MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — A 53-year-old founder of a Milwaukee nonprofit is under fire for how she used COVID relief money, according to a report from Wisconsin Watch and Wisconsin Public Radio ( WPR).
The report from Wisconsin Watch and WPR states that Cynthia Brown – also known as CeCe – founded CRC Employment and Entrepreneurial Services Inc. in 2015 as a nonprofit organization to “address the socio-economic needs of communities and disenfranchised individuals through entrepreneurship and professional development,” according to the company’s website.
Brown’s nonprofit received $2.95 million from the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s (DOA) Diverse Business Assistance Grant, according to the report.
Brown, according to the report, said in her application that she planned to use the money to “fill the educational and technical assistance gap for 500 diverse businesses in the areas of administrative support, soft skills, networking and of financial literacy to newcomers.” business owners based in Wisconsin’s underserved communities.
Wisconsin Watch and WPR said in their report that Brown spent the entire first installment of the grant — $1 million — in just five months and failed to provide the state with adequate documentation of how she spent money.
Brown’s contract was suspended with the state. Some of the expenses that raised red flags with the state, according to the report, include a bowling party, food from DoorDash and cell phone bills.
Governor Tony Evers announced the Miscellaneous Business Relief Grant Program in October 2021. Between March 2020 and June 2022, the Evers administration received $5.7 billion through federal COVID relief programs.
In total, 38 organizations, including Brown’s, received these grants, the report said.
A DOA spokesperson told Wisconsin Watch and WPR Brown that the contract was the only one suspended and that all other grant recipients would be followed up by the end of the year.
