On May 6, 2023, the documents that the onePULSE Foundation gave to Orange County became public.
The onePULSE Foundation refused to give unedited bank statements, Board meeting minutes, and other documents requested by the County.
The County did not perform an audit. A forensic audit is necessary. Orange County also stated it does not have the authority to audit the onePULSE Foundation.
The onePULSE Foundation also lied in its own year-end report (below), claiming that the onePULSE Foundation failed because Barbara and Rosario Poma did not donate the nightclub property to their own nonprofit.
However, multiple news stations reported that the onePULSE Foundation claimed that they were still moving forward with a memorial at a different location AFTER they refused to donate.
You can see this in reporting from WESH News, which states:
In announcing the memorial's move, there is no talk of a purchase, but the onePULSE Foundation says it asked the Pomas and their business partner for the "full donation of the Pulse nightclub property and an agreement could not be reached." The foundation goes on to say it is "moving forward with plans for the National Pulse Memorial on a new site.”
The real reason for the nonprofit's failure is that the survivors and victims' families protested the onePULSE Foundation for years and donors stopped donating. This is why the nonprofit removed donors from their latest 990s. We called every donor and asked them to stop donating. One by one. We sent them letters as well.
The Public Records
Below are the documents released by Orange County as part of their review of the onePULSE Foundation's finances related to the Tourism Development Tax (TDT) grant. Notice how the onePULSE Foundation redacted every bit of their banking information that was not related to the TDT grant expenditures.