
Also, unlike past years, the county manager and a committee of county staff designed to determine which non-profits should get money was never formed and therefore did not provide any input.
The commissioners wanted to take over the process entirely this year, and they certainly did.
In May, when the county manager’s budget was presented, the Rhino Times actually thought there had been a printing error: that county staff or the printer had accidentally left out the list of recommended non-profits, which is always in the manager’s proposed budget – but was not in the manager’s proposed budget this year.
When the Rhino Times asked county staff for this year’s list in the manager’s proposed budget, staff replied that there was no list because those decisions were being left entirely up to the county commissioners.
In past years, county staff would weed through applications and ask all sorts of questions. Is this organization financially trustworthy? Can they produce audits that show how the money is being used? What tangible, measurable results and benefits does this program produce? How do the goals of this non-profit fit in with Guilford County’s service efforts?
This year’s list is a hodge-podge of churches, schools, organizations with “Mustard Seed” in the name and others – many groups that have never before been funded by the county and some that the Rhino Times has never heard of.
There’s no question that many of the non-profits on the list do great work in the community, but many other equally worthy organizations did not get a dime from the county.
You might, for instance, ask why T Wingate Andrews High School got $50,000, while no other high school got a dime. The answer to the question is: Who the hell knows?
Since this year the commissioners didn’t give any explanation before adopting the budget or after the budget was released, it’s hard to know what any of them were thinking.
Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said the night before the budget was adopted that the majority of the discussion that day with other commissioners (presumably over the phone) was about three things: how much to give Guilford County Schools, how much Sheriff’s deputies should get paid, and figuring out which community-based organizations should be funded.
Alston said that, this year, the commissioners decided to take the task on themselves because, when staff did it by committee, they did so without full knowledge of the situation on the ground.
“The commissioners are the ones active in the community who see where the true needs are,” Alston said.
That may be, however, since the commissioners haven’t said before or after the budget was adopted why these non-profits were the chosen ones, it’s hard to know anything regarding the commissioners’ rationale.
As of now, it’s a complete black box.
Alston also admitted that – even though the county has tried for two decades to come up with a rational policy for handing out the money to non-profits – in the end, the list is always a list of which organizations can get five votes – that is, a majority of the nine-member Board of Commissioners.
The Rhino Times is attempting to discover why the following groups got money while plenty of other worthy non-profits did not – but, regardless, here’s the list of the recipients and the amounts that are included in the Board of Commissioners final 2024-2025 adopted budget…
A Legacy of Hope $5,000
A Simple Gesture – Greensboro Inc. $15,000
Aaron T. Jones Jet-black Empowerment $45,000
African American Atelier Inc. $50,000
ARC of High Point $10,000
Beyond Sports NC $20,000
Big Brother Big Sister $15,000
Black Child Development Institute $10,000
B-Natural $5,000
Carolina Theater $25,000
Children Law Center $20,000
Combat Female Veterans Assoc. $50,000
Commander Peace Academy $20,000
D-Up Inc. $20,000
Establishing Safe Cultures $20,000
Families Against Senseless Killings $20,000
Family Room Foster Care Resource $10,000
Folk Festival $25,000
Friends Of John Coltrane $25,000
Glenwood Together $10,000
Greensboro Business League $45,000
Greensboro Urban Ministry $40,000
Growing The Distance Inc. $20,000
Guilford Housing Foundation $10,000
Hayes Taylor YMCA $40,000
High Point Arts Council $50,000
High Point Discovered $10,000
Historic Jamestown Society $20,000
Horse Power $10,000
HP Friendship Foundation $15,000
HP Housing Authority $15,000
Jalloh’s Upright Services $15,000
Junior Aggies $7,500
Kids Poetry Basketball Inc. $15,000
Level Up Parenting $10,000
Lydia House Inc. $20,000
Malachi House II $37,500
Mega Church Ministries $20,000
Mustard Seed Community Health. $10,000
New Hope Missionary Baptist Next $10,000
Level of the Triad Inc. $45,000
Open Door $25,000
Peacehaven Community Farms $15,000
Piedmont Triad Film Commission $15,000
Room at The Inn $15,000
Senior Resources. $25,000
Sister Circle. $70,000
Southwest Renewal, HP $75,000
St. Stephen AME Zion Church Still $10,000
I Rise $25,000
T Wingate Andrews High School $50,000
TCC Community Health $20,000
The Heroes Center $10,000
The Mind Group $20,000
The Oaks Therapeutic Community $15,000
The Salvation Army of Greater HP $15,000
Triad Food Pantry Inc. $50,000
Triad Health Project. $40,000
Triad Play Therapeutic After $25,000
School TSCF Food Network. $15,000
Turning Everything Around United. $20,000
Arts Council of Greensboro United. $75,000
Way of Greater High Point United $10,000
Way of Greensboro $10,000
Urban Roots NC $12,500
D. Muhammad Center $7,500
West End Ministries. $20,000
Welfare Reform Liaison Project $25,000
YMCA Of High Point-Chavis Branch $40,000
Youth Behavior Helper $20,000
Youth Focus $25,000
YWCA of High Point $15,000
That brings the county’s total community-based organization funding to $1.7 million.
