Aside from the fact that the relatively affluent $50,000 is below the median California household income, I don't select my races based on where the money goes. I may refuse to run a race if I'm against spending money for whatever it's earmarked for, but in most cases I'm neutral or in favor of the beneficiary, if any, of the races. You may be surprised, but yes, it's not uncommon for kids in those types of neighborhoods to have to raise money to keep their sports programs going. When I coached HS track and xc in a relatively affluent school district, we had to have our own fund raisers to buy uniforms because there was no money allocated for it in the school budget. I served as an unpaid volunteer and they were lucky one of the teachers was willing to take on the responsibilities of head coach because the extra pay was so low no one else wanted to do it. I did some quick calculations and IIRC the hourly rate was less than $2.00. If you're that concerned, why don't you suggest to the race director that they share some of their proceeds with those other area programs.

We actually have a good mix of events here that benefit all types of causes so it is never really an issue.  Even the events that are run in affluent areas benefit some type of illness or charity.

Traditional funding for youth sports here in Michigan is all but nonexistent, forcing organizers to look to other, non-traditional means for funding.  Road races would actually be a good idea what with its burgeoning popularity.

I actually paid out of pocket for my daughter to participate in high school cheer-leading, something that had long been a part of the general fund, but state cuts to educational spending has made such funding impractical.

Maybe I am being selfish, but usually I run a race for my personal enjoyment and not for the charity they represent.  I almost always feel like I got my money's worth.  I have gotten car washes from students raising money for programs at middle class high schools and have bought cookies from girl scouts from middle class families walking through my middle class neighborhood.   When I do donate money to charity for nothing in return, I am more discriminating about the cause.  I did feel a little burned by the Red Cross when they kept about a third of the Sandy relief money, $110 million, and didn't spend it on the victims.

I've always wondered how much of the race fee actually gets to the charity. I think that magazine over there did a story about it once, but I don't remember the breakdown on it. Maybe some RD could clear it up. Plus there is a difference between a for-profit race and a charity one.

Maybe I am being selfish...

Nah, that is pretty normal.  For me, it primarily comes down to the course (flat, hills, etc.) and where the event falls on my racing calendar.  Who or what charity they support if any is secondary.

I base my decision on which races to run from a participant's POV, not what charity they support. As long as they have the essentials down [accurate, safe well-marked course @ mile markers] and deliver on pre-race expectations that's how I grade an event. I'm guessing members of the race committee had ties to those communities. I give them credit for giving back to the community and the grass roots of the sport rather than ding them for which schools they chose to benefit.

I do make donations, but I make them directly to the organisations of my choice.

I actually did that once.  I cannot remember which organization it was for but I gave an extra 5 bucks during online registration....actually, now that I think about it, I have done that a few times over the past three years.