Some fund raising is for purposes that most people support, some is for things that most people think is a waste of money. Even waste of money causes have to pay their employees salaries, retirement benefits, health insurance. No fraud at all.

Their project is one whose time I don't think has come yet. Lots of money to get some picture from a long distance fly-by that may or may not even conclusively identify what the object is. What would be needed would be an intercept and rendezvous that would require a probe that could match course and speed with the interstellar visitor. Don't think we can do that yet. At any sane cost anyway.