Jennifer Siebel Newsom‘s gender-focused movie nonprofit is burning by means of money with revenues drying up — a probably regarding sample for the spouse of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who’s reportedly the topic of a federal tax investigation.
Federal authorities haven’t publicly disclosed what prompted the probes into the Newsom and his partner, which got here to mild final week, however a supply with information of the matter confirmed to The California Submit that investigators have been inspecting Siebel Newsom’s taxes.
An examination of the final 5 years of IRS filings for The Illustration Venture — the nonprofit Siebel Newsom based to distribute her documentaries and promote gender fairness initiatives — exhibits a company more and more depending on donations whereas persevering with to opaquely spend giant sums of cash to distribute Siebel Newsom’s movies.
Tax consultants contacted by The Submit had been befuddled on what to make of the bills and wage the primary accomplice receives for reportedly 40 hours per week of labor.
“It’s very tough to understand how successfully the cash is being spent,” mentioned Gary Krausz, an audit accomplice at Gursey Schneider LLP who reviewed the filings for The Submit.
“They may very well be paying [Siebel Newsom] $150K and he or she may very well be sitting on Instagram posting tales all day.”
Officers for the governor, Siebel Newsom and The Illustration Venture didn’t reply to requests for remark.
For the final fiscal 12 months ending in March 2025, The Illustration Venture reported paying Siebel Newsom $161,250 because the nonprofit’s founder and chief inventive officer. That was a elevate from the $150,000 she acquired in prior years, in keeping with the nonprofit’s Type 990 filings with the IRS.
The funds seem to have been directed to Women Membership Leisure LLC, Siebel Newsom’s for-profit movie firm, which has a historical past of failing to file legally required paperwork in a well timed method.
Siebel Newsom’s pay bump got here throughout a brutal 12 months financially for the nonprofit. The Illustration Venture reported $1.24 million in income in opposition to $1.75 million in bills in 2024-2025, leaving it $508,228 within the purple.
Its internet property cratered from $553,081 at the beginning of the fiscal 12 months to simply $44,853.
The group additionally misplaced about $221,000 the in 2020-2021 fiscal 12 months, and it went into the purple once more the following 12 months with losses of $445,000. The nonprofit managed to roughly break even the next two years earlier than burning a half-million {dollars} past income.
Siebel Newsom’s movies have been accused of being heavy-handed, progressive social crusades. Her first challenge, “Miss Illustration,” criticized the media’s portrayal of ladies whereas “The Masks You Reside In” deconstructed masculinity. “The Nice American Lie” railed in opposition to inequality and capitalism and “Honest Play” mewed in regards to the division of family labor.
Regardless of greater than a decade of filmmaking, solely Siebel Newsom’s first documentary earned a Rotten Tomatoes rating above 70%, whereas the three others have failed to draw sufficient critics to even obtain a ranking.
Figuring out all of the donors who’ve helped prop up the primary accomplice’s flagging movie profession is not possible primarily based on restricted public data, however the record features a consisted solid of rich donors — comparable to Lisa Stone Pritzker and Susie Tompkins Buell — who’ve helped bankroll Gov. Newsom’s political actions lately.
Paul Dergarabedian, head of market tendencies for Rentrak, informed The Submit that the bills on distribution are tough to know with out extra info.
“Theatrical [releases] are very simple — field workplace splits are outlined on how a lot the theater proprietor will get, the distributor will get and anybody concerned in financing. That pie is lower into many slices,” Dergarabedian mentioned.
“Licensing offers are extra nebulous and must be judged on a case-by-case foundation.”
This month, Siebel Newsom unveiled a brand new documentary titled “Miss Illustration: Rise Up,” a follow-up to her 2011 movie of the identical title. The brand new flick focuses on the poisonous impression social media has on younger ladies and ladies and options Hillary Clinton and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
The Illustration Venture reported spending greater than $2.07 million on its “Movie” program over the previous 5 tax filings, with a pointy leap to $896,917 in its most up-to-date submitting. These data say the bills are tied not solely to distributing Siebel Newsom’s movies but in addition to instructional supplies constructed round them.
Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Fresno) beforehand accused the movies of being “a really clear try and indoctrinate the following era of Californians.”
Regardless of the drying up of funds for The Illustration Venture, and a reliance on rich donors to fund her initiatives (together with her family’s charitable belief), Siebel Newsom informed The Guardian in a current interview that she sees herself as an unbiased entrepreneur, artist and advocate.
“I’ve at all times had a profession. I’ve at all times been a breadwinner,” Siebel Newsom informed the outlet. “We don’t pay our first women.”
