Oprah And Dwayne Johnson’s Relief Fund Has Paid Out $19
Oprah And Dwayne Johnson’s Relief Fund Has Paid Out $19
Oprah and Dwayne Johnson’s Relief Fund Disburses $19 Million to Maui Residents
The People’s Fund of Maui, established by Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson, is set to distribute its second round of $1,200 payments this week. This initiative has provided $19.4 million to more than 8,100 residents of Lahaina and Kula, according to a fact sheet from Michelle Suess, a public relations consultant for the fund.
Administered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a California-based nonprofit founded in 1942, the fund channels celebrity philanthropy. The organization did not comment for this story.
Kaimana Brumell,
the Maui liaison for the fund, did not respond to requests for comment. Any adult displaced by the August wildfires in Lahaina or Kula was eligible for the monthly payments, but the application deadline was September 22.
Winfrey and Johnson launched the relief fund on August 31 with an initial $10 million contribution. Since then, over 18,000 additional donations have been made.
On September 19,
the first round of payments was issued to over 5,000 Maui residents. More than 3,000 additional applicants were later approved, although some have yet to receive assistance.
Ray Vega,
a displaced Lahaina resident, shared that while his girlfriend received a payment, his application was delayed due to his mainland ID. Despite providing multiple forms of identification and proof of residence, he faced challenges until he obtained a Hawaii ID. He is now set to receive both the first and second payments this week.
Ali Grimes and her partner Keahi Ho,
a Lahaina firefighter, also experienced delays. Ho received a payment in September, but Grimes is only now set to receive her first payment. Grimes noted the repetitive and time-consuming process of applying for various forms of assistance.
“It is a truly wonderful program because whether it’s for six months or longer, it helps us with regular income,” she said.
While over $19 million will be distributed by the end of October,
the total size of the fund and the duration of the payments remain unclear. Winfrey stated in a blog post that the fund would last at least six months, implying a need for approximately $58 million given the current number of approved applicants. However, the foundation’s fact sheet indicated that aid would continue as long as funds are available, and active fundraising is ongoing. Disbursements will not affect recipients’ tax liability or access to other charitable donations.
The effort faced some backlash when Winfrey and Johnson solicited additional donations, given their substantial net worth. Grimes suggested that the negative response may have deterred some potential donors.
“Honestly,
it probably would have raised more money if people didn’t come down so hard on them,” Grimes said. “It probably scared some people off with all that negativity.”
Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.
