After an FBI search at KEYS Empowers, reports examine the Baltimore nonprofit's filings and public money

FBI agents conducted "court-authorized law enforcement activity" on Liberty Road in Baltimore on Wednesday, September 30, the bureau told CBS News Baltimore. WBFF's Project Baltimore reported that the search was at the Liberty Road headquarters of KEYS Empowers, a nonprofit whose executive director, Mujahid Muhammad, resigned from the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners the same day. The mayor's office received his resignation letter that night, The Baltimore Banner reported.

The FBI has not said what it is investigating. We found no report of charges against Muhammad or the organization. Muhammad did not respond to requests for comment from the Banner, and WBFF said its attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.

What the 2024 filing shows

WBFF reported on October 5 that KEYS Empowers' 2024 IRS filing lists $2,001,754 in revenue and $427,201 in salaries and wages, yet reports no employees. According to the station, Muhammad is the only name that appears on the filing, which also reports $79,701 in travel and $242,288 in conferences, conventions and meetings. We have not reviewed the filing ourselves.

A mismatch like this can have more than one explanation, such as a preparation error or staff paid through another entity. The filing alone cannot say which applies, and no explanation from KEYS has been reported.

The public money

WBFF cited a 2022 press release from Mayor Brandon Scott's office saying KEYS Empowers received $1 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to help build the KEYS Community Healing Village on Ashburton Road in West Baltimore. The station reported on October 1 that the site is still under construction and that a sign on the property still reads "Coming 2025." Muhammad said in a May interview that the nonprofit was working to open the village by the end of next year, the Banner reported.

The Banner also reported that KEYS Empowers disclosed more than $4.7 million in government funds for the 2023 and 2024 tax years, citing tax filings. According to the Banner, the Maryland inspector general for health found in April that the organization had to return more than half of $824,000 in state Health Department payments made from 2021 to 2024, citing evidence of overfunding, inadequate bookkeeping and missing documentation. We have not seen that report.

A related company and the school system

Baltimore City Public Schools is ending its relationship with KEYS Development TA LLC, a separate KEYS company that earned $98,500 as a vendor providing mental health services to students from 2024 to 2026, according to district invoices cited by the Banner. "City schools is in the process of terminating its agreement with KEYS Development," district spokesperson Tina Hike-Hubbard wrote in a letter, the Banner reported. A school system ethics panel is reviewing the relationship.

The Banner also reported that Muhammad's 2023 and 2024 financial disclosure statements as a commissioner initially did not fully disclose his roles at KEYS Development and KEYS Empowers, and that he filed amended statements in June 2026. The board's chair and vice chair said it would not be appropriate to comment further on an ongoing investigation, CBS News Baltimore reported. What is described here comes from news reports and public records; none of it is a finding of wrongdoing.

What your board can check this month

In our view, the episode is a reminder that a board should read its Form 990 before it is filed, not after. Part VI of the form asks whether a copy was given to the governing body before filing. Our guide to reading a Form 990 walks through the return; a few comparisons are a good start:

• The number of employees reported in Parts I and V against the salaries and wages in Part IX.
• The officers, directors and key employees listed in Part VII against the people who actually govern and manage the organization.
• Government grants reported in Part VIII against your own grant agreements and award letters.
• Schedule L and the conflict-of-interest questions in Part VI, for any business with insiders or their other organizations.