Federal, state, and local funds totaling over $1 million have been directed to a Columbus-based nonprofit led by Dr. Hanad Duale, a prominent figure in the city’s Somali community. The UNIK Foundation, established in 2019, received a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services in September 2023 for its “New American Anti-Recidivism Program.” The program is intended to assist immigrants, refugees, new Americans, and BIPOC individuals with services such as case management, vocational training, housing assistance, and mental health support.
So far, $800,000 of the federal grant has been disbursed for these services. In addition to federal funding, the foundation has also received $294,942 from the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health and subsidies of $150,000 from the City of Columbus and $50,000 from the Columbus City Council.
The structure of the UNIK Foundation differs from most government-funded nonprofits. It operates as a private foundation with Dr. Duale as its sole board member and employee. According to tax filings reviewed by Capital Research Center reporters, Dr. Duale pays himself an annual salary exceeding $100,000—reported as $139,000 plus benefits for 2024—and claims to work eighty hours per week for the organization.
Tax documents indicate that Dr. Duale is solely responsible for maintaining financial records at what appears to be his home address. There are no indications that independent accountants or outside tax preparers have ever been used; relevant sections on annual IRS Form 990-PF remain unsigned each year.
Private foundations are required by law to disclose all donors in Schedule B of their IRS filings if they receive public money. However, while federal records show at least $800,000 was granted between 2023 and 2024—and more than $750,000 was reported in revenue on the group’s 2024 Form 990-PF—the only listed donor is a $50,000 contribution from the City of Columbus.
The same filings show that nearly half (48 percent) of reported expenses went toward salaries and benefits in 2024; no funds were distributed to other charitable organizations. An additional $346,529 was listed under “Other Expenses,” described only in broad terms such as facility operation costs or automobile expenses without naming vendors or contractors.
Dr. Duale also owns two related for-profit businesses: UNIK Logistiks—a self-described second-chance employer which received three Small Business Administration loans totaling $810,000—and UNIK Housing. Both companies share an office address with the foundation at 1925 East Dublin-Granville Road alongside several other immigration-focused nonprofits operating out of the same building.
The building is home to at least seven nonprofits or affiliated groups that have together received over $11 million in local, state and federal grants according to publicly available grant obligation records.
Although there are currently no allegations or proof of illegal activity associated with Dr. Duale or any group mentioned here—”To be clear,” one report notes: “this article provides no concrete proof of and makes no allegations about any illegality.”—the combination of unusual bookkeeping practices and organizational structure has raised concerns among observers about oversight and transparency standards regarding taxpayer-supported NGOs.
