Palisades Fire taken January 8. Photo: CALFIRE
(Editor’s note: Daniel Villasenor, the director of Communications for Governor Gavin Newsom sent the following correction for this story on July 26: “California Volunteers Fund (nonprofit, fully independent of the state, supports programs that California Volunteers runs) https://www.californiavolunteersfund.org and that California Volunteers (state entity as indicated by .gov web address; https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/ did not receive FireAid funding. CalVolunteers was removed from the FireAid website.)
The devastating aftermath of the Palisades and Eaton fires made national and worldwide news with more than 2,000 homes/businesses destroyed and 30 killed. click here.
Two FireAid concerts with live streams were held at the Intuit Dome and the Kia Forum on January 30 in Los Angeles. An A-list of performers donated their time to raise money for fire victims.
More than $100 million came through donations. This editor reached out to the Annenberg Foundation, which was tasked with distributing funds, in April to find out how fire victims could receive direct financial help.
The answer was the money was intended for nonprofits, no individual could receive money even though it was intended for fire victims.
The nonprofits, as Marla Tellez on Fox said on July 16, “seem ancillary,” which was a kind way of saying, many nonprofits had no relationship with fire victims.
For example, in Round 2 of grants handed out in early June, $25,000 million was given to various nonprofits, including the State of California’s CalVolunteers.
Governor Gavin Newsom with CalVolunteers, which received a FireAid grant.
California Volunteers is the state office “tasked with engaging Californias in service, volunteering and civic action to tackle our State’s most pressing challenges. Jacqueline Yannacci, the head, appointed by Newsom, receives a salary of $141,420, and this group serves under the office of the governor.click here.
Jacqueline Yannacci, who is appointed by the governor, leads CalVolunteers.
There is a 25-member Board of Commissioners for CalVolunteers, appointed by the Governor. The first lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom serves as the honorary chair.
During the first round of grants, $50 million was distributed in February 2025. More than 120 nonprofit organizations received money. In a FireAid press release it noted that “This initial phase of gifting prioritizes community-based organizations that are on the front lines of wildfire relief.”
To see the “front-line organizations, click here. Below is a representative sampling. (Editor’s note—some of those nonprofits are well-respected, but how are they really helping Palisades and Eaton fire victims who needed cash to buy beds/mattresses, computers/screens, replace furniture, help with rebuilding or make up the gap between what insurance will provide and actual costs to rebuild?)
Pathways LA reaches primarily single-parent families with a median family income of $12,096. The executive compensation is $291,327 click here.
Another nonprofit, After the Fire, is located in Sonoma: “We Coach. We Convene. We Collaborate. We Advocate.” In 2022, the 990 form listed $120,000 in compensation for the executive director with net assets of $474,126 click here.
A nonprofit receiving money was the California Native Vote Project click here, which is sponsored by another nonprofit Community Partners. click here. “The mission is to achieve justice and self-determination for Native American Communities through multigenerational power building, organizing, and civic engagement.”
IDEPSCA (Instituto de Educatcion Popular del Sur de California)click here received FireAid money. Its mission is “To create a more humane and democratic society by responding to the needs and problems of disenfranchised people through leadership development and educational programs based on Popular Education methodology. Specifically, our goal is to organize and educate immigrants concerned with solving problems in their own communities.” The executive compensation was $111,408, but other salaries and wages were $1,233,583, which was about 60 percent of the nonprofit’s revenue.
AYFKM????
This is so wrong. The money was raised to aid fire victims, period. Shame on the Annenberg Foundation. Is there legal recourse?
AFTER THE FIRE which aparently received some of the FIREAID funds is a fantastic organization in my view. They probably contacted all the churches and synagogues in the Pacific Palisades because they reached out the Kehillat Israel and together the organization ran a series of Webinars on in January and February which shared the expertise of a wide group of experts who had been through major fires such as the Woolsey, Camp, Malibu, Lahaina, Colorado etc discussing “what I wish I had known”, Fema, SBA and you, Mental Health in Traumatic Times, Navigating Financial Decision Making etc. Similar
Webinars are on You Tube. I now realize after 6 months, I need to revisit these webinars, pick up new insigts and make contacts again because the amount of information required is vast.
