Legislature earmarks $300K for Richland County employee’s nonprofit despite few details

What does it take to get $300,000 from the state of South Carolina?

For one non-profit, it could be as little as five sentences. That is all of the explanation provided for an appropriation approved by both chambers of the legislature and awaiting Gov. Henry McMaster’s signature.

The money is set to go to the Jeffrey and Harriet Lampkin Foundation, at 501c3 nonprofit run by Jeffrey Lampkin, public information officer for the Richland County Coroner’s Office, and his wife, Sumter lawyer Harriet Lampkin.

It will pay for programs described as an arts camp and an effort to fight food insecurity, according to a request submitted by state Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Clarendon.

But documentation submitted as part of the request didn’t offer details on the scope of the program. Neither did Johnson or state Rep. Fawn Pedalino, R-Clarendon, who also supported the funding.

Both legislators emphasized to The State that Lampkin did good work for the community. But the potential funding for the non-profit — with no website and less than $50,000 in revenue — raises fresh questions about the opaque system of earmarks in South Carolina.

Earmarks, also known as community investment projects, route state money to specific projects sponsored by individual lawmakers outside of the public hearings during the budget process. Earmarks pass through state agencies directly to the entity carrying out the project.

Each year, dozens of government, non-profit and other projects receive funding through earmarks. Legislators submit requests for earmarks, which are added to the budget without the normal scrutiny provided by state agencies.

This system has been a point of contention in South Carolina. Defenders say that they are a necessary part of doing business at the State House and send millions of dollars to small, deserving projects that benefit the state. But opponents of the system have described many earmarks as wasteful and the product of backroom deals at the State House.

Following The State’s 2021 series on earmarks, which included McMaster’s comments that the system created a “government in the dark,” which could create the impression of impropriety, legislative rules were changed to require lawmakers to submit request forms for earmarks to their budget writing committees with an explanation of the earmark and supporting documentation.

Those forms, obtained by The State newspaper, are then turned over to the governor’s office, which also vets the earmarks. McMaster can then veto individual earmark requests.

“No matter how deserving the project, the public must be confident that proper accountability measures are in place to ensure the funds are appropriately spent,” McMaster said in 2022.

Where will the money go?

Over his life and career, Lampkin has worn many hats. A one-time American Idol contestant, Lampkin has also hosted a talk show on Columbia-area TV station WACH, leads several gospel choirs and owns and operates the Country Boy Kitchen, a soul food restaurant with three locations in Sumter along with a food truck and catering business.

In addition to his work with the Richland County Coroner’s Office, he is also public information officer for his wife’s law firm, The Lampkin Law Firm in Sumter.

The couple are heavily involved in charitable giving. For his birthday in 2021, Lampkin reportedly started a clothing and blankets drive. According to the Lampkin Law Firm website, the couple have held multiple Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas toy give-aways as well as at least one free arts summer camp in 2014.

When contacted by The State, Johnson, the state senator who sponsored the earmark, said the Lampkins were “very generous and they’re always looking for a way to improve the quality of life” in their community.

The earmarked funds will go to a project titled “Food Insecurity/Summer Camp.” According to a five sentence description that contains typos, the state funds will go “to address on a large scale food insecurity in Clarendon, Sumter, and Lee Counties and provide safe and global artistic training to rural youth.”

“Clarendon, Sumter and Lee Counties are known food deserts. Many residents live below the poverty line. By continued partnerships with churches and nonprofits, this need could be addressed on a greater scale. The youth aren’t able to travel to major cities for artistic development THe camp provides exposure and opportunity.” (Typo in original)

“My understanding is that they have identified food insecurity as a need and an opportunity,” Johnson said. For many children in Clarendon, Lee and Sumter counties, “most of their meals and most of their nutritious meals are at school. With school being out, this would fill a big void in our area.”

Johnson said that the program was not being run in conjunction with Lampkin’s for-profit restaurants. The State was unable to contact Jeffrey or Harriet Lampkin.

But Johnson stated that he wasn’t familiar with the details of the submission because he had submitted it on behalf of state Rep. Fawn Pedalino, R-Clarendon. Pedalino said it was her understanding that Lampkin had reached out to both her and Johnson.

Pedalino said that she told Lampkin she would copy Johnson on an email with his application. The application then went before the House Ways and Means Committee, the committee that writes the initial draft of the state budget each year.

Committee staffers said they were trying to follow up with documentation for the committee’s vetting process, which is standard for all appropriations. Documents required by House staffers included an official request letter on the group’s letterhead and supporting documentation including a detailed project description and a proposed budget.

“A day or so later, they let me know that (Senator Johnson) had moved forward with the appropriation on the Senate side, which meant that there was no need for them to continue forward on the House side. So it was dropped,” Pedalino said.

The initial appropriation request was for $450,000, however only $300,000 was approved through the earmark process, according to a request form obtained by The State. The form states that the Jeffrey and Harriet Lampkin Foundation will provide $50,000 in matching funds, obtained through “Contributions and Donations.”

The Jeffrey and Harriet Lampkin Foundation was granted tax exempt status in 2021. The State could not find a website for the foundation. In 2023 the foundation had gross receipts of less than $50,000, according to the IRS. The organization did not submit a complete 990 IRS form, required for most tax exempt organizations. A complete form is often not required when an organization’s gross receipts are less than $50,000.

On his website and Facebook page, Lampkin advertises that he will be running an after-school arts camp from July 8 to July 11. The “Jeffrey & Harriet Lampkin Summer 2024 Arts Institute” will feature free classes on “Drama, Choir, Dance, Mime, Stepping” from 6 to 8 p.m., according to Facebook posts and promotional material. It is unclear if the earmark is intended to fund this program.

In 2024, Jeffrey and Harriet Lampkin each donated $500 to Johnson’s re-election campaign, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks political donations. Jeffrey Lampkin also gave Johnson $250 in 2016.

Johnson said the donation did not influence his decision to support the earmark. “People who support me, sometimes when they come to me with something, sometimes I can help them, sometimes I can’t, but it’s never tied to anything like that,” he said. “As much as Jeffrey and Harriet have done for me over the years, I think this is the first time I’ve ever done anything for them.”

In this budget writing cycle, Johnson submitted six earmarks, including a $296,081 request to expand the facilities for the Clarendon Behavioral Health Center, which treats substance use disorders, as well as $1.4 million to renovate Sumter County Administration buildings and $1 million to improve downtown Sumter’s lighting and event infrastructure.

Some of Pedalino’s earmarks included $550,000 to replace a Clarendon County fire station, $879,000 for a sheriff’s department training center and $40,000 to replace mildewed floors in Tuberville town hall.