{{Short description|American non-profit organization}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}} {{Infobox organization | name = Planet Aid, Inc. | image = File:Planet Aid Collection Box Dexter Michigan.JPG | image_size = | image_alt = Planet Aid collection box in Dexter, Michigan | caption = Planet Aid collection box in Dexter, Michigan | logo = Planet Aid logo.png | logo_size = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | predecessor = | merged_into = | successor = | formation = {{start date and age|1997|10}} | founder = | founding_location = Holliston, Massachusetts | extinction = <!-- use {{end date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | merger = | type = 501(c)(3) NGO | tax_id = 04-3348171 | registration_id = <!-- for non-profit org --> | status = | purpose = | headquarters = Elkridge, Maryland | location = | coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LON|display=inline, title}} --> | region_served = {{plainlist| * Northern New England * Southern New England * Upstate New York * New Jersey/New York * Allentown, Pennsylvania * Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area * North Carolina * Cleveland, Ohio * Columbus, Ohio * Detroit, Michigan * Kansas City, Missouri }} | services = | products = | methods = | fields = | membership = | num_members_year = | language = | owner = <!-- or | owners = --> | secretary_general = | leader_title = Chief Executive and Co-founder | leader_name = Ester Neltrup | leader_title2 = Board Chair and Co-founder | leader_name2 = Mikael Norling | leader_title3 = | leader_name3 = | leader_title4 = | leader_name4 = | board_of_directors = | key_people = | main_organ = | parent_organization = | subsidiaries = | secessions = | affiliations = {{plainlist| *Humana People to People<ref name=HPP /> *Global Campaign for Education<ref name=gce>{{cite web|url=http://www.campaignforeducationusa.org/coalition-members|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722145417/http://www.campaignforeducationusa.org/coalition-members|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 22, 2013|title=Global Campaign For Education United States Chapter|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref> *InterAction<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.interaction.org/member/planet-aid|title=Planet Aid|website=Interaction|access-date=May 18, 2018}}</ref> *Project Green Schools<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://projectgreenschools.org/2017/03/24/learn-more-about-planet-aid/|title=Learn More About Planet Aid|website=Project Green Schools|access-date=May 18, 2018}}</ref> }} | budget = | budget_year = | revenue = | revenue_year = | disbursements = | expenses = | expenses_year = | endowment = | num_staff = | num_staff_year = | num_volunteers = | num_volunteers_year = | slogan = | website = {{URL|planetaid.org}} | remarks = | former_name = | footnotes = }}
'''Planet Aid''' is a non-profit organization headquartered in Elkridge, Maryland. Its primary activity is the collection of clothing and other household items for resale and recycling. Founded in 1997 in Massachusetts,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zOI-il9VAu0C&dq=%22Planet+Aid%22&pg=PA4|title=Planet Aid expands into Pittsburgh for clothing recycling|date=February 2008|work=American Recyler|access-date=January 27, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8582733.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128132703/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8582733.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 28, 2018|title=Ending Poverty is Ultimate Goal of Used Clothing Store|last=Wildman|first=David|date=March 19, 2000|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=January 27, 2018}}</ref> the organization has expanded down the East Coast of the United States and operates in 23 states,<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/catonsville/ph-ca-planet-aid-thrift-store-0224-20160222-story.html|title=Catonsville's Planet Aid thrift store off to good start in first 5 months|last=Pacella|first=Rachael|date=February 24, 2016|work=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=April 19, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> where it collects items through donation bins placed on sidewalks, parking lots, and other public areas.
Some of the proceeds, along with U.S. government grants, are used for charitable aid in Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and other African nations.
