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| Ken Neighbors, Chair, FAMU Foundation |
The FAMU Board of Trustees’ Direct Support Organization Committee refused to approve the FAMU Foundation’s proposed 2025-26 operating budget Wednesday, demanding the Foundation identify funds to cover a multimillion-dollar compensation package for President-select Marva Johnson. The move underscores mounting financial tensions as the university grapples with declining donations, preexisting obligations, and fierce community opposition to Johnson’s contested selection.
Budget Constraints Collide With Leadership Costs
Foundation Board Chair Ken Neighbors warned Board members that the organization lacks the resources to fulfill the compensation package approved by trustees in last week. The proposed budget currently allocates just $388,562 toward Johnson’s $650,000 base salary, which includes additional expenses such as a $150,000 annual retention bonus, security, travel, and a $14,400 car allowance. The state of Florida covers only $200,000 of the president’s salary, leaving private sources to fund the remainder.
Neighbors cited a 40% nationwide decline in charitable giving amid economic uncertainty, alongside existing commitments such as a $269,000 annual payment to offset FAMU’s athletic deficit—part of a 12-year agreement with the Florida Board of Governors. “We’re in Year 9 of that plan,” he noted. The Foundation also faces $72,000 in annual university support costs and anticipates $900,000 in new requests from athletics, $500,000 of which is for medical expenses, plus $500,000 from the famed Marching 100 band for scholarships tied to tuition costs.
“If we reallocated the $72,000 to the president’s compensation, the university would have to fill that gap,” Neighbors said, stressing the Foundation’s limited flexibility. He further emphasized the cultural significance of athletics and the Marching 100, calling them FAMU’s “front porch” and “wrap-around porch.”
Unresolved contract details fuel uncertainty
Trustees pressed the Foundation to revise its budget swiftly, hoping to finalize Johnson’s contract ahead of a June 18 Board of Governors meeting. However, Neighbors clarified that key presidential compensations details—such as costs to renovate the president’s residence and other unspecified expenses—remain unresolved, leaving the total compensation package unclear.
“When can the Foundation amend the budget to meet the Board-approved salary?” trustee Kelvin Lawson asked. Neighbors replied that without finalized contract terms, the Foundation could not confidently adjust its allocations. Vice Chair Deveron Gibbons chimed in with a thinly veiled threat, “I respect Mr. Neighbors a lot. I know he'll figure it out.”
The stalemate follows weeks of turmoil. Two weeks prior, the Foundation postponed a budget amendment to fund Johnson’s salary amid public outcry.
On Thursday, about a dozen members of the Marching 100 lined up to speak at the Board of Trustees’ meeting, during public comment, pleading with trustees not to divert their scholarship funds to Johnson’s compensation. “We don’t want our money taken away,” one student said. Trustees redirected responsibility to the Foundation.
"We are making a mess and misleading these students into believing that, because this lady's the president-elect, we're taking money from them," said Gibbons said. "That's not the case, so let's just stop and be responsible. We're not being responsible stewards of this university by doing this. Stop misleading these students. Stop getting them all riled up over something that has not happened or is not going to happen."
Gibbons' comments directly contradict the reality outlined by Neighbors on Wednesday, who informed the Trustees that the Foundation's year-over-year revenue has decreased, yet the budget remains unchanged and expenses are increasing, due to inflation. To fund Johnson's salary, additional money must be sourced from somewhere, and athletics and band support are likely to be the two budget items affected.
In the past, Trustee TaShaunda Nicole Washington had been critical of the Foundation, noting that the Foundation had shifted $1 million from its contingency to pay for salaries at the Foundation. Neighbors, noted, that the Foundation plans to use the money from its contingency funds from prior years --when we were experiencing favorable fundraising and market trends-- to hire additional gift offers to go out and raise money, but the return on that investment is not immediate. Neighbors pointed out that, in the past few months, the Foundation brought on a gift officer who's sole responsibility is to raise funds for athletics and the band, but they are not likely to see any ROI on that until two-three years.
FAMU's fundraising consultant, Alexander Haas, has consistently emphasized that the FAMU Foundation is "outmanned, outgunned, and understaffed" for an institution its size in the fundraising space. In an era marked by declining donor sentiment due to various factors. Donors are seeing the stock market's volatility, and many faced margin calls in the previous quarter, which has impacted their ability and willingness to contribute.
Under Florida law, the Foundation must wait seven days to reconvene, jeopardizing the timeline for Board of Governors approval. The delay highlights deepening divisions over Johnson’s selection, which has faced sustained opposition from alumni, faculty, and students since her controversial nomination.
She’s not proven that she’s worth this amount of investment as a non educator leader.
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