CA Dems Under Fire After $100 Million FireAid Fundraiser Doesn’t Help a Single Victim [WATCH]

A January benefit concert called FireAid, organized in response to the devastating wildfires that swept through the Los Angeles area earlier this year, raised approximately $100 million — but victims of the fires say they haven’t received any of the money.

The celebrity-backed fundraiser, promoted by Democrat officials and Hollywood figures, was intended to provide direct relief to residents impacted by the wildfires.

However, six months later, there is growing scrutiny over how the funds were managed and why none of the affected individuals have received financial assistance.

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Independent investigative journalist Sue Pascoe of Circling the News began digging into the distribution of the funds and discovered that the proceeds were managed by the Annenberg Foundation, a philanthropic organization based on the East Coast.

According to Pascoe’s investigation, the funds were not given directly to victims but instead funneled into a number of nonprofit organizations — many of which have no direct involvement with wildfire recovery efforts.

Pascoe reached out to the Annenberg Foundation by email, asking, “How much of the funds were spent specifically for the Palisades and which nonprofits in that community are receiving money?”

She received no response and was unable to reach anyone by phone through several of the foundation’s extensions.

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Eventually, Pascoe managed to speak with Chris Wallace, the chief communications officer for the Annenberg Foundation.

Wallace confirmed that the FireAid funds would not be distributed directly to fire victims.

Instead, they would be allocated to a series of nonprofits affiliated with the foundation, selected without public input or clear connection to those displaced by the disaster.

🚨 Fire victims lost everything, but not a single dollar from the $100 MILLION raised ever reached them.

California Democrats funneled it to nonprofits instead.

This is what corruption looks like. Thank you @FOXLA, @MarlaTellez, and Sue Pascoe for exposing it. pic.twitter.com/FbYTzjdq8I

— California Republican Party (@CAGOP) July 21, 2025

Independent journalist James Li also reported on the issue. “This ‘benefit concert’ might be one of the biggest scams in disaster fundraising history,” Li said on X.

The Annenberg Foundation has not published a public breakdown of which organizations received the funds or how much each received.

As of now, no accountability measures have been made available to ensure the money reaches wildfire victims in communities such as Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga Canyon — areas that suffered extensive damage during the fires.

The handling of FireAid donations has drawn criticism from residents and journalists alike, raising questions about transparency, donor intent, and the management of public fundraising efforts.

Critics have also pointed to a lack of emergency preparedness by local and state officials at the time of the fires.

During the height of the wildfire crisis, some neighborhoods reported that fire hydrants were dry or inoperable, complicating firefighting efforts.

That failure has intensified scrutiny of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both of whom supported FireAid and have remained silent on the status of the funds.

The situation has led to increased calls for an audit of the FireAid program and the nonprofit recipients.

Residents continue to ask for a direct accounting of the donations, and some have called on state lawmakers to investigate the matter.

The Annenberg Foundation has not responded to additional media inquiries.

Victims of the fires remain without direct aid, despite the historic amount raised in their name.