The American Institute of Philanthropy's CharityWatch has given the organization an "F" rating, disputing Planet Aid's assessment of its charitable spending.{{r|Weiss|Hoyer|Eng|Knezevich}} Investigations by media and government agencies have also found discrepancies in the stated amount of Planet Aid's charitable expenses, as well as alleged links between Planet Aid and the controversial Danish organization Tvind, whose leader, Mogens Amdi Petersen, is wanted on charges of fraud and tax evasion.<ref name="nbcwashington">{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Behind-the-Bins-Former-Planet-Aid-Employees-Describe-Cult-like-Experience-380725641.html|title=Behind the Bins: Former Planet Aid Employees Describe 'Cult-like' Experience|last1=Thompson|first1=Tisha|last2=Yarborough|first2=Rick|date=May 24, 2016|work=NBC4 Washington|access-date=May 25, 2016|last3=Smith|first3=Matt|last4=Walters|first4=Amy|last5=Jones|first5=Steve|last6=Piper|first6=Jeff}}</ref><ref name="Christensen">{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-planetaid-bins-20150814-story.html|title=Good intention or public nuisance? Cities brace for a resurgence of clothing donation bins|last=Christensen|first=Kim|date=August 13, 2015|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=September 20, 2015|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> Planet Aid has denied these allegations.<ref name="response">{{Cite web|url=http://media.nbcwashington.com/documents/PlanetAidResponseToTisha.pdf|title=Planet Aid Letter to NBC Washington|last=Neltrup|first=Ester|date=May 25, 2016|website=NBC Washington|access-date=May 27, 2016}}</ref> Planet Aid is a member of the international charity group Humana People to People, an offshoot of Tvind.
== History == Planet Aid is part of an international charitable organization called Humana People to People, founded in Denmark in 1977. Humana began as a door-to-door clothing collection drive aimed at helping people living under the rule of apartheid in South Africa. Planet Aid first began operating in the United States in 1997 by opening a collection center in Lawrence, Massachusetts.<ref name=":0" /> The organization later moved to Lowell, Massachusetts in May 1998, and also opened retail locations in Malden, Waltham, and Somerville.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/20010527/life/305279958|title=American Red Cross clothing: Where do they go?|last=Nicodemus|first=Aaron|date=2001-05-27|work=The Standard-Times|access-date=January 30, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
In 2000, Planet Aid's operations spread to the Washington metropolitan area by placing its yellow bins in several cities in the area.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fredericknewspost.com/archives/planet-aid-boxes-offer-chance-to-help-others/article_5b19cd07-732a-5770-ac08-b9813f6bef81.html|title=Planet Aid boxes offer chance to help others|last=Wilson|first=Ike|date=2006-03-08|work=The Frederick News-Post|access-date=January 30, 2018|language=en}}</ref> By 2002, Planet Aid operated in about seven states in the US, reaching as far south as Winston-Salem, North Carolina.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Filled to the Brim|last=Deaver|first=Danielle|date=2002-06-26|work=Winston Salem-Journal}}</ref> By 2004, the organization began expanding into the mid-west by establishing operations in Pittsburg, Kansas.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/01/06/Planet-Aid-to-distribute-warm-clothes-to-needy/stories/201401060061|title=Planet Aid to distribute warm clothes to Pittsburgh-area needy|last=Riely|first=Kaitlynn|date=January 5, 2014|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=April 19, 2018|language=en}}</ref> As of 2007, the organization operated in a total of 19 states which included several cities in Upstate New York.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/137222343/|title=Planet Aid's yellow boxes raising red flags|last=Liu|first=Lara Becker|date=September 20, 2007|work=Democrat and Chronicle|access-date=January 27, 2018|pages=1A, 9A}}</ref> Several of the communities into which the organization had expanded and news reports on the charity's expansion became critical of the nonprofit's finances.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mpnnow.com/x126634567|title=Yellow collection boxes spark questions|last=Quinlan|first=Linda|date=2007-08-09|work=Daily Messenger|access-date=January 31, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
