On September 17, 2026, King County’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) sent GEM a letter with its final conclusion on the costs the King County Auditor’s Office flagged in June 2025. The County found that the costs were substantiated, and it considers the matter closed. Below is a message from our Executive Director, Dr. Kendrick Glover, followed by a summary of the letter and the full letter itself.
A Message from Dr. Glover
For those of you who are aware, and for those who may not know, GEM’s name has been mentioned in reports associated with the audit and review conducted by King County over the past year or so.
Let me be clear: audits, oversight, transparency, and checks and balances are necessary parts of the work we do. Nonprofits should be accountable for how public and private resources are used, and organizations should be willing to answer difficult questions when they arise.
But there is another side of accountability that we must talk about: the consequences that come when allegations or claims are reported in a way that is inaccurate, incomplete, or not substantiated.
When GEM’s name was connected to reports containing inflated numbers and references to misappropriated funds, the impact went far beyond an organization or its leadership. Those statements contributed to distrust among potential funders and partners, created barriers to opportunities, and threatened our ability to sustain existing programs and develop new ones.
And while that has undoubtedly had a negative impact on GEM, this really isn’t about GEM.
The bigger question is: What happens to the communities we serve?
What happens to the young people who depend on our programs?
What happens to the youth who need a trusted adult in their corner while life continues to throw punches at them?
What happens to the young person who needs someone to listen, provide guidance, challenge their thinking, and be a voice of reason before they make a decision that could alter the course of their future?
Those are the questions that keep me focused.
Because when allegations—whether intentional or unintentional—damage the credibility of community organizations, it isn’t only the organization that suffers. The relationships between nonprofits, funders, partners, and the communities they serve suffer too.
And once doubt is placed in the public arena, the damage can be difficult to reverse.
The accusation is often louder than the apology.
That is why this conversation matters.
We should absolutely demand accountability. We should demand transparency. We should demand responsible stewardship of resources.
But we should also demand accuracy, fairness, due process, and responsibility when claims are made about organizations that are doing work in our communities.
Because when a community-based organization loses funding, partnerships, or opportunities because of claims that are later determined to be unsupported or inaccurate, the consequences don’t stop at the organization’s doors.
They reach the young people.
They reach the families.
They reach the communities.
And ultimately, we have to ask:
Who continues to lose?
In our case, it could be the youth and families who rely on GEM to stand in the gap.
Because if organizations like GEM disappear, who will be there to stand in the gap?
We can have accountability and fairness.
We can have oversight and accuracy.
We can ask hard questions without destroying the very community infrastructure that exists to help answer them.
GEM will continue to stand for our young people, our families, and the communities we serve.
Because this work has never just been about an organization.
It has always been about the people.
In Community,
Dr. Kendrick Glover
Executive Director, Glover EmpowerMentoring (GEM)
What the King County Letter Concludes
This letter is significant because it provides a written conclusion regarding the costs previously identified by the King County Auditor’s Office in June 2025.
The letter states that the King County Auditor’s Office identified items in June 2025 for further investigation. Following that review:
- SafeFutures and Yohannes Bookkeeping: DCHS received bank statements and/or written confirmation from those subcontractors that substantiated the questioned costs.
- Remaining questioned costs: DCHS sampled bank statements and reviewed the rental agreement, insurance policy, and cost allocation plan against the general ledger.
- Rent and insurance allocation: DCHS determined that although the cost allocation was “imperfect,” it was reasonable.
- Final disposition: DCHS states, “DCHS now considers this item closed.”
Why this matters
Based solely on this document, the final investigation does not say that the SafeFutures or Yohannes Bookkeeping costs were fraudulent, improper, or unsupported after the additional documentation was provided. Rather, it says the additional bank statements and/or written confirmations substantiated the costs.
Likewise, the letter does acknowledge an issue with the rent and insurance allocation but expressly characterizes those allocations as reasonable despite being imperfect.
Most importantly, the County’s letter says the matter is closed.
Read the Full Letter
Download the King County DCHS letter dated September 17, 2026 (PDF)
Questions about this update? Contact us.
