Justice Department investigating Black Lives Matter foundation, source says

The Justice Department is investigating whether donations to the national Black Lives Matter foundation were misused by the group’s leadership in the wake of an influx of gifts during nationwide racial justice protests in the summer of 2020, according to a source familiar with the investigation. 

The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Inc., which is a separate entity from the Black Lives Matter protest movement, has long been accused by right-wing critics of not being transparent enough with how it spends its donations. Part of that criticism came when the group used more than $6 million to buy a house in Los Angeles.

The group defended the purchase in a 2022 post on its website, writing that the house “serves as a space for Black folks to share their gifts with the world and hone their craft as they see fit, under the conditions that work best for them and in a safe space free from systems of oppression that exist in various creative industries.” 

The national Black Lives Matter foundation raised more than $90 million in 2020, the organization disclosed in a 2020 report. The group had over $28 million in assets as of June 2024, according to recent financial disclosures.

It is unclear specifically when the investigation into Black Lives Matter was launched, but it is being run out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, which handles cases in or near Los Angeles, the source said. 

The Associated Press was first to report the existence of an investigation into the nonprofit foundation.

In a statement, Black Lives Matter said that it “is not a target of any federal criminal investigation.”

“We remain committed to full transparency, accountability, and the responsible stewardship of resources dedicated to building a better future for Black communities,” the group continued. 

Spokespeople for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.