The organization has been impacted by local ordinances that impose restrictions on the placement of collection bins. Some municipalities have proposed outright bans on all donation bins, which have sometimes impacted Planet Aid. In 2014, Planet Aid filed a lawsuit against Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, one of a number of cities that had passed a local ordinance banning charity collection boxes over concerns about litter and vandalism.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140427/NEWS/304279950/nonprofit-planet-aid-sues-ypsilanti-twp-over-zoning-ordinance-that|title=Nonprofit Planet Aid Sues Ypsilanti TWP over zoning ordinance|last=Welch|first=Sherry|date=April 27, 2014|work=Crains Detroit}}</ref> In April 2015, a federal appeals court upheld an earlier federal court ruling that Planet Aid's collections bins constitute a protected form of free speech and struck down a local zoning restriction in St. Johns, Michigan that had outlawed all such collection boxes, as a violation of the First Amendment protections.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2015/04/06/court-rules-st-johns-charity-bins-case/25373475/|title=Court: St. Johns can't enforce ban on charity bins|last=Associated Press|date=April 6, 2015|work=Lansing State Journal|access-date=June 19, 2018|language=en}}</ref> Since winning its federal ruling, Planet Aid has sued several other cities with similar ordinances, and used the decision to induce local leaders to craft regulations that allow placement of such boxes.<ref name="Christensen" /> Planet Aid's CEO Ester Neltrup told the ''Los Angeles Times'' that Planet Aid supports some regulation on clothing recycling, but opposes bans on donation boxes.<ref name="Christensen" />
On October 1, 2015, Planet Aid opened its first thrift store in Baltimore as part of a pilot project. The store employed 30 people and offered "tens of thousands of new items every week," in addition to serving as a donation center, according to ''The Baltimore Sun''. Proceeds from purchases in the store go towards Planet Aid's sustainable development projects.<ref name="Baltimore">{{Cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/consuming-interests-blog/bal-consuming-planet-aid-makes-baltimore-site-of-its-first-retail-store-20150929-story.html|title=Planet Aid makes Baltimore site of its first retail store|last=Mirabella|first=Lorraine|date=September 29, 2015|work=Baltimore Sun|access-date=October 5, 2015}}</ref>
== Operations ==
Planet Aid, Inc. collects used clothing through a wide network of donation bins placed on public and private property, donation centers, and curbside pickups.<ref name="WGA">{{cite web |title=Planet Aid |url=http://give.org/charity-reviews/national/relief-and-development/planet-aid-in-milford-ma-3769 |website=give.org |publisher=BBB Wise Giving Alliance |access-date=6 January 2020}}</ref> The group has collaborated with local businesses and other organizations to place bins on their property, with an aim to make donations more convenient and thus increase recycling rates.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sidique|first1=Shaufique F.|last2=Lupi|first2=Frank|last3=Joshi|first3=Satish V.|date=January 2010|title=The effects of behavior and attitudes on drop-off recycling activities|journal=Resources, Conservation and Recycling|volume=54|issue=3|pages=163–170|doi=10.1016/j.resconrec.2009.07.012|s2cid=16023051 |issn=0921-3449|url=http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/7757/1/The%20effects%20of%20behavior%20and%20attitudes%20on%20drop.pdf}}</ref> The group states that recycling used clothing and shoes contributes to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dirt-mag.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20141104/DEBATABLE/141109983/0/FRONTPAGE/Should-I-put-my-old-clothes-in-those-bins?|title=Should I put my old clothes in those bins?|last=Whitehead|first=Shannon|date=November 4, 2014|work=dirt Magazine|access-date=February 21, 2018|language=en}}</ref> and helps in reducing the amount of waste that municipalities must haul from residences.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.iberianet.com/opinion/columnists/drop-off-recycling-might-be-way-to-save-tax-dollars/article_19ad06fc-0c35-11e4-8f38-001a4bcf887a.html|title=Drop-off recycling might be way to save tax dollars|last=Chapman|first=Will|date=July 15, 2014|work=The Daily Iberian|access-date=February 21, 2018|language=en}}</ref> It was estimated as of 2008 that the organization collects and resells over 70 million pounds of clothing per year.<ref name=":1" /> As of February 2016, the organization has collection bins in 23 states in the United States.<ref name=":3" />
