LA homeless nonprofit paid Hawaii-based CEO over $1.6m in 2 years

The Los Angeles nonprofit 1736 Family Crisis Center, which provides domestic violence shelters and homelessness services, paid its CEO Carol Adelkoff over $1.6 million over two years despite her primary residence being in Hawaii, according to tax filings. Adelkoff's total compensation in 2023 was $907,923 and $742,181 in 2024, bringing her two-year earnings to $1.65 million.

Her high pay is attributed to unused vacation time accumulated over her 40-year tenure with the organization, rather than a sudden raise in salary. Adelkoff stated that the compensation was intended to reduce the organization's liability for unused leave. Experts have questioned the payout, saying it exceeds the compensation of comparable executives in the Los Angeles area, and is not in line with federal guidelines requiring nonprofit compensation to be "reasonable." Additionally, the nonprofit relies heavily on government funding, raising further concerns.