Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation Criticized For Not Spending Enough On Charity; 'Artpop' Singer’s Mom Clarifies Issue, Says They’re Not A Grant

Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation was slammed by a website for not spending enough money on charity grants and both the "Artpop" singer and her mom are on the defensive.

Roger Friedman of showbiz411 reported on March 11 that based on the federal tax report, Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation only spent a measly $5,000 for "grants to organizations or individuals" despite having $2.1 million in net assets.

The other expenses? Well, there's $406,552 on legal fees, $300,000 on strategic consulting for web and digital, $150,000 on philanthropic consulting, $78,000 on travel, $72,000 on salaries, $62,836 for stage productions, $58,768 on publicity fees, and $100,000 on social media and event coordination.

Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, which fights against bullying, also spent $808,661 on "other" expenses, Roger Friedman wrote.

But Lady Gaga's mother, Cynthia Germanotta, who is listed as the foundation's president, defended herself and her daughter in an op-ed piece she wrote for Hufftington Post.

She said that The Born Brave Bus Tour already traveled to 23 communities across the country and reached out to 19,000 young people to raise awareness on the effects of bullying "to the tune of more than 300 million media impressions."

As to the $5,000 grant mentioned in the scathing article, Lady Gaga's mother said that The Born This Way Foundation is not a grant-maker that finances the advocacies of other charitable organizations.

"We are an organization that conducts our charitable activity directly, and we fund our own work," she added.

Lady Gaga also chimed in on the issue by releasing a statement on her site claiming that they are "deeply passionate" about The Born This Way Foundation, particularly its work and its message.

"We do not raise money and allocate the funds to other charities for them to do the work. We do the work," Lady Gaga's statement read. "We formed a brand new, up-to-date with all the newest research and best doctors in the country approach to youth wellness. My mom is on the ground with the kids, so am I, the whole Born Brave Team is."