Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation is deemed DELINQUENT
- Harry and Meghan launched their charitable Archewell Foundation in 2020
- Records show it was declared delinquent in January for not filing its annual registration renewal fee reports or renewal fee since February 2023
- The foundation is now prohibited from soliciting or disbursing charitable funds
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation has been listed as delinquent by California‘s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers for failing to submit required annual fiscal records, DailyMail.com can reveal.
According to records seen by DailyMail.com the charitable foundation which was launched by the couple with much fanfare in 2020 was declared delinquent in January for not filing its annual registration renewal fee reports or renewal fee since February 2023.
The foundation received a delinquency notice and warning of assessment penalties and late fees along with the threat of a suspension or revocation of its registered status from California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta earlier this month.
The news casts into doubt an announcement made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex just last week when, on their tour of Nigeria, they announced the expansion of a partnership between The GEANCO Foundation in Abuja and the Archewell Foundation.
Harry and Meghan launched their charitable Archewell Foundation in 2020, which has now been declared delinquent
Records show the foundation was declared delinquent in January for not filing its annual registration renewal fee reports or renewal fee since February 2023
But, according to the delinquency notice sent to Archewell and dated May 3, ‘An organization that is listed as delinquent is not in good standing and is prohibited from engaging in conduct for which registration is required, including soliciting or disbursing charitable funds.’
The couple launched the charity four years ago, naming it in honor of their son Archie
The warning continues, ‘The organization may also be subject to penalties and its registration may be suspended or revoked by the Registry.’
Neither the Archewell Foundation nor the Sussex’s personal representative immediately responded to DailyMail.com’s requests for comment.
According to CharityWatch tax filings disclosed by Archewell in December 2023 revealed that the non-profit had suffered an $11million decline in donations in 2022 compared to the previous year.
The records showed that the charity received just over $2million in charitable donations in 2022 compared to $13million in 2021.
And while in 2021 Archewell had reported a revenue of more than $9million, the December 2023 filings showed that by 2022 it had recorded a loss of more than $674,000 due to costs of $2.67 million.
That same month it emerged that Archewell’s Executive Director, the Sussex’s UK PR chief James Holt, earned a salary of $277,405 including a $20,000 bonus in 2022. That represents a 280% increase from his salary of less than $60,000 in 2021, the organization’s first year of operation.
Holt’s 2021 salary did not reflect a full 12 months of work because he joined in the middle of the year, it is understood.
When the couple launched their charity four years ago, naming it in honor of their son Archie, now 5, Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, stated that its ‘core purpose’ was ‘quite simply, to do good.’
Their mission statement reads, ‘We meet the moment by showing up, taking action, and using our unparalleled spotlight to uplift and unite communities, both local and global, online and offline.’
They claimed that their ‘three main pillars of focus’ are ‘to build a better world online, to restore trust in information, and above all, to uplift communities.’
But according to CharityWatch, founded as the American Institute of Philanthropy in 1992 and the only independent charity watchdog in the United States, Archewell has ‘inadequate governance and transparency.’
In 2021 the charity had reported a revenue of more than $9million, but a December 2023 filings showed that by 2022 it was in the red by more than $674,000
Harry and Meghan’s foundation is is now prohibited from soliciting or disbursing charitable funds
The watchdog notes that though the charity reports a total of five ‘Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees and Highest Compensated Employees,’ it reports only two board members, ‘Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex and ‘Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex.’
The organization states, ‘This is not in keeping with widely accepted best practices in the United States for nonprofit boards of directors, which generally advise a minimum board size of five to seven members.’
And while charities operating in California are only required to have one board member the IRS ‘very strongly encourages at least three directors on their boards.’
They state, ‘Small boards run the risk of not representing a sufficiently broad public interest and of lacking the required skills and other resources required to effectively govern the organization.’
CharityWatch requested Archewell’s most recent IRS Form 990 and audited financial statements in January but that request has gone unanswered leaving the watchdog unable to rate it.
