FireAid, a celebrity-backed fundraising organization that raked in around $100 million to help those affected by the California wildfires, distributed money to more than 160 California nonprofits, according to a review by the Washington Free Beacon.
The wildfires ravaged California in January, destroying countless homes, causing immeasurable damage, and forcing tens of thousands to flee the Los Angeles area. The blaze also directly claimed at least 30 lives and is linked as a contributing factor in hundreds more, V4NA reports.
FireAid announced in February that the money would be distributed "equitably”. It seems they kept that promise — though their method leaves much to be desired.
Whites Ineligible for Aid
The Greenline Housing Foundation, for instance, received funding from a $4.8 million pool earmarked for health care and housing. On its website, however, the foundation specified that white people need not apply.
"In order to qualify for a grant through Greenline Housing Foundation, applicants must be a Black or Hispanic person," the group stated.
Greenline told the Free Beacon that “anyone can apply for and benefit” from its wildfire programs. But the wildfire relief section of its website makes clear that the foundation will “focus its efforts on supporting Black and Hispanic communities.”
The same is true of the Black Freedom Fund, a nonprofit born during the Black Lives Matter era that dedicates itself to fighting “systemic racism” and advancing “Black power-building.” The group — which received money from a $7.6 million “disaster relief” fund — stated in a 2023 grant proposal that it supports only groups “led and controlled by Black people” and serving “primarily Black communities.”
My Tribe Rise, another recipient from the same fund, has a similar mission. Founded in 2019, the group’s stated aim is to “taking the stigma out of gangs and raise awareness of the positive changes possible when people unite to end violence and meet the needs of Black and Brown communities.”