$100 Million in FireAid Relief Funds Went to Non-Profits Instead of Fire Victims

According to several independent investigations, the $100 million raised during the FireAid benefit concerts held in January 2025 has not gone to fire victims as promised, but rather to non-profits who then get to decide where the money goes.

In early January, the Eaton and Palisades wildfires raged across parts of Los Angeles. By the time they were fully extinguished in late January, 31 people died, over 18,000 structures were destroyed, and tens of thousands of residents were displaced with destroyed or damaged homes. Total property and home loses have been estimated to be between $76 billion and $131 billion.

Inspired by the 1985 Live Aid benefit concert for famine relief in Ethiopia, the non-profit Annenberg Foundation setup and sponsored FireAid with the help of billionaire and Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and others, with all money raised going towards victims. Held on January 30, 2025 at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum in Inglewood, the concert boasted dozens of artists including Billie Eilish, Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Nirvana, and Stevie Nicks. The concert wound up exceeding expectations, with $100 million raised for wildfire victims.

However, months afterwards, several investigations, including one by Circling the News journalist Sue Pascoe, began after word reached them that victims never saw a penny of benefit relief funds reaching them. As it turns out, funds didn’t go directly to victims, but were sent to dozens of non-profit groups linked to the Annenberg Foundation. Half of the funds, $50 million, were released during the first round of grants in February, with 120 non-profit organizations getting funds. Some of the beneficiaries are known, with groups like the Pasadena Humane Society receiving $250,000 to treat pets and animals harmed by the fires. In total Investigations by Pascoe, ABC affiliates, and others confirmed that money was received with the groups, with many adding how it was spent.

“We received $250,000,” said Pasadena Humane Society spokesman Kevin McManus. “We were able to save a lot of animals’ lives in part because of that donation. We got exactly what we were promised and we’re putting it to good use.”

Later in 2025 round two of the funding was released, with an additional $25 million going once again to third party non-profits and not individuals. Round 3 funding is currently in the works, with the last of the $25 million to be given away. As of Thursday, applications are still open for groups interested in receiving funds.

Despite this, the investigations pointed out that funds were not directly provided, with worries that charities could significantly reduce the amount going to fire victims through administrative fees and employee costs. FireAid spokesman and Los Angeles Clippers’ communication chief Chris Wallace said that every dollar was being set aside for the community, and not for administrative costs. When pressed, Wallace sent detailed emails on where funds were going. For example, in a May 2025 inquiry from the Pacific Palisades Community Council, Wallace gave an itemized list of where the phase 1 funding being sent to in the Palisades area, showing where  each group got their allotted slice of the $21 million going to fire relief in the area.

Questions over FireAid relief funds

“We understand and respect the concerns of the Palisades community,” Wallace said in the letter. “The FireAid grantmaking process was extensive and community-informed. It involved local outreach, feedback from those directly affected, and collaboration with nonprofit organizations embedded in fire-impacted neighborhoods. Grant recommendations were developed by an experienced operations team, reviewed by an independent advisory committee with deep familiarity across the region—including site visits and conversations with fire victims—and ultimately approved by the FireAid Board.”

However, in a later statement, Wallace confirmed that direct payments to individuals was not happening, and was never planned in the first place.

“As a newly formed 501c3, FireAid does not have the capability to make direct payments to individuals and that was never the plan,” added Wallace. “To deliver aid into the community, we partnered directly with trusted local nonprofits who have the capacity to reach the communities in need, to provide food security, housing, and resources for schools. Each dollar was intended for the community, and a stipulation of the funds was that not a single dollar was spent on administrative costs.”

This admission has caused many to call FireAid a scam, also decrying that their donations may have gone to non-profits that they are ideologically against. In addition, the growing scandal has drawn the attention of lawmakers, with Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) officially asking Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into the matter.

“We’ve learned that of the $100 million raised at the celebrity “Fire Aid” concert, none actually went to LA fire victims,” posted Kiley on X. “Instead the money went to nonprofits, many that have nothing to do with fire relief. I’ve asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to open an investigation.”

“We just want to get answers because a lot of people really gave generously to this cause,” Kiley said on Wednesday following a response from the Clippers offering to show him al receipts. “The organizers themselves gave very generously. When you see reports that maybe the money didn’t end up going to the folks that it should have, or the victims haven’t been given the help that was intended. The organization itself has actually reached out and offered to provide some visibility into how they handled the funding. I think that’s the important thing is just restoring public confidence.”

With a possible federal investigation looming and even organizers willing to show them the books, investigators, organizers, and lawmakers all hope to have this figured out soon. However, the lack of transparency when it came to where the funds would go, with organizers waiting to after the concert to admit that funding wouldn’t be going directly to victims, is likely going to continue to fuel animosity between victims and organizers for some time to come.