It was a message that resonated with progressive activists and feminist groups nationwide.
Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, is sometimes described as an "influential advocate and thought leader on gender equality" and has built much of her public image around challenging gender stereotypes in media and culture. She serves as an ambassador for several advocacy organizations while also running her own nonprofit initiatives.
One of those nonprofits, The Representation Project, promotes projects aimed at challenging what they call "intersectional gender stereotypes" and "harmful gender norms." Through film, education, and activism, the organization aims to spotlight the cost of these stereotypes and encourage a more equitable future. The nonprofit has raised millions of dollars in donations and grants over the past decade.
However, recent IRS filings paint a more complicated picture. Financial documents reveal that Siebel Newsom has been paying both herself and her company, Girls Club LLC, from the nonprofit's revenue. According to the filings, the nonprofit has paid out roughly $300,000 per year in combined compensation: $150,000 in salary to Siebel Newsom and $150,000 to her production company. From 2012 through 2023, she and her company received more than $3.7 million from the nonprofit.
The payments were reportedly issued to Girls Club LLC for work related to film production, including writer, director, and producer fees. The company also owns the rights to the documentary Miss Representation, which has been licensed to the nonprofit for distribution and public screenings. Interestingly, over the last 17 years, Girls Club LLC has had its state business license flagged for delinquency or suspended multiple times, most recently in 2020. Regardless, the LLC continued to receive six-figure payments from The Representation Project.
In late 2022, the California Partners Project co-hosted a screening of her film Fair Play, which focuses on women's work caring for families. The screening was highlighted in a glowing report by the state's Commission on the Status of Women. The California Volunteers Fund also contributed $5,000 in both 2023 and 2024.
While legal, the governor's solicitation of donations to the California Partners Project raises ethical questions, allowing Siebel Newsom to collect a substantial salary.
While nonprofits frequently compensate founders for their work, the arrangement has drawn scrutiny. Joan Harrington, a current fellow at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, described financial dealings like this as "very tangled," noting that political families operating charities tied to their own businesses can create serious questions about transparency and conflicts of interest.
And yet, just weeks after using her position to highlight the "horrific war on women," the truth comes out: one of the leading advocates for gender equality has funneled millions to herself from the very nonprofit meant to fight the war she claims is raging. For a movement so vocal about the moral failings of others, the optics are undeniable.
If Democrats want to accuse Republicans of waging a "war on women," they should first examine how their own leaders and allies profit from the causes they claim to champion. The rhetoric is self-righteous, but the money is all too real.
