Avoiding Homelessness to Fight Wildfires with Light

Hi, I'm Leo DiDomenico. I’m a former NASA JPL scientist, and I’m asking for emergency assistance of $65,000 to cover 6–9 months of basic living costs—hotel shelter, internet, car insurance, and food.

This is not just to survive—it’s to give me the time to finish building a startup that could radically help people across the U.S. and the world.

Twenty years ago, I left a prestigious career at JPL to work full time—on my own dime—developing a revolutionary way to control light.

This light can be used to fight wildfires from miles away—using only beams of intense energy. No water. No chemicals. Just pure, targeted light.

In fact, I recently achieved what may be a world first: I extinguished a small laboratory flame using only light.

Imagine a future where remote fire sentries stand watch over our cities and forests. When a wildfire is detected, beams of light could intercept and extinguish it—even in Santa Ana winds—before it becomes a disaster.

This could protect places like Maui, Paradise, Los Angeles, and more. Wildfires now cost the U.S. up to $1 trillion per year (according to Congress) and are responsible for 20%+ of global CO₂ emissions.

My journey derailed when I lost a $2 million Department of Energy grant due to climate-related politics during the Trump 1.0 administration. That loss eventually cascaded into the collapse of my marriage more recently, followed by the theft of my remaining savings by organized crime posing as financial institutions. Yes, the FBI is involved.

Now, I’m just days away from homelessness. I’ve been living in a hotel, still trying to move this mission forward, but my funds are nearly gone. Entrepreneurship is not easy!

I'm not asking for charity. I’m asking for a lifeline to finish what I started—to stay in the fight for a technology that could change everything about how we deal with wildfires, CO₂, and climate disaster. All those other technologies, like fusion and solar, will not be effective at all if wildfires keep growing and dumping more CO₂ into the atmosphere.

I’ve given up everything for this mission—career opportunities, income, and comfort—because I believe we can and must do better. Not to get rich quick, but to serve and build value over time for everyone.

If you believe in protecting the future, and in helping those who never gave up in a worthy cause, please help me stay in the fight.

With gratitude,

Leo