Wise Giving Wednesday: Minnesota Nonprofit to be Dissolved Over Governance Violations

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calendar icon May 28, 2025

A state investigation into a Minnesota charity shows how inadequate board oversight and conflicts of interest can expose charitable assets—and result in serious government action.

Settlement at a Glance: Give Hope to Close Its Doors

On May 23, 2025, Minnesota’s Attorney General announced a settlement, or Assurance of Discontinuance, with Minnesota nonprofit Give Hope and its founders, Brian and Sarah Ingram, owners of Hope Breakfast Bar restaurants. As a result, the charity will be dissolved within months. 

Violations of the Minnesota Nonprofit Act

Attorney General Keith Ellison alleged that Give Hope was involved in transactions that conflicted with businesses affiliated with the Ingrams, including the charity reimbursing their for-profit restaurants for food, grocery and toiletry items during the COVID-19 pandemic. The transactions failed to abide by Minnesota Nonprofit Act requirements.

Allegations of Improper Governance and Oversight

In addition to the allegations involving conflicts of interest, additional allegations by Attorney General Ellison indicated that Give Hope’s board of directors:

  • Met infrequently
  • Did not didn’t have a treasurer
  • Did not maintain financial records, policies and procedures
  • Did not follow legal requirements such as maintenance of tax-exempt status and registration with the Attorney General’s office
Attorney General Ellison stated his expectation that nonprofits follow the laws concerning transparency and governance for the protection of charitable assets and promotion of public trust. He also stated that, by falling short of these obligations, Give Hope left assets vulnerable and prevented public and regulatory transparency.

How BBB Charity Standards Address Governance & Conflicts of Interest

BBB Wise Giving Alliance has 20 Standards for Charity Accountability, which address many of the governance issues above. Our Accredited Charities meet all 20 Standards including BBB Charity Standard 1 which calls for the board of directors to provide adequate oversight over the operations and staff of the charity (including the appointment of a treasurer). In addition, BBB Charity Standard 5 addresses conflicts of interest and calls for no transactions in which any board or staff member have material conflicting interests with the charity resulting from any relationship or business affiliation.

Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

Finally, remember to let us know by going to give.org/charity-inquiry if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.