PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Who is getting FireAid money?
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: The $100 million raised by the FireAid concert was meant to go wildfire victims, but despite the organization saying it’s given out some of the money, fire victims say they haven’t seen any help.
WASHINGTON (KTTV) – On Monday, Reps. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, formally requested FireAid organizations to provide a list of all nonprofits that received funds from the benefit concert following the devastating January wildfires.
This comes nearly a month after journalist Sue Pascoe suggested that millions raised during the star-studded event are not reaching the victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: $100 million FireAid money under scrutiny. Where have the concert funds gone?
What we know:
In a letter addressed to Irving Azoff, CEO of Ticketmaster, and his wife, Shelli, the congressional representatives detailed how the concert promised to deliver the $100 million raised to wildfire victims. “However, according to public records, FireAid diverted these donations to nonprofits instead of providing direct relief to fire victims,” the letter stated.
The letter continued, “As part of our constitutional oversight responsibilities, we request your voluntary cooperation with oversight of this matter.”
The other side:
In response to Pascoe’s report in late July, Chris Wallace, community chief for the Los Angeles Clippers, released the following statement:
“As a newly formed 501(c)(3), FireAid does not have the capability to make direct payments to individuals, and that was never the plan. To deliver aid into the community, we partnered directly with trusted local nonprofits that have the capacity to reach the communities in need, providing food security, housing, and resources for schools. Each dollar was intended for the community, and a stipulation of the funds was that not a single dollar was spent on administrative costs.”
Steve Ballmer, owner of the Clippers, donated $15 million of his own money to emergency funding, “particularly in the historic, racially diverse community of Altadena.” Ballmer was not mentioned in the congressional letter.
SUGGESTED: LA fires: Clippers owner Steve Ballmer donates $15M to relief efforts
What’s next:
FireAid has a Sept. 2 deadline to provide the amount and purpose for each expenditure. “We’ve also made clear that the remaining $25 million must go to victims,” Rep. Kiley wrote on X.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.
The Source: This story was reported with information from a letter written to FireAid organizers and previous FOX 11 reports.
