Tahitian Terrace and Palisades Bowl mobile homes parks were destroyed.
What do El Nido, Home Grown, Vision y Compromiso and L.A.’s Home for Native People have in common? They all received FireAid Grants.
On April 21, this editor received a query from a reader, “Do you have any information as to where one can apply for the Fire Aid Concert Funds? I never could figure out where to apply for those funds?”
To support those residents in Pacific Palisades and Eaton who had lost homes – and in some cases – all their earthly possessions in the January 7, 8 and 9 Fires, a Fire Aid Benefit Concert was held on January 30, 2025. FireAid raised an estimated $100 million – and, if they want, people can still donate at https://fireaidla.org.
The Annenberg Foundation was tasked with administering the funds. This editor emailed that organization after the reader’s inquiry and asked, “How much of the funds were spent specifically for the Palisades and which nonprofits in that community are receiving money?”
There was no reply. I sent several subsequent emails. Still no reply. CTN called the Annenberg on April 25, and repeated the request. The person answering the phone tried several extensions, but no one answered. She took down my information and said someone would call back.
No one did, so this editor called again. It was the same drill, someone thought it was Phillip I needed to talk, too, (no last name given), but he did not respond, nor did anyone at any of the other extensions. My information was once again taken down. No one called.
CTN phoned and emailed again, and on April 30, received the following email from Barbarra Chen, Annenberg Foundation Media Strategist.
“With apologies for the delayed reply – I want to provide you with details published previously by FireAid re: grantmaking. (See the screenshot included and button “See our grantees,” which will lead you to this: https://fireaidla.org/grants/)
“For further [stet], please contact Chris Wallace, Chief Communications Officer.”
CTN replied “Thank you for responding. I had gone to that website and saw the assortment of nonprofits that had received grants. It seemed like Pacific Palisades was mostly ignored or forgotten, which is why I reached out to the Annenberg and asked specifically for the grants awarded. Many of the nonprofits receiving money such as the People Concern or St. Joseph’s do not help Palisades families.
“I saw that the Chabad, KI, Metro YMCA, LAUSD and Palisades High received grants, but what about Palisadians who lived in apartments on rent control, or the nearly 700 people who lived in the mobile home parks, who received no aid?
“What about the middle class, who might have had high mortgages, lack of insurance coverage (due to no fault of their own – Fair plan), lost all of their belongings and have no money to rebuild on their property? And these people have either had to rent, borrow or buy furniture, and that includes dishes, pots/pans, bath rugs, towels–
“Of all the grants awarded, which ones targeted Pacific Palisades residents” and “Why were individuals not considered for fire aid?”
No response.
CTN asked Tim Campbell, who managed a municipal performance audit program and conducted an audit for the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights (homeless spending), if there was a way to see the amounts that nonprofit organizations (NPO) receive.
He responded “NPO’s don’t have the reporting requirements that government agencies do, but they should be able to give you a breakdown of how much went to each NPO for use in the Palisades. That seems like a reasonable request, and if I were their auditor, I’d expect them to be able to produce the data.”
Campbell concluded “It would certainly be in the community’s best interest to know where donations went.”
The FireAid website explains that with nonprofits “Our intention is to strike a balance, geographically and organizationally, assisting both large funds and organizations with longstanding experience navigating moments of crisis, and community groups with deep knowledge of impacted neighborhoods.”
The site noted that community nonprofits could apply for grants ranging from $10,000-$50,000.”
There are ten categories listed, and in each are the nonprofits that received grants. Below is a sample.
Children and Family:
El Nido continues to build healthy families by providing community-based social services in some of the most underserved communities in Los Angeles County, including; Pacoima and surrounding communities, South Los Angeles, Compton, and the Antelope Valley.
Home Grown – Our mission is to build a more inclusive childcare system that values and supports home-based childcare (HBCC) as a quality option for families and children.
Pathways LA – based in downtown “works to make sure that children in our most vulnerable communities have access to high-quality and affordable childcare services. And on that site, the NPO recommend reaching out to L.A. County Emergency Services, American Red Cross and 211 L.A. County for fire aid.
Health and Housing:
St. Josephs– In a 2022 Westside Current Story “Almost Half of $5M Venice Boardwalk ‘Encampment to Home’ Funding Used for Staffing, Operations” the money used by St. Josephs went to staffing, operations and indirect costs.
The People’s Concern also received a fire aid grant. People in Pacific Palisades had made donations to the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness. That group in turn gave the money to the People’s Concern to hire social workers to reach out to the homeless.
Another grant recipient was the L.A.’s Home for Native People, located at West Temple Street, whose mission is to promote and support the physical, behavioral, and spiritual well-being of American Indian/Alaska Natives in Los Angeles and Orange counties. If you go to the calendar of events, most are done Mondays and Thursdays on Zoom.
Pacific Clinics “offer a continuum of services for all ages, including behavioral health treatment and culturally responsive programs, such as the Asian Pacific Family Center, the Latina Youth Program and the Armenian Hye-Wap program,” and is at Western Avenue, New Hampshire Street and El Centro Ave. in Los Angeles and at three sites in Pasadena.
