FireAid releases financial records into how $100M in donations were spent

LOS ANGELES - After months of scrutiny, FireAid has released hundreds of financial documents detailing how it spent more than $100 million raised from the benefit concert for California wildfire victims.

What we know:

The documents were released a month after Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a formal request to FireAid asking for a full accounting of its expenditures.

In July, Kiley asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the $100 million in donations, arguing that the public deserves transparency amid concerns of misallocation. FireAid, however, maintains its plan was always to distribute funds to trusted nonprofits through grants, supporting both immediate relief and long-term wildfire prevention efforts in Southern California.

Latham & Watkins, a law firm FireAid hired, conducted an independent review of how the funds were distributed, and their review found no evidence of misrepresentation, misuse, or fraud.

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• FireAid funds: California congressman calls for investigation into spending
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Their report reiterated that FireAid's mission was to raise money for fire victims through partner organizations, and not by providing direct cash grants to individuals. "Neither these materials nor FireAid’s corporate formation documents state that FireAid would provide cash grants directly to individuals. Our investigation has also found that grants were disbursed consistent with FireAid’s stated mission. Some of the grantee organizations provided direct cash assistance to victims of the Fires, such as grocery and food gift cards, pre-loaded debit cards, and direct cash grants, while others provided other forms of relief consistent with FireAid’s mission," the document read. 

What they're saying:

Kiley said his team is reviewing all the documents and welcomes any public input.

"I will say there are a few things that just kind of jump out. You know, at first glance, there are some grants that were given to sort of other grant giving organizations that were in the range of $5 million or $6 million. So I think there are going to be questions about, okay, so where did the money go from there? Who which nonprofits did they grant the money to? Were the same controls in place for those organizations? Were the funds guaranteed to go for purposes related to the fire victims? I think there are probably some organizations on there where it's not self-evident from the face of things what, how the mission of that organization or the expenditure relates to supporting fire victims. And then there are also some cases where it doesn't appear the victims have received help at all yet," Kiley told FOX 11. 

He added that while the documents and the report suggest no wrongdoing, he said there are still many questions that remain. 

Kiley explained an incident in which an organization that was tied to civic engagement and voting received a grant, but then returned the funds as they had nothing to do with wildfire relief. 

To read the full report from Latham & Watkins, click here. To view the financial documents itemizing the expenditures, click here. 

According to Kiley's office, additional documents, including grant applications, will be posted in the coming days. 

The backstory:

The benefit concert raised approximately $100 million for victims of the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires. To date, FireAid has distributed $75 million through two rounds of grants. The Latham & Watkins report said the remaining $25 million is expected to be disbursed by the end of the year.

Where did the grants go? 

Dig deeper:

First phase of grants 

The first round of grants were distributed in February and provided $50 million in relief to more than 120 nonprofit organizations. Officials said the grants supported families, displaced homeowners, foster youth, seniors, small business owners, first responders, artists, and others with emergency housing, food assistance, trauma counseling, direct financial relief, childcare, and animal welfare services.
 
Another Round 1 grantee, Inclusive Action, supported outdoor workers—street vendors, landscapers, recyclers—who lost income, equipment, or housing due to the fires and hazardous air conditions. With its FireAid grant, Inclusive Action issued $500 prepaid cards to more than 5,000 workers, officials said in a statement earlier in the year. 

Second phase of grants 

In June, FireAid distributed an additional $25 million. The second phase of grants focused on long-term recovery and restoring "stability, connection and well-being across entire communities."

They said $25 million went towards supporting initiatives around financial and housing stability, mental health and trauma services, and community infrastructure. Additional funding went towards environmental remediation, soil testing, permitting support, sustainable rebuilding efforts, and educational support for students. Aid was also given to small businesses and displaced workers.