BALTIMORE — A taxpayer-funded Baltimore City program bankrolled a non-profit tied to a troubled consulting firm.
The Bamboo Project received a $150,000 grant in 2022 through the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund (BCYF), which is fully funded by Baltimore City but operates as an outside non-profit. BCYF was established through a 2016 charter amendment passed by Baltimore City voters. The non-profit structure of BCYF has led to a lack of transparency on how taxpayer dollars are spent, as previously reported by Spotlight on Maryland.
The Bamboo Project is tied to Terra Loft Consulting, according to the two groups’ shared website. Terra Loft Consulting touts that it focuses on helping develop small businesses. The consulting firm’s description of the Bamboo Project on its website does not provide specifics on what services the non-profit provides and how it differentiates from the for-profit consulting operations.
“Often times our clients have everything they need to succeed, they just require the resources and support to make a strategic jump,” the Bamboo Project description reads on the joint website. “We have worked on this project for several months and the end result was truly spectacular. By ensuring consistent and transparent communication, our client was able to progress by leaps and bounds.”
Terra Loft Consulting is not in good standing with the state of Maryland due to its failure to file mandatory annual reports for 2023 and 2024, according to state records. The company’s listed phone number is not in operation. Spotlight on Maryland did not receive responses to inquiries sent to the listed email.
The Bamboo Project was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in June 2020 — less than three weeks after Terra Loft Consulting was formed as a for-profit LLC, state records revealed. Both groups were launched by Terence Dickson. The Bamboo Project is in good standing with the state.
The Bamboo Project does not have to file standard non-profit forms because it has less than $50,000 in gross assets as of 2021, according to IRS records.
Non-profits are required by federal law to disclose tax records upon request. The Bamboo Project, which lists the same contact information as Terra Loft Consulting, did not respond to requests by Spotlight on Maryland to provide these records in cooperation with federal law.
The joint website for Terra Loft Consulting and the Bamboo Project links to Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn accounts associated with the groups. The X account is inactive. The Facebook account last posted in March. The Instagram account last posted in December 2023. Dickson’s LinkedIn lists himself as the Chief Executive Officer of Terra Loft Consulting since 1999. Maryland records reveal the company was not founded until 2020.
Dickson runs four groups: Terra Loft Consulting, the Bamboo Project, the Roots Store and Terra Cafe. All four groups share the same address, according to state crecords.
Terra Cafe is a Charles Village neighborhood restaurant. Its website is separate from Terra Loft Consulting and the Bamboo Project. However, Dickson uses the Terra Loft Consulting Facebook and Instagram page to promote the restaurant.
Terra Cafe lists the Terra Loft Consulting email on its website but has a different listed phone number. Nobody responded to Spotlight on Maryland‘s comment requests via either method of communication.
Maryland business records reveal Terra Cafe is not in good standing with the state, as it faced a penalty for delinquent taxes in 2015.
Dickson opened the Roots Store in June 2022 and officially registered the company in September 2021, according to state records. The group does not appear to have a website, but its Instagram page was active between April and June 2022, just months before the announcement of the BCYF grant to the Bamboo Project.
Maryland business records show the Roots Store is not in good standing with the state, as it did not provide an annual report for 2023 or 2024.
Scott Hodge, a senior policy advisor at the Tax Foundation, said the connected structure of the Bamboo Project and Dickson’s for-profit companies should have concerned BCYF before it awarded the non-profit a $150,000 grant.
“The relationship between these entities seems inappropriate at best and suspicious at worst,” Hodge told Spotlight on Maryland. “For-profit firms and non-profit organizations should not have relationships out of concern for improper mixing of finances and conflicts of interest. And certainly, non-profits should not be engaged in any business-like activities.”
The “Terra Consulting Terence Dickson – CEO” YouTube page mentions the Bamboo Project in a video from September 2022 — one month after BCYF announced the non-profit won a 2022 grant of $150,000. The video reveals a slideshow presentation without narration that focuses on growth solutions for small businesses. It appears to explain how Dickson coordinates his four entities.
The presentation states that the Roots Store and Terra Cafe partner on a remote work hub for small businesses. Terra Loft Consulting and the Bamboo Project partner on “technical Assistance and services” for small businesses, which includes a “subscription Based Membership for social entrepreneurs and social impact.”
The Bamboo Project is defined in another slide as the “perfect solution for socially driven small and micro business owners.”
“Services provided by our 501c3 organization can vary from assistance in the areas of marketing, business scalability & sustainability, finance and strategic planning, and property ownership,” the slide continues.
Dickson has not posted a video on his YouTube page since September 2023.
Employees of the BCYF dined at Terra Cafe with Dickson in June 2023, according to an Instagram post from BCYF President Alysia Lee.
“The @bcyfund team had lunch with grantee, The Bamboo Project founder Chef T at @terracafebmore. Best team ever!!! #bcyfinthecity #baltimore #philanthropy,” she posted.
Joe Bishop-Henchman is the executive vice president of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation and an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute. He said it appears the BCYF did not prepare proper measures to ensure its grant awardees complied with nonprofit laws. The structure of the Bamboo Project, he said, is “very unusual.”
“For a lot of grant organizations, they will only give to 501(c)(3) organizations or organizations with a fiscal sponsorship precisely to avoid the problem of somebody who says, ‘Oh, I have an idea for a group, and I will do the paperwork later, but give me the money and I’ll start providing you my consultancy or services.’ It’s a lot of ‘trust me on it.’ And that’s not how nonprofit law works. You have to do everything the right way,” he told Spotlight on Maryland.
A previous investigation by Spotlight on Maryland found several transparency gaps in the finances of BCYF. The investigation revealed most grant awardees did not list government grants on their tax forms and others utilized secretive fiscal sponsorships. A handful of the awardees do not appear to be recognized as nonprofits by the IRS.
This story is part of an ongoing investigation into taxpayer money going to non-profits and how that money is spent. Got a story tip or comment? Reach Patrick Hauf on X or via email at pjhauf@sbgtv.com.
