State office launches dashboard after finding lax oversight of nonprofit spending

A state office said Tuesday that it has launched an online dashboard after finding millions of taxpayer dollars were awarded to nonprofits with vague spending goals and weak oversight.

The review, the office said, found agencies awarding public money without clear plans for its use and failing to properly monitor how recipients spent it. The office cited examples that included midnight Lyft rides to bars and nightclub rental fees among expenditures paid with state funds.

The office said it could not determine from existing records how much taxpayer money has gone to nonprofits or which organizations received the funds. The review said state records did not provide a comprehensive list of awards and recipients.

To increase transparency, the office created a nonprofit spending dashboard that allows users to search awards by agency and by nonprofit, the office said. The tool is intended to give taxpayers clearer information on how public dollars are being spent.

The office said the dashboard is part of its effort to highlight gaps in oversight and make state spending more accessible to the public.

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