Founder : The charity was set up by Camila Batmanghelidjh in 1996 . A leading children ’ s charity is facing a crisis after three of its directors resigned amid an apparent row over funding , it was revealed yesterday . Kids Company has received around £30 million of public money since 2008 and has celebrity backers including rock group Coldplay , businessman Sir Richard Branson and Harry Potter author JK Rowling . Set up by Camila Batmanghelidjh in 1996 , it supports 36,000 vulnerable children in London , Bristol and Liverpool and has been championed by Prince Charles and David Cameron . But concerns about the way the charity is run are understood to have led some senior managers to raise issues with its board of trustees . The resignations of interim finance director Diane Hamilton , human resources chief Adrian Stones and director of development Mandy Lloyd then followed . A statement from Kids Company said : ‘ It was with great regret that they felt unable to continue working within the organisation because of the uncertainty of funding , which led to high levels of stress in the workplace which was unsustainable. ’ But a source close to the directors reportedly said : ‘ These departures are a direct result of these employees ’ doubts about the future of Kids Company ... The trustees were told of their doubts but they don ’ t seem to have reacted at all. ’ Miss Batmanghelidjh , a trained psychotherapist , became known as ‘ Mother Camila of Camberwell ’ for her work with some of South London ’ s most disadvantaged children . Michael Gove is said to have tried to prevent a grant of up to £8 million being given to the charity in 2012 . Born in Iran , she is known for her colourful style . In 2013 she was named one of Britain ’ s 100 most powerful women by Radio 4 ’ s Woman ’ s Hour and appointed a CBE . The Sunday Times reported that the resignations were revealed as she denied persuading Mr Cameron to intervene after then education secretary Michael Gove tried to prevent a grant of up to £8 million being given to the charity in 2012 . Miss Batmanghelidjh said that an independent audit in 2014 showed ‘ the charity was well run but lacked funding ’ . But critics have questioned whether it is over-staffed – it employs around 600 people .
Kids Company has received around £30m of public money since 2008 . The charity was founded by Iranian-born Camila Batmanghelidjh in 1996 . Three high-ranking employees have quit over the way organisation is run . The trio were said to have doubts about the future of the charity .