After a couple of controversies this year, the Des Moines Register’s RAGBRAI is drawing new scrutiny over its charitable donations.
The 2019 RAGBRAI participant guide says the Register gives back over $3 million a year through events like RAGBRAI and EMBRACE IOWA.
However, the Register’s parent company, Gannett, gave just $40,000 through its Gannett Foundation.
Members of RAGBRAI said they’ve felt the change in the event through the years.
“It seemed like RAGBRAI started to become more corporate if you will, and it just seemed like it was more about the big money grab. I think that’s been the problem in the past, in that they have not been open and honest about what they’re doing with that money,” said Dan McKay, former RAGBRAI participant and coordinator.