EXCLUSIVE: Lady Gaga Paid Her Mom $200,000 To Run Their Non-Profit Born This Way Foundation, Tax Records Reveal
Lady Gaga paid her mother a massive $200,000 salary to help run the non-profit they founded together but they only spent a small amount on grants despite raising millions.
According to a 2019 tax filing obtained by RadarOnline.com, Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation paid the singer’s mom Cynthia Germanotta for her role as President/Director.
The highest-paid employee is Maya Enista Smith who is listed as the Executive Director of the foundation. She received a salary of $269.881. The non-profit said they pulled in $2,753,830 in contributions and grants for the year.
Another $719,608 is listed under “other revenue” along with other amounts for a grand total of $3,609,947 in revenue for the year.
However, Born This Way Foundation paid out $1,069,185 in “salaries, other compensation, employee benefits.” Despite the $1 million paid out in salaries, the organization listed paying out only $149,914 in “grants and similar amount paid.”
The total amount of revenue-less expenses is listed as $1,032,055. The accountant listed the non-profit of having $4,081,219 in assets with $228,198 in liabilities for a true value of $3,853,021.
Gaga is listed as a director of the non-profit but did not receive a salary. She worked an average of 3 hours per week on the foundation.
Their expenses included $150,000 on “website design” and $461,874 to create an app.
For 2019, the company spent $161,769 on travel, $50,000 on professional fundraising services, and $63,000 on office expenses.
Between 2015-2019, the Born This Way Foundation raised over $12 million from both public and private donors. The pop superstar launched the Born This Way Foundation in 2012. She co-founded the non-profit with her mom. The goal was to support the mental support of young people “and work with them to create a kinder and braver world.”
On their website, Born This Way Foundation (BTWF) says they help, “Through high impact programming, youth led conversations and strategic, cross-sectoral partnerships, we aim to make kindness cool, validate the emotions of young people, and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health.”