I worked in private not-for-profit management for 25 years and the key word there is “private”. There is a whole different set of rules than for public municipalities. Just as we wish that some private corporations were required to make their decisions in public forums, we can wish to have private non-profits do the same but this can be a conflict of interest for them. The laws governing not-for- profits and community foundations are totally different than those for public municipalities. Our tax dollars support the municipalities and private funds support the foundations. I recall that the City of New Buffalo did not want to go after government grants due to the “strings attached”. They did not like the application process, oversight, and doling out of the money as work was accomplished and now they are voicing the same dissatisfaction with the Pokagon Fund. Oversight is not always welcomed but is the duty of the funding source and provides the public with the comfort of knowing that their elected officials are accountable for large sums of dollars. Plus the distribution and oversight by the Pokagon Fund board of directors is much easier and quicker than the hoops created by government grants, I know because the not-for-profits I managed had many government grants and contracts. When my husband and I got a bridge loan from the bank to build our house, the bank provided oversight of the construction of the house. They controlled the purse strings and our contractor had to justify every draw. And the city also controlled the construction through inspections which sometimes held up construction but frankly, I was happy with this oversight because it insured accountability by our contractor. The Pokagon Fund has provided great PR for the tribe and wonderful improvements to our communities. I have a hard time believing that there would be a money grab by the people who benefit so munch by this generosity. The end result could be that the money is removed.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 15:11:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015