Charities like Planet Aid that collect used clothing sell them both domestically and on the international market.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/fashion/2012/06/the_salvation_army_and_goodwill_inside_the_places_your_clothes_go_when_you_donate_them_.html|title=The Afterlife of Cheap Clothes|last=Cline|first=Elizabeth L.|date=June 18, 2012|work=Slate|access-date=February 21, 2018|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339}}</ref> According to Planet Aid, the proceeds from resold donated clothes and recycled textiles are used to fund international development projects via organizations in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.{{r|WGA}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8311|title=Planet Aid - Charity Navigator Rating|website=Charity Navigator|access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref> However, the program does on occasion donate bedding and winter clothing from its collections to local US resident in needs.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20091115/NEWS/911150475|title=Rags to Riches|last=Thompson|first=Elaine|date=November 15, 2009|work=Telegram & Gazette|access-date=April 19, 2018|language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2015}}, 94% of its grant funding is directed to programs operated as part of the Humana People to People (HPP) Federation.{{r|WGA}}
In November 2015, the US State Department sponsored an educational visit of Planet Aid's Elkridge, Maryland headquarters for a delegation of Russian recycling experts to learn how Planet Aid sorts and handles 100 million pounds of donated textiles every year and how they can develop similar practices and infrastructure in that country.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.waste360.com/business/russian-pros-are-learning-us-waste-recycling-techniques|title=Russian Pros are Learning from U.S. Waste & Recycling Techniques|last=Kadleck|first=Chrissy|date=November 25, 2015|work=Waste360|access-date=February 21, 2018}}</ref>
=== Africa === Planet Aid participates in a number of programs in Africa. Planet Aid has been operating as a charity in partnership with Development Aid from People to People in Malawi (DAPP Malawi) since 1995.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://mwnation.com/180342-2/|title=Operations of Development Aid for People to People...|last=Matonga|first=Golden|date=April 3, 2016|work=The Nation (Malawi)|access-date=April 26, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2001, Planet Aid partnered with Johnson & Johnson in aiding the fight against the spread of AIDS in Southern Africa.<ref name=":1" />{{Explain|date=April 2018}} In 2004, the organization was given a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish the Food for Progress in Mozambique. In 2012, they collaborated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the Farmers Club project, which provides school meals and teacher training in Mozambique and Malawi.<ref name="ricker">{{cite news|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2013/08/26/news/penobscot/planet-aid-clothing-collection-boxes-expanding-into-bangor-area-despite-links-to-european-cult/|title=Controversial collection boxes expanding into Bangor area|last=Ricker|first=Nok-Noi|date=August 26, 2013|work=Bangor Daily News|access-date=March 21, 2016|publisher=Bangor Publishing Co.}}</ref> These programs are run through DAPP Malawi and Ajuda de Desenvolvimento de Povo para Povo (ADPP),<ref name="DAPP">{{cite web|url=http://www.planetaid.org/countries/malawi|title=Malawi - Planet Aid, Inc.|website=Planet Aid|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref><ref name="ADPP">{{cite web|url=http://www.planetaid.org/countries/mozambique|title=Mozambique - Planet Aid, Inc.|website=Planet Aid|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref> who, along with Planet Aid, are members of the Humana People to People Federation.<ref name=DAPPHPP>{{cite web|url=http://www.dapp-malawi.org/who-we-are|title=Who We Are|work=dapp-malawi.org|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref><ref name=ADPPHPP>{{cite web|url=http://www.adpp-mozambique.org/who-we-are/federation-hpp|title=Federation HPP|work=adpp-mozambique.org|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref>
