Concert's charitable efforts questioned

NEW YORK, May 4 (UPI) -- All the money raised at a 2006 charity concert in New York by the British pop star Sting did not find its way to designated charities, investigators say.

Agencies that monitor charitable groups said Sting's charity concert at Carnegie Hall was meant to raise money to save the world's rain forests, but less than half of the show's profits actually helped fund the cause, the New York Post reported Sunday.

An IRS tax filing showed the 2006 concert, which included performances by singers Lenny Kravitz and Sheryl Crow, pulled in a total of $2,156,989. But only $887,374 made it to the eight designated charities, the monitoring agencies say.

Wise Giving Alliance Director Bennett Weiner questioned why tax forms showed Sting's Rainforest Foundation had $10 million in assets in 2006 yet had limited charitable payouts.

"What are they doing with the money?" the Better Business Bureau official asked the Post. "They have more than five times what they would normally spend in a year in reserves."

Members of the charity and Sting offered no comment on the investigation.