In Syndicated Story, ADRA Criticized for Executive Compensation
19 February 2025 |
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency—ADRA—was mentioned in a syndicated piece from the Washington Examiner, entitled, “First-class flights, seven-figure salaries: How NGO bosses are living good on the taxpayer dime.” Author Robert Schmad writes,
“A constellation of nonprofit organizations collectively receiving billions of dollars from government agencies such as U.S. Agency for International Development shower their executives with lucrative compensation, luxury travel, generous contracts for family members, and top-tier office spaces, a Washington Examiner review of public records found.”
ADRA is mentioned thrice in the article. In the second paragraph:
“The government has tasked prominent nongovernmental organizations such as ACDI/VOCA, Adventist Development and Relief Agency International, and the American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences with disbursing billions of dollars in taxpayer funds, primarily through foreign aid programs related to food security and public health.”
The author claims that “taxpayer-funded nonprofit organizations” such as “Adventist Development and Relief Agency International… provided their leadership with mid-to-high six-figure salaries while raking in federal funding.”
Schmad adds:
“On top of their generous salaries, Mercy Corps and Adventist Development and Relief Agency International paid for first-class travel for their high-level employees.”
The Washington Examiner is considered a conservative paper. The essay appears to be written in support of President Trump’s cuts to USAID. Schmad quotes Elon Musk as saying,
“There are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth while they are in that position, which is, you know what happened to USAID …. I think the reality is that they’re getting wealthy at the taxpayer expense.”
At the time of reporting, AT had been unable to get a comment from ADRA. ADRA has since clarified that claims of “mid-to-high six-figure salaries” and routine first-class travel for leadership are inaccurate. ADRA’s 2023 filings show the CEO’s total compensation at $180,148, including benefits, and its policy prohibits first-class travel, though airline upgrades may occur. We stand by our role in reporting on public discourse, but note ADRA’s position for accuracy.