Visión y Compromiso “is committed to community well-being by supporting promotores and community health workers. And what is a promotore? Because they share the same language, culture, ethnicity, status and experiences of their communities, Promotores are able to reduce the barriers to health education and services that are common for native-born and immigrant communities.”
It appears that the FireAid concert was a boon to nonprofit organizations, but for the ordinary fire victim, they’re left to sift through the ashes.
This house on Earlham in Pacific Palisades is one of 5,419 homes, 135 multi-family homes, and 158 commercial structures destroyed. Additionally, 1,017 structures were damaged.
Thank you for demanding accountability, as always, Sue.
This is shameful. As a Pacific Palisades homeowner who lost everything, I find it unconscionable that so many came out to support “Fire Aid”, only to find that the money didn’t aid any of the Fire victims of Pacific Palisades. This just reinforces the larger view that people living in the Palisades are rich so they don’t deserve the sympathy or donations, so instead give it away to groups not affected by any fires. Or financial support from 100 million dollar charity meant to support the its victims. The Annenberg committee was not overseen, or audited. Money given to homeless and organizations that had no involvement in the fires is a full misappropriation of funds. . I am Jewish, but not a member of the Chabad or KI. Those are private religious institutions that should receive donations from members. There are no words for the trauma we are still living. Hearing money ear marked for us was randomly distributed without homeowners having any opportunity to receive funds raised for us is criminal. Money sent to Pasadena? To Indian and Pan Pacific organizations outside of the community? This is disgusting. I hope you turn this information over to the Attorney General for full investigation. Not for me, but for my neighbors and friends who can’t afford to rebuild. And those that lived in a condo on Via La Paz that won’t know if they can rebuild for years and their money is all wrapped up in a building that is no more. Or Seniors in the Community who cannot afford or go through a rebuild and have lost everything. I’m glad some $$ went to Pali High, but many of us don’t have kids in school there. We don’t. My friends in a condo didn’t. This story needs to be shared and exposed to the Mayor, Governor and all Pacific Palisades political representatives. Please dig deeper and find how how the process to determine who was “worthy of donations” was made by Annenberg. And Who was on the Committee.
Thank you for exposing that the concert funds exploited well meaning Angelenos who intended to help FIRE VICTIMS. It is shameful that these organizations that have nothing to do with helping fire victims applied for grants. $100 million dollars was raised and not one dollar to help the uninsured and underinsured fire victims!
Sue: Great reporting on FireAid. Sounds like classic “bait and switch”: people were induced to donate thinking the money would aid fire victims, but instead the money went to various non-profits that have no missions directed at fire victims, either in the Palisades or Altadena. Something’s fishy. Please keep following up and exposing what’s going on.
If concert raised money for fire victim then this is a scam and we receive nothing. People donated to help fire victims. Who ever made the wrongful decisions to provide funds for other non profits should be fired, prosecuted, and apologize to all the people he has cheated out funds raised specifically for fire victims.
I am 83 yrs old, have lived in the Palisades for 50 years. I am on a serious fixed income. I lost everything in the fire on 1/7. Yes I do need financial help, as do many of my peers.
I would like to meet this person who thinks he has the right to select his personal favorite non profits, when funds were specifically donated for victims of the fire.
Once again those left with the ashes and so very vulnerable trust that their officials & representation will be honest! HONEST , EMPATHY , KINDNESS, what has happened to these lessons our representatives used to honor. It all seems to be slipping away! We were that Shining City on The Hill.
If the grants are between 10k and 50k, 100MM would be 10,000 grants at 10K and 2,000 grants at 50K. It’s 100MM. Someone definitely knows where the money has been granted and/or where the money sits.
My daughter left her home and everything in it. She has not received any money from the money collected. Where is the money?
So basically this article confirms there are zero dollars going to anyone who lost their home and all their belongings in the Palisades fire—and no avenue or to apply for help to receive any FireAid funds. Did I read that right?
The head of Annenberg said they raised $800 Million in 17 weeks for the fires. She said this at the Milken Conference last week. Where did all of that money go?
It is beyond understanding. Not only did we loose everything. We get no help. Why we are a small community. We live in mobile homes. We were able to own the land. A CNN video showed the burning of our mobile park. But 4 months later no grants, hundreds of documents filled out. We are fighters but we are really tired. Why would there be no help for us, who lost everything!
That’s my understanding–
Sue
Thank you Sue! There should be some accountability.
Very disappointed in the Annenberg Foundation if what I read is true. Watching the concert on television, there were fire victims featured which led me to believe that money was going to fire victims. I would guess that the performers thought the same when they agreed to participate.
Any chance Billy Crystal is a Circling subscriber/reader? I would think he would be interested in knowing that virtually none of the money raised at an event he hosted and poured his heart into went to his community. The least they could do is donate some of the money to the rec center rebuild.
Regarding KI, the fire relief page says it’s for members and neighbors who have suffered the catastrophic loss.
This is sickening! Not one penny to to ANY fire victim or any organization that directly helps fire victims–especially in the Palisades? Tahitian Terrace Mobile Home Park lost 158 homes where mostly fixed income seniors, young families with small children, and low-middle class families live. Most can barely pay the rent where they’ve relocated to. It’s shameful and they need step up and make this right for all fire victims. Thanks, Sue, for diving deep and exposing the truth.