What a freaking joke these commissioners are .. what a waste . You can’t make this up .
100% grift. Just lining their buddys’ pockets.
Amen. Corrupt government right out in the open.
are these ‘non-profits’ required to disclose their compensation/salaries & get regular audits ?
Have you looked into these “non-profits” to the degree that you can tell us which ones are affiliated with others, or those who sit on more than one non-profit? My guess is there are some people who are on more than one non-profit, and/or, some of the relatives and friends are on others. The non-profits are required in their 501(C)-3 to provide the names, so as WFMY says. . . .”2 wants to know.” If I had to guess, some people are probably on more than one non-profit.
The bigger picture is look who didn’t get money this budget. Skips money pit or did he, I’m betting a lot of these so called “non-profits “ will be making back door donations to skips place. Over 95% of these groups are black supporters, Dudley H S last year Andrew’s
(majority black school) this year. This thievery will not end until the democrats are gone
“Non-Profit” really means Non-Taxpaying.
Check it out.
Think of it as a legal way to buy votes.
Your tax dollars at work.
The majority of these”non-profits” are black organizations. So yeah, our commissioners aren’t racist at all! Sarcasm absolutely intended! Pretty sure Skippy boy is on some of these. Need to check and see if Earl is on any of these. Since they are using our taxpayer money, which the people put in to the county, they should answer for why these organizations are getting these and show us a list of everybody on the board of each organization. If any of these have their family or close friends, that money should not be going to any of them! Skip has always found a way to put money in his pocket and he’s going to keep doing it as long as the voters let him. Earl has always found a way to pocket money. Pretty sure I can name a few other people in Guilford County who pulled that stuff including our mayor. They get by with it because the voters don’t step up and get rid of them. November is coming people. Get out and vote these crooks out of office! We need decent, caring, honest people on our commissioners board. Not these crooks that have been getting away with robbing Us blind for years.
Nice to know Congresswoman Alma Adams (D) got $50,000 for her hobby.
And the Muhammad Center got another $7,500. I wonder what they’re up to…?
Keep in mind the county is also funding the International Civil Rights Center & Museum about $250,000/year, I believe.
pork for pals.
Well said! Beautifully concise and trenchant.
Tax money should not be used to support nonprofits directly or indirectly. I know nothing about the D. Muhammad Center, but I do know that I do not want my tax money supporting a group that I would not personally support. I am being forced to support the D. Muhammad Center with my tax dollars. The same is true of St. Stephen AME Zion Church. Tax money should not be used to support any church. I don’t know what I Rise is but sounds churchy. Southwest Renewal supports reparations, something I strongly disagree with. I certainly don’t want my tax dollars supporting reparations. I could continue but my point is made. The NC Legislature should pass a statute prohibiting tax money going to nonprofits. This should include backdoor support such as taxpayers subsidizing property taxes for retirement communities. I do not want to pay their property taxes, but we do thanks to lobbying by the retirement communities. Eliminate the statute that contributes to higher property taxes for everyone.
Carl Davis ymca…. Which Mrs foster is in charge of. Interesting.
Is this a public law or can we protest the wasteful spending without vetting. A business is taxed to the limits; we citizens are taxed to be inspired to leave or join supporting 60% of our population per statistical figures of “non wealth” in our town. Enough already, it should have laws as the Banking Industry does to qualify for our tax dollars in a popularity contest. They are gonna be out during election season. Let’s shut this STEALING down ASAP.
No way will voters be able to shutdown the GCC and they know it. We need term limits. In the meanwhile, write your NC legislature over and over and over for legislation to stop nonprofits from receiving our tax dollars. It is easy and quick to email your representative in Raleigh.
And who is going to look into all of these groups to find out the administrators and board members and whether they are truly nonprofits or not. We talk and moan, it who is going to investigate? Seriously.
That is one reason tax money should not be given to nonprofits. Nonprofits do not have the oversight and scrutiny they deserve and need and will never have. Tax money going to nonprofits should end. If a nonprofit cannot survive without taxpayer money, their presence is not needed by the population as a whole. They exist to serve a few. Churches and religious institutions should not be receiving tax money…you know, separation of church and state as lefties like to say.
