Prince George's County gets $7.6 million in council grants back as its auditor examines the council's grants office
A California fiscal sponsor returned the money on Oct. 22, County Executive Aisha Braveboy said. She has asked for an investigation of all funds directed through the County Council's Grants Office and expects about $5.2 million more.
Largo. Prince George's County, Maryland, received $7,635,000 back on Oct. 22 from the Edward Charles Foundation, a Beverly Hills, Calif., fiscal sponsor that held grants the County Council had directed to a local group, Community on the Frontline, County Executive Aisha Braveboy said in a statement that night. She has asked for an investigation of all funds directed through the council's Grants Office.
Ms. Braveboy said her office had found that the council directed about $12.8 million to the foundation in fiscal years 2024 through 2026, and that the returned sum is roughly 60 percent of it. The rest, she said, would come back once the accounts are reconciled, which she expected in the coming days.
“Every resident in Prince George's County is entitled to an accounting of all money spent by the Edward Charles Foundation.”
How the grants came under review
The county paid the foundation $925,000 in January and $7,635,000 in June for Community on the Frontline, which works under its fiscal sponsorship, WJLA reported. Fox 5 reported that the June payment came from the county's fiscal 2026 Project Charges Pilot Program and was meant for council District 7.
Council Members Jolene Ivey and Sydney Harrison called on Oct. 12 for an independent review, after reports that the group's founder, Janna Parker, is a close friend of Council Chair Krystal Oriadha. Ms. Oriadha has denied that the friendship influenced the award. On Oct. 13 she and Ms. Braveboy asked the foundation in a joint letter to return the June payment. "There has been no finding of wrongdoing by the County Council or Community on the Frontline," Ms. Oriadha said then. Community on the Frontline said on its website that it would publish a full accounting.
What changes for grantees
County officials said the returned money would go directly to local organizations with more oversight. Fox 5 reported that they plan a vetting and tracking process to award it to nonprofits serving District 7. Ms. Braveboy said she had instructed the council to reform how it vets and evaluates grants, and questioned the use of an out-of-state fiscal sponsor.
The county's Office of Audits and Investigations, led by acting Auditor Larry Whitehurst, has issued subpoenas asking county agencies and the council's grants office to preserve records, The Banner reported. Ms. Oriadha said the subpoena to the Office of Grants asked that documents be preserved and that no council employee was served. On Oct. 13 Ms. Braveboy asked the auditor to examine how the money was used, where county funds remain, what services were delivered and what fees the sponsor charged. No findings have been made public. The council was expected to appoint a new auditor, Marcel Emerson, on Oct. 26.
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