Organization’s Charitable Organization Financial Report Eight Months Overdue

Aiken Chronicles News Release
July 13, 2023

The South Carolina Secretary of State’s office issued a Notice of Violation to the Aiken Corporation on June 29, 2023. 

The violation cites the Aiken Corporation for failure to submit a Fiscal Year 2021-2022 990 Finanical Report in compliance with the South Carolina Solicitation of Charitable Donations Act. 

The financial report was due in mid December of 2022 when the Aiken Corporation’s charitable organization’s registration temporarily expired. The organization was granted an extension for its 990 Financial Report to May 15, 2023, by the Secretary’s office, 

The Aiken Corporation is officially a charitable 501(c)(3) organization whose primary donor is the City of Aiken. The organization was created by the City in 1995 and serves at the pleasure of Aiken City Council and can be dissolved by Council at any time. 

(Update: September 25, 2023. The Aiken Corporation’s financial statement for July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 is now on file at the SC Secretary of State’s Office website:

Form 990, Pages 1-10 for the reporting period July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
Form 990, Pages 11-20 for the reporting period July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
Form 990, Schedules B and M for the reporting period July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. )

The Notice of Violation has been closed and no fines were issued.)

_____________________

Aiken Chronicles past coverage of The Aiken Corporation: 

Aiken Corporation Registration Expired. January 28, 2023.  The Registration was renewed two days after publication of this article. The Financial Report issue persisted. The story Includes a transcript of Aiken City Councilman Ed Woltz announcing the Savannah River National Laboratory Project. 

_______

The Agenda Setting Aiken Corporation April 7, 2023, A story pertaining to the behind the scenes decision making at the City of Aiken’s most influential “charitable organization.” 

_______

Who Bought This Property. May 5, 2023 reports on the overlap between the City of Aiken and Aiken Corporation resulting in the City forgiving a $256,000 loan in return for Aiken Corporation’s purchase of $40,000 property. 

_______

Three Missing Pages. May 13, 2023. Details how a three page subcontract was missing from Aiken City Council’s information packet when it approved the $250,000 no-bid contract with Aiken Corporation on March 13, 2023. 

The contract named the organization as the Developer of the proposed downtown Aiken Savannah River National Laboratory’s (SRNL) “Workforce Development” office complex. The contract in turn funds the architectural firm of McMillan Pazden and Smith as an Aiken Corporation subcontractor. 

The Footnote section includes:

• Details on the Aiken Corporation’s 99-year “Ground Lease” arrangement with the — City of Aiken for the “Amentum Building” on SW Newberry Street; 
• A timeline of the SRNL project since November 2022. 

_______

What is the Status of the Savannah River National Lab Building Downtown. A first-hand account of the Aiken Corporation’s May 10, 2023 Executive Committee meeting. The story includes a full transcipt of the meeting, which was dominated by a discussion on the SRNL project. It might be the first full transcript of a portion of an Aiken Corporation meeting.