House Judiciary Report: LA FireAid Funds Went to Political Advocacy, Podcasters, Illegal Aliens, Salaries, Bonuses

California Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) announced on X Wednesday morning that the House Judiciary Committee has released the report he requested on the disappearing LA FireAid concert funds.

“On August 18, 2025, the Committee, in an effort led by Congressman Kevin Kiley, sent a letter to FireAid requesting a detailed breakdown of all non-profits that received money from FireAid. The Committee detailed a concern that FireAid fraudulently led donors to believe that all contributions would provide direct support to victims. On September 8, 2025, FireAid responded to the Committee’s letter and produced hundreds of documents and an internal investigative report into the use of the raised funds. The internal investigation, conducted by a national law firm, found that there was no evidence of misrepresentation of the solicitation of charitable funds and no deviation from FireAid’s stated mission. However, based on internal documents reviewed by the Committee, instead of helping fire victims, donations made to FireAid helped to fund causes and projects completely unrelated to fire recovery, including voter participation for Native Americans, illegal aliens, podcast shows, and fungus planting. Finally, despite FireAid’s promise that “funds be used solely for direct community support for relief, recovery and rebuilding — not for overhead or salaries,” donations went to pay salaries and bonuses for those working at non-profits and other organizations.”

Among the findings Kiley reports:

• FireAid funds were used for activities such as voter participation initiatives, podcast programming, fungus-planting projects, and compensation for nonprofit staff.
• Approximately $550,000 in donations went to organizations involved in political advocacy.
• At least $250,000 was directed toward programs benefiting undocumented immigrants.
• $100,000 in FireAid donations was paid to podcasters.
• More than $500,000 was used to cover salaries, bonuses, and consultant fees for nonprofit organizations.
• While many worthy nonprofits did receive grants that were used to support victims, this report provides lessons for the disbursement of any remaining FireAid funds and future charitable disaster-relief efforts.

The details are worse.

FireAid’s Apparent Misuse of Charitable Donations

“To date, FireAid has granted $75 million, of the $100 million raised, to a total of 188 non-profits.11 FireAid plans to disperse the remaining $25 million by the end of the year. Although the internal review, requested and paid for by FireAid, found that “grants were disbursed consistent with FireAid’s stated mission,” documents provided to the Committee suggest that donations were funneled to some recipients with little or no nexus to assisting fire victims.

The documents show that FireAid funded voter participation efforts for Native Americans, illegal aliens, podcast shows, fungus planting, and the salaries and bonuses for those working at non-profits and other organizations.

$100,000 of FireAid donations went to promote voter participation.

$550,000 of FireAid donations went to groups involved in political advocacy – to non-profits that focus on political advocacy for certain favored populations. For example, the NAACP Pasadena, which is dedicated to “fighting for basic human dignities” for African Americans, received $100,000. The Los Angeles Black Worker Center received $250,000 in grant funds from FireAid. Its mission is “to increase access to quality jobs, reduce employment discrimination, and improve industries that employ Black workers through action and unionization.”The group “My Tribe Rise” received $200,000. The organization’s mission is to create “programs that meet the immediate needs of working-class, elderly, and disabled Black residents of Altadena and Pasadena.”

FireAid prioritized and awarded grants to illegal aliens.

$100,000 in FireAid donations was sent to podcasters – grant forms showed that $100,000 in money raised at the benefit concert went to Altadena Talks Foundation for the purpose of “support[ing] the Toni Raines podcast and other shows . . . .”

“It remains unclear how and if this FireAid money went to directly aid wildfire victims.”

Over $500,000 of FireAid donations were used to pay bonuses, salaries, and consultants for non-profit organizations.

The Committee uncovered that over $500,000 in donations to FireAid were used to cover administrative costs for various non-profits and organizations rather than direct relief for victims. The Committee obtained a grant report from the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), which contains a breakdown of how CCSA used its FireAid grant money as of June 30, 2025. CCSA’s mission is to champion “great public schools of joy and rigor that prepare all California students for success in college, career, community, and life” with a focus on “being an advocacy organization advancing issues of social justice and civil rights.” In its grant documents, CCSA claimed that the “grant was distributed to four charter schools . . . to help return to classes, whether to rent temporary facilities, provide classroom equipment, provide supplementary counseling.” However, according to the breakdown provided to the Committee by FireAid, CCSA funded two stipends for staff with the FireAid grant, including $64,149 to Pasadena Rosebud Academy and $34,400 to Alma Fuerte Public School. These “stipends” for staff were to recognize “extraordinary contributions” or those “who responded immediately with their time and efforts.”

The Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) also used $92,038 of grant funds to pay for “personnel costs,” “salaries,” and “benefits for attorneys, paralegals, and secretaries.” NLSLA provides free legal assistance and aims “to unravel entrenched disparities that have resulted from longstanding injustice, systematic racism, and institutionalized inequality.”

In total, the Committee found six organizations that allocated FireAid grants towards labor, salaries, or other related costs:

• California Charter Schools Association (CCSA): $98,549.
• The Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA): $92,038.
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: $170,255. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s mission is to “mobilize resources to fight hunger” in its community.
• LA Disaster Relief Navigator: $43,347. The LA Disaster Relief Navigator is an online tool to help those impacted by the wildfires to navigate the various resources available including applying for government assistance and making insurance claims.

The report concludes:

FireAid advertised that all donations raised during its benefit concert would go directly to victims of the California wildfires. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Instead, money went towards left-leaning pet projects, illegal aliens, and the administrative costs related to running non-profit organizations. FireAid still has $25 million in donated funds to disperse. It is critical that the remaining money—donations intended to help Californians in need—be allocated directly to victims of the California wildfires.

Boom. I could not have said it better myself.

Here is the entire report: