The Brittany Murphy Foundation — founded by the star’s widower and grief-stricken mother — is refunding all donations made to the organization just days after the cancellation of a suspicious gala and a declaration from the IRS and California State officials that says the foundation is technically not a charity.
Over the weekend, the California Secretary of State’s office, the Attorney General’s office, and the IRS told TMZ.com that there are no records for The Brittany Murphy Foundation, despite a statue requiring any foundation soliciting money to disclose the fact that it is not registered as a nonprofit.
Hours after that announcement, the late actress’ mother Sharon and husband Simon Monjack posted a letter on The Brittany Murphy Foundation’s website stating that they would be refunding any donations given to their organization, which had promised to provide funding to youths interested in a future in the arts.
“We began the Brittany Murphy Foundation to honor Brittany’s wishes and to give her family, friends, and fans a way of keeping her legacy alive,” the letter read in part. “In an effort to get the foundation off the ground quickly, we established it as a private foundation with plans to apply for non-profit status down the road. However, after some thought, we have decided instead to wait until we have our non-profit status approved before proceeding to insure that we can truly honor Brittany’s charitable desires. Any donations made up until this point will be returned until we have all our paperwork solidified.”
Brittany passed away after a battle with pneumonia on Dec. 20. She was 32.