Madonna Dumps Kabbalah From Managing Her Charity, 'Raising Malawi'
April 10 2013, Published 6:35 a.m. ET
Madonna has informed the United States government that the charitable organization she runs has severed all its ties with the controversial religion she practices, Kabbalah.
The pop superstar, 54, filed a federal tax document outlining how Raising Malawi, the non-profit organization that supports impoverished children in the African nation, dumped its Kabballah backed board of directors.
EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENT: Raising Malawi Severs Ties With Kabbalah
Instead, the "Material Girl" has installed her longtime manager, Guy Oseary, as one of their replacements, RadarOnline.com has confirmed.
The Los Angeles-based Kabbalah Centre International, an organization devoted to Jewish mysticism, had previously managed Raising Malawi and was blamed for spending $3.8 million on a project that never came to fruition.
Kabbalah "ceased to be a supporting organization" for Raising Malawi on March 16, 2011, it's revealed.
"Raising Malawai, Inc (RMI) became a separate corporate entity from Kabballah Centre Intl, Inc (KCI) when it was incorporated in 2007, however, KCI still controlled RMI in that KCI had the authority to appoint and remove the board of directors of RMI," Madonna, the board chair, stated via an attorney in the government filing.
"On March 16, 2011, pursuant to a restructuring agreement with KCI, RMI amended its organizational documents to remove corporate control from KCI.
"RMI is now controlled by a self-perpetuating board of directors which is not affiliated with KCI."
One of those axed from the organization was the man who co-founded Raising Malawi with Madonna in 2006, Michael Berg, who is also a co-director of the Kabbalah Centre.
For the past 17 years, Madonna has been Kabbalah’s most high profile and dedicated follower, alongside Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.
Before the religious faith was dumped, Kabbalah transfered $1.9 million to the organization in grants and contributions it had collected on behalf of Raising Malawi, we can reveal.
"Raising Malawi used to be a supporting organization to the Kabbalah Centre," the charity's spokesperson, Sarah Ezzy, confirmed to RadarOnline.com.
"In early 2011, Raising Malawi split from the Kabbalah Centre and became an independent organization. The $1,907,300 reflected on the 990 (tax filing) reflects the monies/contributions that had been received by the Kabbalah Center on behalf of Raising Malawi.
"The Kabbalah Center transferred this money to Raising Malawi when it became an independent organization."
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Madonna faced the wrath of Malawi's President at the weekend, who accused the Queen of Pop of reneging on her promises to help her country.
And, according to the documents, President Joyce Banda may have had a valid point -- because things are not as financially lucrative as they used to be at Raising Malawi.
Contributions plummeted from almost $6 million to just under $2 million in 2011, the document reveals.
But the organization still did a lot of good with what it raised: In 2011, Madonna granted more than $1.1 million to various organizations in the southeast African country, with the biggest contributions -- $904,618 -- to "provide aid to impoverished orphans and vulnerable children."
A further $118,800 was "to provide pediatric surgical services for children in the region."
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Other donations were made to the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, and another project to provide postnatal and prenatal care.
Raising Malawi -- which states its aim is to "support community-based organizations that provide vulnerable children and caregivers with nutritious food, proper clothing, secure shelter, formal education, targeted medical care, emotional care and psychological support" -- now has $2 million in its tax free coffers.
