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Through these efforts, [it] is preserving the musical cultures of Louisiana.”, [* Note: Until recently, there was a link to this website, but it now appears to be inactive.]. To be clear right out of the gate, the ownership issue for a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization is entirely different than for a profit-making corporation. Our names are just on the note. By law nonprofit ownership is vested the community, which has granted it certain exemptions and entrusted it with scarce resources to serve a particular social need.”, Nonprofit boards may feel pulled in many directions or otherwise accountable to “multiple stakeholder groups who place competing demands on organizational operations,” but the bottom line is that “moral ownership must be fundamentally linked to the basic purpose for which the organization exists.”. The old adage – any publicity is good publicity – is sadly untrue much of the time. “It was really important to us to ensure that this club, the icon that is Tipitina’s, end up in the right hands. The venue, named for one of Longhair’s most enigmatic recordings “Tipitina,” has survived in an ever-changing musical climate despite changing ownership and briefly closing in 1984. Among the acts who’ve recorded live albums there besides Galactic: Phish, Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, the Blind Boys of Alabama and, in part, Wilco. In A Funky Bad Board Story at Tipitina’s Foundation, she makes this (ironically understated) observation: “Following a pattern perhaps most recently exemplified by examinations of the Trump Foundation, Tipitina’s Foundation is reported to lack appropriate boundaries between its charitable assets and Von Kurnatowski’s business interests.”, Tipitina’s Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2003 by Mr. and Mrs. NEW ORLEANS — The former owner of a historic New Orleans music club has died in an apparent Mississippi hunting accident. Tipitina’s Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization founded in 2003 by Mr. and Mrs. So who “owns” Tipitina’s Foundation? Galactic, who also owns the music venue, kicks off the inaugural season on Saturday, followed by Rebirth Brass Band on Aug. 22, Anders Osborne on Aug. 29, Tank and The Bangas on Sept. 5, Samantha Fish on Sept. 12 and the Radiators closing out the season on Sept. 19. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Are you an entrepreneur, nonprofit leader or philanthropist with questions?We have answers!Schedule a time to speak with us today. Discuss Widespread Panic and It's Official...Galactic now owns Tipitinas with other live music and jam band enthusiasts on Phantasy Tour We purchased the club in 1997 and have nurtured it ever since. © Copyright 2020 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Likewise, the organization disclosed on its 2016 Form 990 that it purchases “accounting, computing, and other services from businesses owned by the founder and president.”, It should be no surprise at all that, apparently, “Von Kurnatowski’s problems are by no means restricted to the foundation.” (If you think you’ve heard this tale before – you have.) The FBI has reportedly launched a probe into former Tipitina's owner Roland Von Kurnatowski over an alleged ponzi scheme with victims that include his own relatives, a … ... “If I screw up this guy’s introduction, you can fire me, 'cause he owns the place. The group’s next album, “Already Ready Already,” comes out Feb. 8, preceded by a New Year’s Eve show at, naturally, Tipitina’s. History Beginnings: 1996-2001. Superfly was founded in 1996 in New Orleans by Kerry Black, Rick Farman, Rich Goodstone and Jonathan Mayers. We’re confident that Galactic is the right fit — that they will cherish Tipitina’s and take it to the next level while protecting all that makes Tips such an authentic American cultural venue.”, ““We’re so incredibly honored to be part of the team tasked to be the current caretakers of such a historic venue,” said Galactic’s Ben Ellman. One of the city’s top musical exports, the band Galactic, has purchased Tipitina’s, New Orleans’ most revered “juke joint” for up-and-coming as well as big-name acts. The importance of respecting what Tips means for musicians and the city of New Orleans is not lost on us.”. This means that nonprofit boards are accountable to both a legal ownership and an ethical, or moral ownership. Written 15 years earlier, it “remains” so much “a classic” that the editors know it’s a good idea to keep posting it from time to time because too many nonprofit boards keep getting the answer wrong. Photo by Louisiana Travel via Flickr, used with permission under the Creative Commons. © Copyright 2020 For Purpose Law Group, LLP. In the business setting, a corporation is owned by the shareholders, and the board members owe exclusive duties to these owners. But “board members claim they have not seen them.” Doug Thornton, a leading New Orleans businessman who is reportedly a “Tipitina’s board member of ten years” says he’s “never seen any minutes” and has “never had any involvement with the board at any level. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. He is accused of defaulting on loans and is facing federal and state lawsuits related to an investment scheme.”, Von Kurnatowski reportedly “boasts” about the Foundation’s “transparency” – pointing to financial statements posted on the website. ““We received multiple attractive offers for Tipitina’s,” said Roland von Kurnatowski in a concurrent statement. The name was inspired by a well-known song, "Tipitina", by Professor Longhair who also performed there until his death in 1980. Local music enthusiasts opened the venue on January 14, 1977. I just agreed to serve…; to basically lend my name and that was it.”, Now, in a scenario we’ve all seen repeated too many times, he is “a bit worried” about it all: that his name was used to give the Foundation credibility, and that many actions were taken without “… proper notice, or without the advice of the members.”. Tipitinas celebrates Professor Longhair's 100th birthday on Wednesday, December 19, 2018. Black, Farman and Mayers attended Tulane University; Goodstone had gone to high school with Mayers in Nyack, New York. Galactic is one of the best liked fixtures of America’s “jam band” scene — even among listeners who hate jam bands, but cotton to an eclectic mixture of genres that incorporates funk, soul, jazz, rock and elements of hip-hop and world music.