I was a fire victim in the 2017 Tubbs fire. I lost my home. There was also a fire benefit concert where people could donate to the survivors. I have not received any benefits from that concert and have not heard of anyone in my situation that has. Thanks for reporting this story. It’s validating.
After the fire put on a fantastic program about 2 days after the fire started with experts from multiple disciplines who had personally lived through a massive wildfire. They may not have provided direct monetary support to individuals but they reached out to community organizations, in this case KI. They gave us thoughtful, kind, caring knowledge and a framework to understand what would happen to us immediately and for the next several years. They were unbelievably supportive and the first ray of hope I saw during the fire. I think your series points out the wide variety in efficacy of these nonprofits, most importantly how hard it is for victims to know what is out there that they are eligible for. That is probably the biggest problem.
This is hilarious.
Did any of you think that the money was going to provide aid to any of the actual fire victims?
This whole boondoggle was always going to be nothing more than another opportunity for non-profits and politicians to virtue signal and enrich themselves.
The naked corruption in California knows no bounds. It is blatant and transparent with the knowledge that there will be zero repercussions or accountability. This is the end result of one-party rule.
Complete BETRAYAL….never forgive this
This is infuriating. This concert was to benefit the FIRE VICTIMS not charities. Each address on each street where the homes burned down in Altadena and Pacific Palisades should have been noted and sent a check from these funds. A more trustworthy group of people should have been appointed to be in charge not the Annenberg.
This is FRAUD!!! Where is the attorney general?? This is why most people won’t donate anymore, the victims of these tragedies never get a dime!!! Every performer at that concert should use their platform and DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!!
Wow. I have to say that this grifting just shocks me. Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does. They raised $100 million and have helped no one? Unreal.
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The performers should be polled. Ask who they thought they were helping and if the actual disbursements did this. If not would they be vocal about it.
IS $25,000 million a fancy way of saying $25 billion?
People you who really care. And I mean really care should boycott the proformers that raised the money because of one reason they my be in on the scam. There is no other reason I can think can you!?
I think the performers really thought they were helping and that the money would be distributed to the right people. Why it wasn’t falls on the whoever made the decision to give it to nonprofits, some of whom didn’t even have their own nonprofit number.
You get what you voted ? ? for.
Bless you for your work. Do you have a facebook page? Please send that to me.
Why do you all keep electing the same people who talk in circles and do nothing to help their constituents? I’m sure everyone that gave money thought it would go to the individuals who lost homes and businesses! This is pure fraud! Who picked out the group that handled the money that was collected? It’s great to give to non profits but that was not what that money was intended for! The Attorney General should file charges against this organization! In the next election, vote out your Governor, Mayor, and officials that let something like this happen!
But compare this to how the relief efforts are taking place in Kerrville, TX and other communities affected by the flooding. The amount of corruption here takes my breath away. Six months later so much of the burned areas are still in ruins, yet there should be significant progress by now. People of LA take note—your government doesn’t care at all about you, unless you’re there illegally.
‘… more than 2000 homes/businesses destroyed …’ Typo? I read 12,585 (LA Times). Otherwise, thumbs up — on point.
California. Say no more!
So am I correct that CalVolunteers was originally on the website for receiving FireAid monies but when scrutinized, they were taken off the website so that they could say they didn’t receive monies???
Yes,
And now the governor has clarified that the money did not go to the state, but to the volunteers fund, a nonprofit independent of the state supports Californa Volunteers, which is a state entity.
Sue
And people in california keep voting for the.crook. he does not care about anyone. He can grab more and more money and still have the balls to say “nothing to see here.” And people keep voting for this chump. Theis scam was used for high speed rail, money raised to help the homeless and all the previous fires. Wake up you wok people.
Stolen by organizations that used it to pay their salaries!!