RAGEGIST

Lady Gaga's charity short on actual charity, tax records reveal

Lady Gaga attends the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Newly-released tax records have raised questions about the legitimacy of her charitable foundation. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

Lady Gaga's charitable foundation gave out millions in 2012 - to lawyers, accountants and publicity teams, tax records show.

The pop star's fledgling Born This Way Foundation spent $429,682 on outreach with its wildly popular "Born to Be Brave" 23-event US bus tour, but the effort dimmed in comparison to what Gaga's coterie of consultants pulled down, according to the charity's 2012 filing.
The non-profit - which took in a total $2.66 million in revenue - paid out a staggering $406,552 for legal fees, $300,000 for "strategic development" and $150,000 for "Philanthropic Consulting," the latest filings show.
Fees - of $348,000 for the bus production; $77,923 for travel; $62,836 for stage production; $60,000 for research; $58,678 for publicity; $50,000 for social media development; and $47,825 for meeting and event coordination - added to the hefty expenses.
Total expenses came to $1.85 million.

How much money from Lady Gaga’s charity is going to those who really need it? Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

In terms of do-gooding, the foundation - which boasts Gaga's mother, Cynthia Germanotta, as its unpaid president - claims it had nearly 19,288 young participants learning about civic engagement during last year's summer bus tour. It also claimed 24 kids participated in a youth advisory-board summit to help guide the charity's future programs.
Gaga's foundation paid out a single $5,000 grant last year, the paperwork shows.
The forms do not spell out the source of the charity's contributions and income, but Gaga announced in 2011 when she launched Born This Way that she would be funding the bulk of it.
The singer is known for her charity give-backs.
In 2012, she and fellow chart-topper Taylor Swift topped the list of DoSomething.org's "Top 20 Celebs Gone Good" list.
According to the list, Gaga launched the Born This Way fund with a personal $1.2 million donation and also gave another $1 million to victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Swift gave more than $4 million to charity, according to the group.
The Born This Way Foundation did not immediately return a request for comment