FireAid Promises ‘Comprehensive Review’ After Congressman Raises Questions About Grants

FireAid has retained white-shoe law firm Latham & Watkins to undertake “a comprehensive review” of its governance and grantmaking processes after a California Republican lawmaker asked the Department of Justice to investigate where and how the more than $100 million raised by the massive concert was being distributed.

On July 23, U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, who represents California’s 3rd Congressional District, wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking that the DOJ investigate if FireAid was distributing its grants in line with “donor intent.”

“The Annenberg Foundation promised in its solicitations that the funds would be used for ‘direct relief’ and that those funds would ‘not be used for administrative purposes,’” Kiley, whose district stretches down California’s eastern edge from the Sacramento suburbs through the Sierras and into Death Valley, wrote. “But recently, independent reporting …(has) uncovered that those donations were instead diverted to a number of nonprofits, many of which have a tenuous connection (at best) to fire relief and recovery.”

In response, Latham & Watkins attorney Makan Delrahim, who served in the antitrust division of the DOJ during President Donald Trump’s first term, wrote that while FireAid itself did not provide “direct relief” to victims of the devastating January wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, the nonprofits which received grants did.

“Your letter suggests that FireAid funds were improperly ‘diverted’ and that ‘donor intent’ was somehow disregarded because certain charities received a grant. We respectfully submit that this is not the case. FireAid has disbursed grants to non-profits and organizations which are able to provide direct relief, across a broad spectrum of services, to survivors of the Fires and their communities,” Delrahim wrote in a July 28 letter to Kiley. “These non-profit organizations are providing support to the impacted communities through short-term relief efforts and long-term initiatives to prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California.”

Kiley’s letter specifically singled out the nonprofit “After the Fire” — a nonprofit that helps communities navigate recovery efforts after a wildfire — as a questionable recipient, noting that it is based in Sonoma, more than 400 miles north of Los Angeles. The work of that group, Delrahim noted, has been lauded, including by Joel Pollak, senior editor-at-large of conservative news site Brietbart.

“To ensure FireAid remains true to its original mission of directly supporting fire survivors, our law firm has been retained to conduct a comprehensive review of FireAid’s
governance and grantmaking processes,” Delrahim wrote. “This review will also include assessing whether recipient organizations are using funds in alignment with FireAid’s stated purpose and commitments. We look forward to sharing the results of our ongoing review with you in the near future and updating you at your convenience.”

FireAid has distributed two tranches of money. In Phase One, $50 million was distributed to more than 120 nonprofits. Phase Two followed with $25 million in grants. Phase Three is expected to distribute another $25 million.