Naomi Campbell barred from being a charity trustee in U.K.

Naomi Campbell can serve, but can she give? Model barred from being charity trustee

Naomi Campbell in a sparkling, V-neck gown posing at the Cannes film festival

Sept. 27, 2024 Updated 2:25 PM PT

Naomi Campbell’s charity commitments have been put on hold, after a U.K. commission alleged funds to her Fashion for Relief weren’t all going to humanitarian aid.

The Charity Commission, which registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, found Campbell’s charity to be “poorly governed” with “inadequate financial management” after a three-year investigation into the organization’s financial activities. The commission said it found several incidents of alleged “misconduct and/or mismanagement” and barred Campbell from serving as a charity trustee in England and Wales for five years.

The veteran supermodel founded Fashion for Relief in 2005. The charity said it has since raised more than $15 million in funds to support people impacted by humanitarian crises, including Hurricane Katrina, the war in Syria and natural disasters in Haiti and Japan. However, the charity was removed from the register of charities and the commission said in a Thursday announcement that it recovered more than 344,000 pounds ($460,000 U.S.) “and protected a further $[131,130] of charitable funds,” some of which were donated to two other charities.

The investigation alleged that from April 2016 to July 2022, only 8.5% of Fashion for Relief’s total expenditure went to charitable grants. There was no evidence that trustees “had reviewed the charity’s operating model to ensure fundraising methods were in the charity’s best interest.”

“It also found some of the charity’s fundraising expenditure was not reasonable,” the commission added.

The investigation details various expenditures including those for Campbell’s luxurious hotel accommodations — including spa treatments, room service “and the purchase of cigarettes and hotel products” — during a charity event at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

“The Inquiry found that the trustees breached their legal duties ... in respect of these payments, which constitutes misconduct and/or mismanagement in the charity’s administration by the trustees,” the report said.

In a statement, Tim Hopkins, the commission’s deputy director for specialist investigations and standards, said “trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity’s best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities.”

He added: “Our inquiry has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so, which has resulted in our action to disqualify them.”

Campbell, one of three trustees barred because of the investigation, said her team will also take a closer look at the findings.

“I was not in control of my charity, I put the control in the hands of a legal employer. We are investigating to find out what and how,” the 54-year-old fashion icon told press after she received an honor from France’s Order of Arts and Letters. “Everything I do and every penny I’ve ever raised goes towards charities.”

Campbell said Friday in a statement to The Times that she had no hand in her charity’s day-to-day operations and “entrusted the legal and operational management to others.” She also denied allegations that Fashion for Relief footed the bill for personal expenses, clarifying the financial circumstances of her 2018 hotel stay.

“The hotel has confirmed that all charges were settled by my personal travel agent, who in turn verified that they were reimbursed directly by a third party unaffiliated with the foundation,” she said.

The model also doubled down on her intentions to dig deeper on the report, including requesting an appeal. “I remain dedicated to using my platform to uplift others through the creative arts,” she said. “This experience has only strengthened my resolve to continue making a positive impact in the world.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.