Uncomfortable Questions Surfacing On FireAid’s $100 Million Relief Fund

FireAid, the high-profile benefit concert, raised over $100 million in early 2025 to support victims of the LA wildfires. Months later, questions and suspicions are emerging about how those funds were spent—and whether they benefited victims as intended.

Many wildfire victims, including those who were uninsured or underinsured, say they have not received any direct assistance from the FireAid funds. Others have questioned where to apply for funding, only to be met with silence. Journalists and concerned donors note that, although numerous community-based organizations received grants, those non-profits do not always work directly with fire victims or the hardest-hit neighborhoods like the Pacific Palisades.

At the head of the controversy is the Annenberg Foundation, which was entrusted to manage FireAid relief funds. Official statements from the Annenberg Foundation say two rounds of grants—one $50 million and another $25 million—have been distributed to approximately 120 organizations for immediate and longer-term wildfire relief. Organizations such as El Nido, Vision y Compromiso, and Home Grown are among the recipients. However, there is an absence of a clear, centralized process for individual victims of the LA wildfires to apply for direct relief.

Sue Pascoe, an investigative journalist and victim of the Palisades fire, said she received a query from a concerned reader that led her to question where the funds went. Pascoe emailed the Annenberg Foundation to find out where individuals could apply for funding. Pascoe spoke with Chris Wallace, the organizations Chief Communications Officer. She says Wallace informed her that the funds would not go to residents affected by the fires, but rather to non-profits affiliated with the Annenberg Foundation.

Despite the reported distribution, residents who lost their homes in the Palisades and Eaton fires say they’ve received nothing. They are also unaware of how to apply for the assistance that is supposedly on offer. James Li posted about the issue on X/Twitter and has quickly garnered a huge response in concern on social media. That’s because the Annenberg Foundation has a relatively small charitable footprint—Li estimates the foundation allocates just 33% of its annual expenses towards charity.

“This FireAid money is not helping the people,” Pascoe told FOX 11 about her investigation. “It’s helping non-profits, many of which have executives who are getting six-figure salaries.” Local councils and activists are now demanding a full, transparent accounting of FireAid’s spending. Some residents are calling on the California Attorney General to investigate potential charitable misrepresentations or breach of donor intent.