MARYLAND (WBFF) — Maryland’s Democratic U.S. senators Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen are looking to earmark hundreds of millions of dollars for special projects.
A large chunk of that funding, around $311 million, is specifically requested for nonprofit organizations.
That raises transparency and accountability concerns, according to Jeremy Portnoy, an investigative journalist with Open the Books, a government spending watchdog.
“We’re constantly finding … nonprofits that don’t have their finances in order, conflicts of interest, partisan advocacy, which is not supposed to be part of earmarks,” Portnoy said, describing his organization’s general research into earmark spending nationwide – not just in Maryland.
Portnoy says Congress usually distributes earmark funds not based on greatest need, but on which members have the most sway.
“Not necessarily that this happened here, but we see examples where earmarks can be used to appeal to special interest groups and essentially buy votes, right?” Portnoy said. “Anyone who supports this nonprofit is now probably going to have a very positive opinion of a senator who requested funding for them. So a lot of times we see that’s how the money is dispersed.”
Over the last year, Spotlight has reported on multiple nonprofits that were out of compliance with the state, behind on required federal tax filings, and had leaders with state and federal tax liens. Most recently, Spotlight’s reporting found that city leadership had not done background checks on a nonprofit leader with a criminal background and bankruptcies before giving taxpayer funding.
Sheila Weinberg, founder and CEO of Truth in Accounting, also described the risks of government funding allocated to nonprofits.
“There is a risk of, when you give money to nonprofits in a political environment that … is that money going to the elected officials’ donors, contributors to their campaign?” she said.
Last year, of all 100 U.S. senators, Van Hollen had the 16th-highest amount of money in earmark requests passed, at $263 million. Alsobrooks was 35th highest, at $174 million dollars, according to Open the Books.
This year, the senators are requesting hundreds of millions of dollars for federal, state and local government entities, as well as many Maryland nonprofits. That includes millions of dollars for fire departments, hospitals, out-of-school programs, support for people with disabilities and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.
Alsobrooks also requested $2 million for Hustle Mommies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “curing hood trauma” and helping moms “become whole, effective moms that are thriving in their careers and businesses.”
Ariel DeNey Rainey, founder and CEO of Hustle Mommies, said the funding will cover mental health services, workforce preparation and development, trauma-informed care, maternal health support, violence prevention, food, diapers and “basic living needs.”
She added that these needs were “identified through community surveys, assessments and conversations with families from our many engagement activities.”
Alsobrooks also requested $400,000 to modernize infrastructure for Baltimore Clayworks, which “partners to curate and provide ceramics classes within schools, community centers, churches, and social service agencies, along with outreach and recovery programs throughout Baltimore City and the surrounding regions,” according to its website.
In addition, Alsobrooks requested significant funding for horse-related activities: $5.3 million for City Ranch, Inc. to build a “140-acre equine therapy, youth development, and outdoor recreation campus,” and $1.17 million for Days End Farm Horse Rescue to create an equine education center.
Brandt Kingsley, CEO of City Ranch, said in an email that the organization last year “served more than 19,000 youth and families, worked with 16 schools, engaged with military installations and juvenile detention centers, and facilitated more than 3,000 on-site visits, lessons, and community experiences.”
“We recognize that $5.3 million is a significant investment, and we believe requests of this magnitude should be accompanied by accountability, measurable outcomes, and a clear long-term vision,” Kingsley added. “As the project advances, we intend to align the final development budget and measurable growth targets with the property selected and the needs of the communities we serve.”
Open the Books advocates for a total ban on earmarks, estimating that a previous ban saved about $140 billion over 10 years.
“It’s not that none of these projects should get funding, but they should be funded at the local level instead of in Congress where there’s so much partisan politics in play and not enough oversight,” Portnoy said.
Meredith Happy, Alsobrooks’ director of communications, said in an email that the senator “is proud of her federal funding recommendations that serve Marylanders across the state by expanding health care and education, supporting those with disabilities, and advancing our environmental goals, including protecting the Chesapeake Bay.”
Van Hollen told Spotlight in an emailed statement, “Nonprofits play a crucial role in our communities, growing opportunity and giving back to our residents all while, as their name implies, not taking a profit. That’s why they are frequently the recipients of grants from a range of government agencies led by the executive branch and also why Republicans in Senate leadership deemed them eligible for Congressionally Directed Spending.”
Van Hollen added, “Nonprofits across our state and our country have long-received bipartisan funding support, and our office will continue working to identify those that are good stewards of federal investment, make a positive impact in our communities, and have the support of state and local partners.”
Only a portion of the requested earmarks is likely to make it into Congress’ fiscal 2027 budget, which hasn’t passed yet. Last fiscal year, only around one-third of Alsobrooks’ and Van Hollen’s requests were passed, according to Open the Books’ research.
Have a news tip? Contact Brooke Conrad at bjconrad@sbgtv.com or 443-578-2126, or contact the Spotlight team at SpotlightOnMaryland@sbgtv.com or 410-467-4670. Spotlight on Maryland is a joint venture by The Baltimore Sun, FOX45 News and WJLA in Washington, D.C.
This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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