The state is no longer the captain of the Amistad schooner. Ownership of the historical teaching vessel has been turned over to a nonprofit called Discovering Amistad Inc.
Ownership of the schooner was transferred to Discovering Amistad following allocation of state bond funds for the purchase of the ship by the new organization. A Superior Court judge officially dissolved the now-defunct charitable organization, Amistad America Inc., at the state’s request.
The state took action after revelations that Amistad America’s tax-exempt status had been revoked by the IRS and that the organization had accumulated significant debts. Over the course of the receivership, a court-approved advisory committee made recommendations about the ship’s future operation, including the formation of a new nonprofit to oversee the ship as well as a Connecticut-based, education-centric mission for the new organization.
