Did Gov. Newsom's Wife Pay Herself $3.7M From Her Charity?

Recent reports allege Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-CA) wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, has received $3.7 million over the past decade from her nonprofit, The Representation Project.

The Report: On March 9, The Daily Mail (Lean Right bias) published IRS records that showed Siebel Newsom had paid herself and her film company, Girls Club Entertainment LLC, over $3.7 million between 2012 and 2023 through her nonprofit, The Representation Project. The Daily Mail reported the foundation–which aims to challenge "limiting gender stereotypes"–brings in between $1 million and $1.7 million a year in grants and donations, with roughly $300,000 of that going to Siebel. It said the funds were reportedly split as a $150,000 annual salary for Siebel with the rest going to the Girls Club Entertainment. 

'Following the Money': Snopes (Lean Left) fact checked this claim and found the most recent IRS filings indicated Siebel received $1.8 million from The Representation Project between 2011 and 2024. During this same time period, the organization had paid another $2.1 million to Girls Club Entertainment–bringing the combined total to roughly $3.8 million. However, Snopes said there wasn't available evidence that Siebel personally received all of that money. It confirmed Siebel's annual salary for most of those years was $150,000 while Girls Club Entertainment received roughly $150,000 for services described as "writer, director and producer fees."

The California Partners Project: A separate New York Post (Lean Right) article highlighted another Siebel Newsom-founded nonprofit called The California Partners Project, which promotes gender equality. It alleged Gavin Newsom had "funneled more than $4.4 million in donations" through this organization thanks to a "murky loophole" which allows donations to be made as "behested payments." The article said many of the donors have "benefited from Newsom's seven years in office" and quoted a gubernatorial candidate calling it "corruption in plain sight." While The Post noted Siebel doesn't get a salary from The California Partners Project, it emphasized both The California Partners Project and The Representation Project are "ethically questionable." 

How the Media Covered It: The story wasn't covered widely by mainstream news outlets. Most sources who covered the news reported that Siebel Newsom received all $3.7 million from The Representation Project. Snopes stood out by reporting that it was "unclear" how much of the money sent to Girls Club Entertainment, "if any, went to Siebel Newsom." Daily Mail noted Siebel and her nonprofit colleagues earned more than 95% of charities of a similar size. California Globe (Center) wrote the finding "intensifies long-standing scrutiny of financial flows tied to the Newsom family." It also cited auditors who showed companies that invested roughly $10.6 million into Newsom's political campaigns between 2010 and 2022 had a $6.3 billion return.

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