The non-profit organization Changing attitudes received over SEK 15 million in government grants to combat sexual violence against children. But an investigation reveals that the money was instead used for things like foreign travel, hotel stays, restaurant visits, electronics, and home furnishings. Among the activities was also a visit to the porn industry’s major award show in Las Vegas. The association has now gone bankrupt and been reported to the police by the grant authority.

It is the Waste Ombudsman Philip Syrén who, in an investigation published in Kvartal, reveals how millions of kronor in government grants have been used by the non-profit organization Changing attitudes. The association, founded by author and lecturer Maria Ahlin with a focus on pornography and sexual violence, has for several years received extensive financial support from the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society (MUCF).

The official aim was to increase knowledge and mobilize against sexual violence against children. But when the authority began to examine how the money was used, an entirely different picture of the operation emerged. Grant money had, among other things, gone toward private expenses for the association’s founder and her partner, Harry Skärlund, both of whom held leading positions in the organization.

MUCF has now demanded back SEK 1.4 million and stopped further payments of an equivalent amount. However, significant sums continued to be paid despite suspicions of irregularities and an investigation being launched into the association. In total, this concerns SEK 15 million in taxpayer money; the recovery request is modest in relation to this.

Trips to the USA, India, and Thailand

Among the most eye-catching expenses are recurring long-distance trips to the USA, where the couple over three years visited, among other places, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Just in 2022, costs for US trips amounted to over SEK 211,000. Despite the significant sums, the trips were not listed in the association’s annual planning or accounting.

When the authority requested an explanation, the association attributed it to a mistake in document management. Information was said to have been lost due to Google Docs not functioning satisfactorily with poor internet connectivity.

According to the association, the trips’ purpose was to establish contacts within the American porn industry and conduct interviews to be used in their preventative work against pornography and the purchase of sex. However, the association could not present convincing documentation of the work.

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The material submitted mainly consisted of vacation photos and social media posts. MUCF therefore assessed that in practice, the trips had been private holidays financed with taxpayers’ money.

In 2023, foreign travel expenses of nearly SEK 391,000 were reported. One trip went to India, where representatives were to lecture at the University of Delhi. However, the lecture was canceled after the couple’s accompanying child became ill. Taxpayers had to foot the entire bill anyway.

During a private stay in Thailand, the association’s finances were also charged with various expenses. The explanation given was that the couple worked remotely and used restaurants and cafes as temporary workplaces.

Visited the Porn Industry’s Award Show

The following year, the couple returned to the USA. This time, the accounting included rental cars, restaurants, movie tickets, bicycle rentals, clothing purchases, and electronics.

One of the evidences the association presented to justify the trip were photos from the AVN Awards in Las Vegas, a prominent annual award show in the American pornographic film industry. The association claimed the visit was part of producing educational material about pornography and the purchase of sex for Swedish youth.

MUCF did not accept this explanation. The trip had not been included in the operations plan, and the authority judged that the documentation presented did not substantiate that the expenses were legitimate.

Even airfare from Thailand to the USA had been paid by the association, even though the couple were in Thailand on a private journey when the purported business trip was to begin. The authority concluded that grant funds over all three examined years had been used for private vacations.

Taxpayers Funded Home Furnishings

The investigation also covers a long list of domestic expenses. The couple, for instance, let the association pay for a hotel stay in Uppsala described as a work and planning weekend, even though they lived in Stockholm and had access to a company car.

On another occasion, nearly SEK 11,000 was paid for renting a holiday cottage on Öland, where the couple stayed with their children. The justification given was that they were simultaneously exploring the possibility of establishing an association office in Borgholm. Such an office was never opened, and MUCF regarded the justification as a post hoc fabrication.

Because Changing attitudes lacked their own offices, parts of the couple’s home were used as a workplace. This meant that association money was used for furniture, lighting, shelving, storage solutions, and sliding doors. The founder also participated in a home interior feature where she displayed the renovated residence.

“The entire apartment got a great energy,” she said at the time.

MUCF assessed that these were private home furnishings that should not have been covered by the association’s grant at taxpayers’ expense.

Company Cars, Apple Products, and Spa Visits

The association’s car expenses also raised questions. Over three years, over SEK 223,000 was paid for leasing, repairs, and maintenance of a company car. In 2024, the association had access to two cars.

According to the organization, the cars were needed for participation in festivals, among other things. But the review showed that the number of festival visits was limited and that in some years there was no documentation of such activities. MUCF considered that temporary rental cars could have met the organization’s needs.

The association also purchased six Apple Watches, Airpods, and an Apple TV. The watches were described as work tools for board members and were said to help reduce screen time, among other things.

Other expenses included home-delivered food from Foodora, explained by having business lunches at home. In addition, the association paid for gift cards at the Yasuragi spa, as well as services from Werlabs and Opera Clinic.

A digital parenting course was also purchased. The association said the purpose was to study the course’s user interface ahead of developing its own app about pornography and porn addiction. Two years later, the purported app was still unfinished. MUCF also noted that the course could have been of private benefit to the couple, who themselves had children.

The Association Claims Good Faith

Changing attitudes has denied intentionally misusing any grant money. In its statements to MUCF, the association has cited, among other things, that an auditor approved the expenses and that they did not knowingly breach the grant’s terms. The association’s representatives said they “did our best and acted in good faith.”

Shortcomings in accounting, including missing receipts, were explained by technical problems with the digital receipt management system. The organization promised it had improved routines to avoid similar problems in the future.

However, the explanations did not cause MUCF to change its fundamental assessment. But despite the ongoing investigation, the authority in December 2024 approved an additional SEK 1.5 million in grants for the 2025 operating year.

The money was, however, not paid out since the association first had to settle a previous large debt to the authority. This did not happen. In July 2025, Changing attitudes was declared bankrupt at Uppsala District Court.

Reported to Police – Millions Gone

MUCF has not recovered the money the authority has demanded repayment of. When Philip Syrén contacted the authority, he was also told that the association had been reported to the police.

“The recovery demands have not been paid. A police report has been made, but not because the money has not been repaid, but due to suspected crime,” MUCF stated.

What specific crime is suspected is not made clear in the investigation. Syrén has also not been allowed access to the preliminary investigation, as it is claimed to be classified.

He has tried to reach the association’s founder, Maria Ahlin, for comment, but she has not wanted to answer any questions, instead referring him back to MUCF. Changing attitudes has now been nominated as one of the candidates for the award of The Year’s Worst Waste 2026.

The investigation is the first in a series of four articles in which Philip Syrén will examine how public funds are misused. More revelations are expected to come.