The DAPP In-Service Teacher Training Program in Malawi, supported by Planet Aid, was awarded the UNESCO-Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.publicnow.com/view/2A7FB60DEA59D13338800E4C6597C422848ADA00?2016-03-03-15:00:55+00:00-xxx6381|title=Teaching programmes in Cambodia, Malaysia and Malawi to receive UNESCO-Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize (Press release)|date=March 3, 2016|publisher=UNESCO|via=Public|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412001033/http://www.publicnow.com/view/2A7FB60DEA59D13338800E4C6597C422848ADA00?2016-03-03-15:00:55+00:00-xxx6381|archive-date=April 12, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=March 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.times.mw/dapp-named-in-wicked-scheme/|title=Dapp named in 'wicked' scheme|last=Mpaka|first=Charles|date=May 14, 2016|website=The Daily Times (Malawi)|language=en-US|access-date=May 5, 2018}}</ref>
Planet Aid has also collaborated with the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health program, run by the American Soybean Association, to provide nutrition education in Mozambique.<ref name=ricker />
The U.S. Agency for International Development has also awarded Planet Aid {{convert|93.8|metric ton}} of prepackaged food in 2011 and {{convert|112.6|metric ton}} in 2012 for distribution in Zimbabwe.<ref name="ricker" />
== Charity accountability == CharityWatch disputes Planet Aid's accounting of costs associated with collecting and processing donated clothing,{{r|Debunked}} giving them an "F" rating.<ref name="Weiss">{{Cite news |last=Weiss |first=Gary |title=Spotting Nonprofit Accounting Tricks |date=June 18, 2016 |work=Barron's |url=https://www.barrons.com/articles/spotting-nonprofit-accounting-tricks-1466222360 |access-date=April 24, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Hoyer">{{cite news |last1=Hoyer |first1=Meghan |last2=O'Donnell |first2=Jayne |date=December 30, 2012 |title=Clothing bin donations don't always reach needy |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2012/12/30/clothes-donations-for-profit/1782543/ |access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Eng">{{cite news |last=Eng |first=Monica |date=May 5, 2011 |title=Clothing operations linked to controversial Danish group continue to thrive |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/05/14/clothing-operations-linked-to-controversial-danish-group-continue-to-thrive/ |access-date=April 19, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Knezevich">{{cite news |last=Knezevich |first=Alison |date=December 5, 2017 |title=Planet Aid sues Baltimore County over collection bin ordinance |work=The Baltimore Sun |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-planet-aid-lawsuit-20171204-story.html |access-date=April 20, 2018}}</ref> Planet Aid earned $33 million from selling used clothes in 2018. Accordingly, CharityWatch says the costs of collecting used clothes are fundraising expenses, rather than charitable program expenses as claimed by Planet Aid; hence Planet Aid spent only 25% of its budget on charitable programs in 2018, rather than the claimed 85%.<ref name="Debunked">{{cite web |url=https://www.charitywatch.org/charity-donating-articles/planet-aid39s-recycling-program-debunked |title=Planet Aid's "Recycling" Program, Debunked! |date= |publisher=CharityWatch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403230012/https://www.charitywatch.org/charity-donating-articles/planet-aid39s-recycling-program-debunked |archive-date=April 3, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Planet Aid's federal tax filing from 2011 shows 28% of its budget being used for international aid programs, with the remainder mostly being spent on collecting and processing used clothes.{{r|Hoyer}}
The BBB Wise Giving Alliance (WGA) lists Planet Aid as an accredited charity,{{r |Christensen}} stating that {{as of |2020 |January |lc=yes}} Planet Aid fulfills its 20 standards for charity accountability.{{r|WGA}} Charity Navigator gave the organization a three out of four star rating with a total score of 81.62 percent in 2019.<ref name="CN">{{Cite web |url=http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8311 |title=Charity Navigator - Rating for Planet Aid |publisher=Charity Navigator |access-date=30 January 2020}}</ref>{{Third-party inline|date=April 2021}}
== Alleged Teachers Group connections ==
