how much money is spent on D.A.R.E.?

 

[back to section six]

 

Most of the money spent on the DARE program is spent by localities to train and pay DARE officers, and to purchase workbooks, curriculum materials, and promotional items such as tee-shirts and pens. News reports have estimated that from $700 to $750 million are spent on DARE each year, based on Dennis Cauchon's (USA TODAY) interviews with DARE America director Glenn Levant.

But the IRS returns filed by DARE America in 1993 and 1994 showed estimates of only $200 to $230 million per year, most of it in volunteer time and effort rather than money. A mere $5.5 million was actually spent by DARE America itself in 1994, up from less than $1.1 million in 1992. Since there is no centralized accounting of all local DARE funds, there is really no way to know exactly what is spent on DARE nationwide. But we do know that it is still growing fast.

(Back to Section 6)

Who Gets the Money?

DARE America is the California nonprofit corporation which develops and licenses the Drug Abuse Resistance Education curricula. When local police departments and school districts decide to implement the DARE program, they must get the curriculum and workbooks from DARE America. But the tee-shirts, pens, lapel pins, gym bags, and other nonacademic DARE materials are not purchased from the nonprofit organization. They are sold instead by four licensed distributors nationwide. Each distributor pays royalties to DARE America, ranging from 5% on some items to 10% on others. Unlike DARE America, these licensed distributors are for-profit businesses.

Royalties were 71% of DARE America's income in 1992, or $1,020,995. Royalties for 1993 rose to $1,280,162, yet this was only 45% of DARE America income in that year. Royalties in 1994 were $1,802,516, or 42% of its income. These figures indicate that nonacademic DARE materials are at least a $10-20 million per year business in the United States (IRS 990 tax returns 1992-1994).

Beverly Hills, CA based Executive Director Glenn Levant, who is also the secretary (and a founding member) of the DARE Board, earned $150,000 in 1994, in addition to his reported $81,000 pension from the LAPD. But he did take a cut from his 1993 salary of $165,000 (IRS 990 filings as well as UPI wire BC Cycle, Aug. 20, '92; by JENNIFER ROWLAND, "Deputy chief to head worldwide DARE program" quoting Pensions Department spokeswoman Mary Washington).

Fellow founding board member Robert Buckingham, who is coincidentally an executive vice president of the licensed product distributor Jack Nadel, Inc., presumably makes an undisclosed salary from the profits of DARE paraphernalia as well (Corp. filings for Jack Nadel, Inc, corp's 527043 and 689195; Measured Marketing Services, Inc. Texas Tax #019526477930 and Utah #178868, and DARE America board list).

The former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chief of Congressional Affairs, William Alden, is now the one-man Washington Office of DARE America. He earned $80,000 for his services in 1994 (IRS 990 tax filings).

Washington Lobbyist Scott H. Green earned over $23,000 from October 1993 to 1994 for his services on behalf of DARE America before his former boss, Senator Biden (Congressional Lobbyist Filings for Scott H. Green, 15598003, 1993-94).

California Lobbyist Phillip H. Schott also came on board in 1995, for an amount of money not yet disclosed by DARE America (Lobbying magazine article available on Nexis, California Journal Weekly, February 13, 1995).

(Back to Section 6)

Who really pays for DARE?

The Federal Government (your taxes), school districts (your taxes), and police departments (your taxes) as well as donations from private sources (corporations taking tax breaks by contributing to a non-profit corporation).

The bulk of DARE America income now comes from private contributions from its board members and some large corporations, such as Kimberly-Clark paper products and Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. The full details of private contributions cannot be made public under the same IRS rules which require DARE's other financial aspects to be revealed, since private people have a right to donate anonymously. Most corporations cannot be considered legally to be private individuals. Michael Milken and Diane Disney Miller are probably two of several high profile donors, and are known to serve on the DARE America Board and with its sister organization, DARE California.

Local DARE programs are funded in part by Safe and Drug Free School Act money set aside by Congress for anti-drug education. A certain percentage of these funds used to be set aside for programs which used uniformed police officers in the classroom (DARE was once unique in that regard).

Other funds set up by Congress have since required that a certain percentage of money be spent on anti-violence programs. DARE America recently revised its curricula for the first time in eleven years, just in time to take advantage of the new funding source.

Powerful Friends and Influence in Washington

Senator Biden, former Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, worked with DARE America lobbyist Scott H. Green to include DARE in the 1994 crime Bill (phone call to Mt. Green). Green had previously served from 1985 to 1990 as a Judiciary Committee staffer under Biden (Congressional Staff Directory). There are some critics who wonder whether DARE can be considered to be lobbying with Federal money, but the question is a complicated one.

Many local programs use some federal funds to pay for their local efforts. These funds trickle down to DARE America through the royalties it charges its licensed product distributors, who are paid in turn by the local DARE programs.

Federal Funds are also spent on DARE directly through the regional training centers. But these centers are housed in State Police headquarters in several states, and the funds are not spent by DARE America, but by those police agencies. Most federal DARE money is probably spent in this manner. The amount of money spent on Scott Green's lobbying is far less then Washington DC DARE Spokesman William Alden's salary.

(Back to Section 6)

DARE Distributors

Treadway Graphics
1401 Cannon Circle
Faribault, Minn. 55021-3635
(507) 334-9557
(800) 658-7063
Jay Treadway is the owner

R & T Specialty, Inc
204 Morton
Peoria IL 61603-4025
(309) 674-9166
(800) 747-3273
Steve Hatfield estimated $500,000-600,000 1995 royalties and 10% rate since April '95 (had been 5% and10% depending on item)

Tee's Plus Screen Printing
115 Poheganut Dr.
Groton, CT 06340-3238
(203) 445-7355

DARE America Merchandise
(Trade name owned by Jack Nadel, Incorporated)
9950 Jefferson Blvd
Culver City CA 90232
(310) 815-2600
Robert W Buckingham, executive VP of Jack Nadel, Inc., is a founding member of the DARE board of directors, and still sat on the board in 1994.

Other Addresses

DARE America
P.O. Box 2090
Los Angeles, CA 90051-0090
phys 251 E 6th Street Rm 158 LA 90014
1 800-223-3273 (310) 215-0575

Back to Who gets the money?

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