Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archewell charity incurred unprecedented expenses in 2024, while contributions and grants plummeted, new figures show – as it has been confirmed three members of staff have been let go.
It can be revealed that the Archewell Foundation – yesterday rebranded as Archewell Philanthropies – recorded total expenses of $5.1 million, while taking in donations of $2.1 million.
It gave out grants in the year of just $1.25 million.
The expenses, which are up 54 per cent from $3.3 million the previous year, may relate to the couple’s quasi royal tours of Nigeria and Colombia in this year.
The figures for the expenses, revenues and grants of the Archewell Foundation can be found on the 990 form which was made public on Friday, after the announcement of its new title.
The annual informational return is filed by most tax-exempt organizations, charitable trusts, and political organizations with the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
It shows that revenue to the Archewell Foundation from contributions and grants plummeted in 2024. It stands at $2.1 million, down from $5.3 million the previous year. Salaries are listed at $913,000.
‘Other expenses’ are recorded at $2.9 million. The previous year they stood at $1 million.
Total expenses are recorded at $5.1 million, having previously stood at $3.3 million. In the box revenue less expenses a MINUS figure of $2.5 million is recorded.
The previous year this was a positive $2.4 million. The charity still has net assets of $8.2 million, the previous year these stood at $10.7 million.
The form does not disclose the names of donors to the charity, but does itemise the grants which it has made over 2024, including $50,000 to refurbish basketball courts in Nigeria.
Meanwhile it can be revealed that three members of staff at the Archewell Foundation are being let go as it ‘restructures’ under a new name.
The three staff were told of their fate a little over a week ago. They include Kristen Slevin, the director of programs and operations. The 990 form says she was on a salary of $146,000.
The Sussexes office denied repeatedly all of last week that there were any changes in their staffing, although the team were told that they were being let go ‘because the charity was closing.’
Last night a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess said: ‘Currently, the same full team remain in place.
‘This move does mean that some staff redundancies are inevitable, particularly with junior admin roles.
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‘We will not be discussing these personnel details further, other than to say that we are honoured to have worked with incredibly talented and caring people who dedicate themselves to helping others.’
The remaining staff include Harry’s long time advisor and friend James Holt and charity pro Shauna Nep, who also works with Justin Bieber’s make-up businesswoman wife Hailey and with music mogul Scooter Braun.
Meghan and Prince Harry are directors of the charity, but do not take a salary. The form suggests that they put in an average of one hour a week’s work for it.
Founded in 2020, and named in part after their son Archie, the Archewell Foundation is the hub of the couple’s philanthropic focus.
When it was founded the couple said that its name was derived from ‘arche’, an ancient Greek word meaning ‘source of action’, and ‘well’, symbolising ‘a plentiful source or supply, a place we go to dig deep’.
The change of name to Archewell Philanthropies accompanies a change of operating model. It will now be a ‘fiscal sponsor’ processing donations.
The change is said to have been made to ‘streamline’ the organisation’s administrative structure and provide ‘greater flexibility’ to expand their global philanthropic work. They will now focus more on impact than operations, said a source.
The couple said Archewell Philanthropies would continue to be fully charitable, tax-deductible and IRS-compliant while focusing on the same causes of mental health, responsible technology and community wellbeing.
The announcement came as the Duke and Duchess released a Christmas picture of them embracing their two children. The message said: ‘Happy holidays! From our family to yours.’
They also published their Christmas card featuring a photograph of the pair holding hands on the ski slopes in Vancouver at the winter Invictus Games.
Their 2023 tax return revealed that Archewell gave a total of £1,026,240 to charitable causes, and received £4,183,892 in grants – largely from one, major cash injection of £3,947,148, understood to have come from Fidelity Charitable, a US-based fund that also donated £789,415 the previous year.
The remaining income came from five individuals, none of whom were named in the filing.
The charity website declares: ‘Archewell is a non-profit organization created by Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Our mission is simple: show up, do good.
‘We believe that philanthropy is not a handout; it’s a hand held. At The Archewell Foundation, we roll up our sleeves and do just that.
‘We consciously partner with key organizations and leaders to identify immediate needs, build meaningful initiatives, and drive long-term change. We are committed to uncovering and resolving the root causes of issues, prioritizing lasting solutions over temporary fixes.
‘Our work is underpinned by the core belief that mental health and our collective wellbeing are paramount.
‘We prioritize solutions that consider families, youth, race and gender, and strive to find the joy and hope we all share for the future.’.
The charity most recently released a fiery statement about ‘online harms’ and social media in the wake of the decision in Australia to ban under-16s from accessing social media.
Last month, there was a visit to a session run by Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles to ‘prepare and package meals for community members experiencing food insecurity.’
There was some embarrassment when it launched and it emerged that a cat sanctuary in Port Talbot and a boy in a tent raised more for charity in 2020 than Harry and Meghan’s global foundation, which initially declared income of less that $50,000.
Under the legal terms of Archewell’s incorporation it must be transparent and focus ‘on directing funds to existing charities and projects instead of starting its own’.
Meanwhile it was revealed on Friday that Meghan and Harry have auctioned access to themselves to as a way of raising money.
The organisation CharityBuzz sold tickets to attend a gala dinner honouring the Sussexes in New York on Mental Health Day.
A source at the Archewell Foundation confirmed: ‘We have partnered with numerous fundraising partners over the years and CharityBuzz has been one of them.’
CharityBuzz has raised $650 million for charity since opening 20 years ago and has run for-charity events with George Clooney, Beyonce and Sir Paul McCartney.