Media and government investigations have linked Planet Aid, through its board members and financial dealings, to a controversial organization from Denmark called the Teachers Group or Tvind, led by international fugitive Mogens Amdi Petersen.<ref name=nbcwashington/><ref name="Christensen"/><ref name="Smith 2011">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfweekly.com/2011-06-08/news/mogens-andi-peterson-campus-california-donated-clothes-cult-matt-smith|title=Your Rags to Their Riches: Donated Clothes May Fund International Fugitive|last=Smith|first=Matt|date=June 8, 2011|work=San Francisco Weekly|access-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Koh">{{cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article79779252.html|title=Your clothing donations to this group might be contributing to a fugitive's scam|last1=Koh|first=Elizabeth|date=May 25, 2016|work=Miami Herald|access-date=May 17, 2018}}</ref> Tvind has been characterized by former members as a secular/political cult,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/405443140.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+7%2C+2002&author=Stockman%2C+Farah&pub=Boston+Globe&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=PLANET+AID%27S+CHARITY+WORK+DRAWS+WORLDWIDE+SCRUTINY|title=Planet Aid's charity work draws worldwide scrutiny|last=Stockman|first=Farah|date=Apr 7, 2002|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=July 6, 2012}}</ref> and Tvind leaders have been prosecuted in Denmark for financial crimes, with two convictions in trials in 2006 and 2009, respectively.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://jyllands-posten.dk/uknews/ECE4090578/Humanitarian-fraudster-convicted/|title=Humanitarian fraudster convicted|date=January 20, 2009|work=Jyllands-Posten|access-date=November 8, 2011|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/feb/03/cover-mysterious-danish-exotic-compound-baja/|title=Mysterious Danish Group Builds Exotic Compound on Baja Coast|last=Waterman|first=Michael|date=February 3, 2010|work=San Diego Reader|access-date=May 5, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
Planet Aid has denied any such links,<ref name="ricker"/> although they are a member of the Humana People to People Federation,<ref name="HPP">{{cite web|url=http://www.planetaid.org/about/humana-people-to-people|title=Humana People to People|website=Planet Aid|access-date=March 21, 2016}}</ref> an offshoot of Tvind,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://cphpost.dk/news14/international-news14/cult-school-leader-sentenced-to-prison.html|title='Cult school' leader sentenced to prison|date=August 30, 2013|work=Copenhagen Post|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref> and several leaders of Planet Aid had been identified as having ties to Tvind and Petersen. Planet Aid co-founder and board chair Mikael Norling is a Tvind official, and he was present at the preliminary hearings for the Danish Tvind trials in September 2002.<ref name=dr>{{cite news |url=http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/oekonomichef-tager-skylden-tvind-stifter|title=Økonomichef tager skylden for Tvind-stifter|language=da|trans-title=Finance manager takes the blame for Tvind founder|date=15 September 2002 |work=DR.dk|publisher=Danish Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=March 22, 2016|quote=As early as two hours before Sunday's preliminary hearing of Tvind leader Mogens Amdi Petersen, some of the press were already gathered outside the court in Ringkøbing, where the hearing was to start at 12. Half an hour before the hearing, about 30 people were standing outside waiting to be let in. Among them were three others who were also charged in the Tvind case. These were Mikael Norling, Bodil Ross Sørensen, and Ruth Sejerøe-Olsen.}}</ref><ref name=ing>{{cite news|url=http://ing.dk/artikel/dtu-lektor-trukket-ind-i-tvind-retssag-43917|title=DTU-lektor trukket ind i Tvind retssag|language=da|trans-title=DTU lecturer drawn into the Tvind lawsuit|date=27 May 2002|first=Søren|last=Ravnsborg|work=Ingeniøren|publisher=Danish Society of Engineers|access-date=March 28, 2016|quote=Therefore Mikael Norling, a member of the Teachers Group at Tvind and the leader of Tvind's American activities, addressed Arne Wangel.}}</ref><ref name=b>{{cite news|url=http://www.b.dk/danmark/dom-oeger-presset-paa-tvind|title=Dom øger presset på Tvind|language=da|trans-title=Court increases pressure on Tvind|date=26 February 2003|author=Michael Bjerre og Christian Jensen|work=Berlingske|publisher=Berlingske Media|access-date=March 28, 2016|quote=The trial's importance to the Tvind empire was underscored by the fact that one of Tvind's top officials, the president of all US activities, Mikael Norling, attended the court proceedings in September.