St. Paul chef to shut down charity accused of mixing funds with restaurants – InForum

ST. PAUL — St. Paul chef Brian Ingram has agreed to shut down his charity after Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison accused him of using charitable funds to reimburse his for-profit restaurants.

Ingram, who owns Hope Breakfast Bar locations across the Twin Cities metro and the Gnome Craft Pub in St. Paul and is set to close his St. Paul restaurant Apostle Supper Club, had used the nonprofit, Give Hope, as a vehicle to donate proceeds from his restaurants, as well as food and meals to support other community causes.

But the nonprofit came under Ellison’s scrutiny last summer for allegedly failing to properly register as a charitable organization. Additionally, Give Hope had been operating without federal 501(c)3 tax-exempt status for about a year, which itself is not necessarily illegal but significantly restricted the activity the organization could have lawfully conducted.

At the time, Ingram told the Pioneer Press it had been his intention to dissolve the nonprofit and shift it to a private C-corporation, which he framed as being a better structure for the quick-response style of charitable giving he prefers.

“This is our purpose, to give back to our community,” Ingram said in May 2024. “That’s why we’re Purpose Restaurants. I’m just hoping people will continue to walk with us in that.”

In a

motion filed in Ramsey County District Court

on Friday, May 23, to formally dissolve the nonprofit, Ellison further alleged that financial relationships between Give Hope and Ingram’s restaurants had not been conducted appropriately, that the organization did not have a treasurer and that it had not maintained adequate or transparent financial records.

Notably, Ellison alleges Ingram and his wife, Sarah, listed as the nonprofit’s president, had used nonprofit funds to reimburse their for-profit restaurants for items the restaurants had ostensibly donated via the nonprofit — a type of “conflicted transaction” that would have needed to follow strict legal authorizations.

Beyond dissolving the nonprofit, Ellison’s office does not plan to pursue additional legal action against the Ingrams for these alleged violations, a spokesperson confirmed Friday.

However, per the dissolution agreement, the Ingrams could face civil prosecution if they were to violate its terms, which include a prohibition on representing themselves as a charitable organization or using a name similar to “Give Hope” going forward, including as a corporate entity. The Ingrams and their companies are still permitted to make their own independent donations to other registered charitable organizations.