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Lady Gaga's mother has been forced to defend her and her daughter's Born This Way foundation after reports surfaced that the organisation only pays $5000 out of its $2.1 million assets to charity.
Earlier this week, Showbiz 411 reported the Born This Way foundation spends $300,000 on consulting, $50,000 each on social media and event coordination, $400,000 on legal services and more than $800,000 on unspecified goods. Meanwhile, a meagre $5000 was spent as "grants to organisations and individuals."
Now, in an impassioned piece written for the Huffington Post, Cynthia Germanotta has slammed the claims as "inaccurate", pointing out the Born This Way foundation - which aims to "foster a more accepting society, where differences are embraced and individuality is celebrated" - has never promoted itself as a charity, instead as a foundation that organises events and services to the youth they strive to "empower".
"There is quite a bit of inaccurate information out there right now that misinterprets the essential mission and critical work of a very special organization that was founded several years ago by Stefani Germanotta, whom you all know as Lady Gaga," wrote Cynthia Germanotta. "First and foremost, we are an organization that conducts our charitable activity directly, and we fund our own work. We are not a grant-maker that funds the work of other charities, and were never intended to be."
One of the most high-profile "services" the Born This Way foundation has set up is the BornBrave bus, a "travelling therapy centre" which followed Gaga on her 2013 Born This Way Ball. The bus, which held group or private chats about depression, mental health, bullying, school and friends, reportedly cost $348,000.
Germanotta also cited features on the Born This Way foundation's website, including The Bravest Map Ever (which links users to places that inspire and encourage braveness in their own community) as the kind of work which the foundation focuses on, and which they believe has a strong impact.
"Every dollar spent across these categories, including the legal fees towards the safe and effective implementation of each initiative, directly serves Born This Way Foundation's core mission of empowering youth," she added. "And we are having a profound impact in just a very short period of time.