}}</ref> Planet Aid CEO Ester Neltrup was the Executive Director for the Tvind-run Institute for International Cooperation and Development,<ref name="Eng & Jackson">{{cite web |last1=Eng |first1=Monica |last2=Jackson |first2=David |title=Humanitarian work turns into servitude |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/02/13/humanitarian-work-turns-into-servitude/ |website=Chicago Tribune |publisher=Tribune Digital |date=13 February 2004}}</ref> and has stated that she and others on Planet Aid's board of directors were Teachers Group members.<ref name=stockman>{{cite news|title=Charges Prompt AG Review of Charity Denmark Calls Group a 'Front' |work=Boston Globe |date=17 September 2002 |first=Farah |last=Stockman |page=B.3 |edition=3rd |quote=Ester Neltrup, a general manager at Planet Aid, said she and Planet Aid's board of directors are members of the Teachers Group, but said the charges in Denmark against eight Teachers Group leaders have nothing to do with the used-clothing charity. ... Yet three of Planet Aid's five board members, including Neltrup, submitted affidavits in support of Pedersen during his extradition proceedings, attesting to the fact that they had "knowingly, intentionally, and voluntarily entered into an eleven-year obligation to donate money directly" from their salaries to the fund that Pedersen is accused of mismanaging. About 140 Teachers Group members submitted similar affidavits from all over the world.|id={{ProQuest|405477919}} }}</ref> Marie Lichtenberg, the director of international partnerships at Humana People to People and Planet Aid, was identified by Danish law enforcement as a manager of Tvind's global financial operations.<ref name="Smith Walters Ngwira" /> Josefin Jonsson, a founding director of Planet Aid, was also a founding director of IFAS, a foundation identified by Danish prosecutors as a front organization used by Petersen for embezzlement and tax fraud.<ref name="Smith & Walters 2016">{{cite web |author1=Smith, Matt |author2=Walters, Amy |date=May 23, 2016 |title=Planet Aid's ubiquitous clothing donation boxes aren't so charitable |work=Reveal |location=Emeryville, Calif. |publisher=Center for Investigative Reporting |url=https://www.revealnews.org/article/planet-aids-ubiquitous-clothing-donation-boxes-arent-so-charitable/}}</ref>
In March 2016, an investigation co-produced by The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) and the Public Radio Exchange reported that, according to interviews with "several (unnamed) insiders" of Planet Aid and associated Humana People to People member organizations, including "at least a dozen people inside" DAPP Malawi, "50% to 70% of the US government grant money was being siphoned away" to Tvind.<ref name="Alleged">{{cite news |title=Alleged cult leader plays shell game with US foreign aid |url=https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/alleged-cult-leader-plays-shell-game-with-us-foreign-aid/ |access-date=March 22, 2016 |work=Reveal |publisher=Center for Investigative Reporting |location=Emeryville, Calif. |date=March 19, 2016}}</ref>
The USDA issued a statement saying that "none of their formal compliance reviews, their ad hoc reviews, their site evaluations, or their audits of the Planet Aid projects have yielded any significant findings or concerns",<ref name="Alleged"/> although documents obtained by the CIR stated that a USDA program analyst who had visited the project in Malawi was concerned that the use of funds was ineffective and lacked transparency.<ref name="Smith & Walters 2017">{{cite news |url=https://www.revealnews.org/article/usda-said-it-didnt-know-charity-had-problems-documents-show-otherwise/ |title=USDA said it didn't know charity had problems. Documents show otherwise |last1=Smith |first1=Matt |last2=Walters |first2=Amy |date=January 31, 2017 |work=Reveal|access-date=December 15, 2017|publisher=Center for Investigative Reporting |location=Emeryville, Calif.}}</ref>
