logo logo
Donate
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Social Justice
    • Racial Justice
    • Climate Justice
    • Disability Justice
    • Economic Justice
    • Health Justice
    • Immigration
    • LGBTQ+
  • Civic News
  • Nonprofit Leadership
    • Board Governance
    • Equity-Centered Management
    • Finances
    • Fundraising
    • Human Resources
    • Organizational Culture
    • Philanthropy
    • Power Dynamics
    • Strategic Planning
    • Technology
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Leading Edge Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Webinars

Ousted Philadelphia Housing Chief’s Nonprofit Unraveling Amid Scrutiny

Rick Cohen
December 17, 2010

December 13, 2010; Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | Not long before the executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Carl Greene, was canned for “failing to report a series of sexual-harassment claims against him”, he set up a nonprofit called the Pennsylvania Association of Public Service Agencies (PAPSA), recruited a few state-related agencies to join, and added in some funds from PHA accounts. A HUD forensic audit of Greene’s former agency has suggested that the PHA money in PAPSA might not have been legit. For now Greene isn’t talking, and the other members of PAPSA are running for the hills—and calling for PAPSA’s dissolution.

PAPSA has the ostensible if vague mission, according to a PHA spokesperson, “to improve the efficiency of all its members by sharing best practices and certain resources, such as public information, financial management, human resources, and strategic planning.” PAPSA has the feel of a nonprofit created as a soft landing for a public agency executive who knew he was going to get sacked.

Greene had recruited as PAPSA officers the chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority (which paid PAPSA $90,000 in “dues”), the chairman of the School Reform Commission, and the board chairman of Temple University. The DRPA, SRC, and Temple PAPSA board members all happen to be high-priced Philadelphia lawyers who had done six- and seven-figures worth of business with Greene at the PHA. Was their joining Greene’s new organization a way of saying thank you for the past business?

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Part of a “wide-ranging criminal probe of PHA, including two other PHA-related nonprofits created by Greene,” the HUD audit questioned the legality of the PHA’s $50,000 membership fee and an additional $29,000 in federal funds spent by the agency for PAPSA’s legal start-up work. As word of Greene’s alleged sexual harassment problems at the PHA leaked out, the PAPSA’s agency members grew very uncomfortable, some not delivering their budgeted dues payments (such as $35,000 from the SRC) and others asking for their money back (for example, $25,000 from Philadelphia Parking Authority). The Philadelphia Inquirer headline suggests that PAPSA was unraveling, but the nonprofit organization seems to have been threadbare from the beginning.

The story raises obvious questions: Didn’t anyone on the PHA’s board ever do any due diligence over the connection, if any, of PAPSA to the PHA’s public housing mission?  How could top white shoe Philadelphia lawyers with combined decades of legal work for public agencies turn a blind eye to their apparent conflicts of interest in signing on with Greene’s dubious nonprofit venture? Although state-related agencies in Pennsylvania seem to operate with little regulatory oversight, wasn’t there anyone at the Pennsylvania AG’s office or the Pennsylvania Department of State prepared to use the sniff test about Greene’s pre- and post-PHA nonprofit organizing activities? It sounds like everyone was committed to a “see no evil, hear no evil” strategy while being aware that there was a great possibility of doing evil.—Rick Cohen

About the author
Rick Cohen

Rick joined NPQ in 2006, after almost eight years as the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Before that he played various roles as a community worker and advisor to others doing community work. He also worked in government. Cohen pursued investigative and analytical articles, advocated for increased philanthropic giving and access for disenfranchised constituencies, and promoted increased philanthropic and nonprofit accountability.

More about: Nonprofit News

Our Voices Are Our Power.

Journalism, nonprofits, and multiracial democracy are under attack. At NPQ, we fight back by sharing stories and essential insights from nonprofit leaders and workers—and we pay every contributor.

Can you help us protect nonprofit voices?

Your support keeps truth alive when it matters most.
Every single dollar makes a difference.

Donate now
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

You might also like
How to Transform Strategic Planning for Social Justice
Nick Takamine
As Immigration Enforcement Ramps Up, Elected Leaders Face Increased Threats
Rebekah Barber
My Street Vendor Is Missing: The Impact of ICE Raids in Los Angeles
Rudy Espinoza
Why Guardianship Reform Is a Civil Rights Imperative
James A. Lomastro
Advocates Seek to Protect Children with Disabilities from Federal Cuts
María Constanza Costa
Big Tech Comes to Tucker County, West Virginia
Laura Harbert Allen

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
June 26th, 2:00 pm ET

From Performance Management to Mutual Commitment

Fostering a Culture of Joyful Accountability

Register
Group Created with Sketch.
July 24th, 2:00 pm ET

Organizing in Divided Times

The Relational Infrastructure We Need to Protect Democracy

Register

    
You might also like
Conservatives Attack Nonprofits on Capitol Hill
Isaiah Thompson
Glass-paneled exterior of the Microsoft building.
Microsoft Axes Free 365 Software for Nonprofits
Isaiah Thompson
US Capitol Building
Tax Provision Would Give Trump Administration Unilateral...
Rebekah Barber and Isaiah Thompson

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Donate
  • Editorial Policy
  • Funders
  • Submissions

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.