How many incumbents will remain on this Board after this total disregard for County residents and taxpayers? Use your vote wisely – it is past time to Sweep this Board into the ditches of Randolph County.
Are you kidding? All of them, especially Skip
Ain’t kickblacks, I mean kickbacks great?
$45,000 for Aron T Jones Jet Black Power Empowerment from a racist Chairman Skip Alston and all of the other County Commissioner that approve of such waste! Much like in the past when this same Board of Commissioners gave the Dudley High Booster’s Club $50,000, but no other High School in the County got this award. This group doesn’t deserve to be serving you, they deserve to be in jail for bigotry!
Jim Donaldson
Much of this budget is nothing more than “thievery and family/friend supplementing”. There is no way that we as taxpayers should be forced to give our hard earned money to people/groups who are not required to publicy address exactly what they do and where the money goes! This group of so called Commissioners need to be voted out and now people! This is not their hard earned money to throw around as they please and yet that is what is happening!!
This is a complete outrage. This is why conservatives distrust liberals…voting themselves into the Treasury. If anyone questions Alston and his friends they are called racist. Worthwhile causes have no need of secrecy.
Taxation without representation. You can call it what you want, but in the end the poor taxpayer ends up getting the butt end of the cow. We need a Greensboro Tea Party and dump all these good dooer and warm fuzzy bumbs in Buffalo creeek.
please don’t dump them where i fish !
I see so many conflict of interests in this list. Including one handout whose co-founder dated a current County Commissioner. Stop pretending that his degree and failed business makes him a business expert worth investing in. Make it make sense!!!
How does a Guilford County School receive funds and it not be included with that given to the system? Wonder whose alma mater that is.
Why did this occur-Sister Circle. $70,000? Maybe the highest of all donations. Why do they deserve such a large amount? SMH ♂️
Elect Democrats, and this is what you get. Vote for NO Democrat at ANY level.
From the web; Mustard Seed provides primary and behavioral health care to those at or below 200% of the federal poverty level from Guilford County without healthcare coverage as well as to all residents of the Cottage Grove community.
Nothing to be found on Level of the Triad Inc.
It’s a beautiful little way to spend someone else’s money with no repercussions. Yup, you voted for them.
What person 200% below poverty level does not have healthcare coverage-its called Medicaid.
Surprise Surprise. Are these groups required to show penny for penny their expenses? Sneaky way to gain votes. They will be held accountable for their actions.
This budget is criminal!
Wonder how much money they’re giving to the Hebrew School off of Hobbs Rd that are housing hundreds of illegal immigrants?
It’s a known fact that the current WH admin gave loads of money to take them in! And, yet, some of these so-called non-profits could be disguised to provide even more funds to them.
Do a search on; http://www.vision2030Greensboro,NC. com
What a freaking waste. Taxation without any responsible representation.
I don’t know why anyone in their right mind is surprised by this. These people are out of control and have been for years. Untill they are voted out it will continue to happen. Unfortunately the ones who benefit DON’T CONTRIBUTE ANYTHING. I for one am absolutely disgusted by it.
A better solution would be to cut taxes and fees so voters could donate more of their own money to nonprofits instead of Skip handing out tax dollars to “whoever can get 5 votes”.
All comments are valid. However, you get nothing in return for your comments. Taxpayer money going to nonprofits should stop. Skip Alston and his cohorts will never voluntarily stop giving to their selective nonprofits. Skip Alston and his cohorts will never lose an election; look at their districts. Go to the source that can make a difference. Go to the legislators in Raleigh. Skip Alston is well-known in Raleigh but that does not mean this familiarity is viewed favorably. Send a copy of the list of Skippy’s favored nonprofits to your representative in Raleigh and then send it again. Rhino Times’ comments may help relieve frustration but will not get results. Step it up a notch.
The reason Andrews High School gets money and no other school does is because Skippy graduated from there. The wave is money is given out serves the commissioners own interest.
What we has he-yeah, is a fayeah to accum’late.
Reminds me of a song by Peggy Lee‐—-
“Every morning, every evening, ain’t we got fun?”
“Not much money, oh, but honey, ain’t we got fun?”
“Tax collector’s getting closer, still we have fun.”
“There is nothing surer, the rich get rich and the poor get poorer”
“In the meantime, in between time, ain’t we got fun?”
How do I get my “break even” business on the council’s non-profit list?
The info beside each NPO, should be the salary the officers of each organization receive. Since taxpayer money is providing NPO assistance, we should have access to the non-profit tax records.
You can bet your boots some type of compensation is being paid!
Same mess, different year. Vote them all out.