Thursday, December 12, 2024

Exclusive: amFAR Celebrity AIDS Charity $11 Million in the Red from 2014 Fundraising Events

Share

The Cannes amFAR event is getting a lot of press– for its celebrities like Katy Perry (who performed and may have been paid) and Orlando Bloom, for Leonardo DiCaprio flying on private planes to accept an environmental award, for a socialite planting an unwanted kiss on Uma Thurman.

The event takes place at one of the most expensive resorts in the world– The Hotel duCap in Antibes. The amFAR staff swans around Cannes for two weeks in chauffeur driven cars. The events consultant lunches at the duCap like it’s his second home. The buffet costs around $100.

So what happens to all the money? According to amFAR’s federal tax filing for 2014, they lost over $11 million on their fundraising events. A big chunk of it was lost on the Cannes gala. They paid the duCap $1.3 million in rental fees. Another $1.2 million went to entertainment. Over $3.7 million was shelled out all together. There must a better use for that money– like money for AIDS drugs.

Plus, don’t forget there’s millions in staff salaries. CEO Kevin Frost gets over $550,000 just for starters.

Amfar 2014-133163817-0b89a553-9.pdf_-_2016-05-21_09.30.48

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

Read more

In Other News