The Captain Tom Foundation is being investigated for concerns about the management of the charity and the independence of the family of the late veteran.
The Charity Commission opened a case on the charity in March 2021, just a month after Sir Tom’s death, and began reviewing the organization’s set-up.
The guard dog has now opened an investigation after worrying about agreements between the charity and a company linked to Sir Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, and her husband Colin.
Concern was also raised about the decision-making of the patrons and how the charity was governed.
Sir Tom was pushed into the spotlight during the COVID pandemic after raising £ 38 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps in his garden before his 100th birthday at the height of the UK’s first blockade in April 2020.
The watchdog says the money raised for the NHS, which was donated to NHS Charities Together, is not part of the scope of his investigation.
The Captain Tom Foundation was registered in June 2020 after the war veteran’s fundraising efforts.
The publication of the foundation’s first annual accounts in March 2022 revealed that the charity incurred £ 240,000 costs and donated £ 160,000 to good causes.
But the commission said it was concerned that a “failure to consider intellectual property and trademark issues” when the charity was created gave a private company, called Club Nook Limited, the opportunity to mark variations of the name “Captain Tom” without objections from the charity.
This could have generated “significant profits” for the company, which is controlled by Ms. Ingram-Moore and Mr. Ingram-Moore, the commission added.
Launched on June 16, the investigation assesses whether the captains of the Captain Tom Foundation have been responsible for mismanagement or misconduct in the administration of the charity that has caused losses, have properly managed the conflicts of interest and have fulfilled their duties and responsibilities under the law of charity. .
Prior to the opening of the investigation, the committee liaised with the charity on a number of issues.
In March 2021, the charity applied for the regulator’s permission to hire Ms Ingram-Moore, a former employer, with a salary of £ 60,000 a year, for three days a week. The committee requested evidence of the benchmarking exercise conducted.
The charity provided the committee with this evidence and a revised proposal to appoint Ms Ingram-Moore on a £ 100,000 full-time salary.
Image: The charity applied for the regulator’s permission to hire Ms Ingram-Moore on a salary of £ 60,000 a year
Then, in July 2021, the regulator denied permission to hire Ms Ingram-Moore as executive director with a salary of £ 100,000, considering the proposed salary was not reasonable or justifiable.
The following month, the committee allowed the charity to nominate Ms. Ingram-Moore as interim executive director with a salary of £ 85,000 a year, with a three-month contract, for up to nine months, while the trustees carried out an open hiring process. .
Since then, the charity has hired a new executive director.
Helen Stephenson, executive director of the Charity Commission, said: “The late Captain Sir Tom Moore inspired the nation with his courage, tenacity and concern for others. It is vital that public confidence in charity is protected and that people continue to feel safe in support of good causes.
“We have not made any decision to open an investigation lightly, but in this case our concerns have increased. We consider it in the public interest to examine them through a formal investigation, which will allow us access to the full range. of powers of protection and enforcement. “
The commission had previously expressed concern about the payment of consulting fees to third parties, but later said it was “satisfied” that these specific payments were a reasonable reimbursement of expenses incurred by companies in training the third party. charity.
Image: Sir Captain Tom Moore died last year at the age of 100
He added that he is also satisfied that the payments are “properly identified and managed”.
Stephen Jones, chairman of the board of directors of the Captain Tom Foundation, said: “Of course, we will work closely with the commission in its research related to intellectual property management.
“I note that the trustees confirmed with the commission during the registration process that the ‘image and intellectual property rights of the name were within a private family trust’, and the commission was aware that this was always’ he had thought it was so.
“We are pleased that the Charity Commission reports today that it is‘ satisfied ’with the questions that had been raised about the foundation’s annual report released in February, and has concluded that the payments were reasonable and that conflicts of interest have been identified and managed. “
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1:01 Captain Tom’s daughter: “You’ll always be with me”
Jack Gilbert, who took over as CEO earlier this month, added: “My appointment marks the beginning of a major period of transformation for the Captain Tom Foundation.
“With a revitalized and more focused mission, in the coming months we will announce a series of charitable activities both locally and nationally that change the way we think, feel and act in the face of age and aging, combat edatism and build meaningful connections between communities and generations.
“Working with the board, I am using NCVO-supported Trusted Charities standards to ensure that in all aspects, including government and finance, the foundation conforms to best practices. These will be externally validated as part of the process. “.