A follow-up report by CIR cited a 2001 report by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation that identified Planet Aid, Humana People to People, and DAPP as part of a network of organizations that diverted charitable funds for personal use by Teachers Group members.<ref name="Smith Walters Ngwira">{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Matt |last2=Walters |first2=Amy |last3=Ngwira |first3=Kandani |title=US taxpayers are financing alleged cult through African aid charities |url=https://www.revealnews.org/article/us-taxpayers-are-financing-alleged-cult-through-african-aid-charities/ |access-date=August 15, 2016 |work=Reveal |publisher=Center for Investigative Reporting |location=Emeryville, Calif. |date=May 23, 2016}}</ref> In response, the United Nations Children's Fund halted funding to these organizations.<ref name="Smith & Walters Aug 2016">{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Matt |last2=Walters |first2=Amy |title=UNICEF cuts off funding to nonprofit linked to alleged cult |url=https://www.revealnews.org/article/unicef-cuts-off-funding-to-nonprofit-linked-to-alleged-cult/ |work=Reveal |publisher=Center for Investigative Reporting |location=Emeryville, Calif. |access-date=August 15, 2016 |date=August 1, 2015}}</ref> An August 2016 report by the British Broadcasting Corporation, in partnership with the Center for Investigative Reporting, led the United Kingdom Department for International Development to suspend payments as well.<ref name="bbcmagazine">{{cite news |last1=Meisel|first1=Anna|last2=Cox|first2=Simon|title=Teachers Group: The cult-like group linked to a charity that gets UK aid |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36940384|access-date=August 15, 2016|date=August 2, 2016|work=BBC News Magazine|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref><ref name="bbcnews">{{cite news|title=UK to stop funding Malawian charity amid 'cult' links|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36953455|access-date=August 15, 2016|work=BBC News|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|date=August 2, 2016}}</ref>{{r|Smith & Walters 2017}}
===Center for Investigative Reporting lawsuit=== In 2017 Planet Aid sued The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) for libel, alleging a conspiracy to interfere with Planet Aid's business over CIR's reporting on Planet Aid's business practices and relations with Tvind.<ref name="Charity Under Scrutiny">{{Cite news |title=Charity Under Scrutiny Fires Back at Reporters |date=August 29, 2016 |work=www.corthousenews.com |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/charity-under-scrutiny-fires-back-at-reporters/ |access-date=November 29, 2017}}</ref>{{r|Smith & Walters 2017}} CIR compared the case to ''Bollea v. Gawker'', saying it was an attempt by deep pocketed individuals to use the courts to silence a media outlet.<ref name="Scharfenberg & Thompson">{{cite web |last1=Scharfenberg |first1=Christa |last2=Thompson |first2=Matt |date=November 5, 2019 |title=Reveal has been fighting a lawsuit for three years. Now we're speaking up about it |url=https://www.revealnews.org/press/reveal-has-been-fighting-a-lawsuit-for-three-years-now-were-speaking-up-about-it/ |work=Reveal |publisher=Center for Investigative Reporting |location=Emeryville, Calif. |access-date=12 January 2020}}</ref>
In March 2021, the case was dismissed with prejudice.<ref name="Scharfenberg & Baranetsky">{{cite web |last1=Scharfenberg |first1=Christa |last2=Baranetsky |first2=D. Victoria |date=March 29, 2021 |title=Federal judge dismisses Planet Aid's lawsuit against Reveal |url=https://revealnews.org/press/federal-judge-dismisses-planet-aids-lawsuit-against-reveal/ |work=Reveal |publisher=Center for Investigative Reporting |location=Emeryville, Calif. |access-date=2 April 2021}}</ref> The court ruled that although Reveal's publications had included 46 false allegations regarding Planet Aid and other plaintiffs, who were able to provide evidence that all funds were accounted for and used for intended projects, the plaintiffs were public figures and therefore subject to a higher standard for libel. "In sum, as to the allegedly defamatory statements for which plaintiffs have sufficiently shown falsity, plaintiffs have failed to show defendants made those statements with actual malice, and, consequently, their defamation claim is subject to dismissal."<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Planet Aid, Inc., et al. v. Reveal, Center for Investigative Reporting, et al. |opinion=17-cv-03695-MMC |court=N.D. Cal. |volume=309 |date=2021 |url=https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/california/candce/3:2017cv03695/313622/309/0.pdf}}</ref>
==See also== * Other clothes collection organizations alleged to be controlled by Tvind/The Teachers Group: ** Gaia Movement USA ** USAgain
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://www.planetaid.org/}}
Category:501(c)(3) organizations Category:1997 establishments in Massachusetts Category:Non-profit organizations based in Maryland Category:Charities based in Maryland Category:Organizations established in 1997 Category:Tvind