On January 7, 2025, a powerful Santa Ana wind event hit Los Angeles County, with gusts reaching up to 80 mph. The combination of intense winds, ongoing drought conditions, and unusually high temperatures in Southern California sparked a massive wildfire in Pacific Palisades. Additional fires broke out in Altadena near Pasadena and in the Sunset and Hollywood sections of LA, as well as north near the Getty Museum. While these fires have mostly been contained, new fires have now broken out near San Diego.
The fires have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and forced 170,000 people to evacuate. So far, 44,000 acres have been consumed by the flames. At least 27 people have died, primarily older adults and individuals with disabilities who were unable to evacuate or lacked timely assistance. Dozens more remain missing.
Critical and Ongoing Needs
The financial toll of the wildfires continues to rise, with estimates now reaching up to $150 billion and potentially higher if the fires reignite. The federal government has pledged over $250 million to address immediate and long-term needs. Private philanthropy and the business sector have also stepped up to provide support. Major foundations and companies in the greater Los Angeles area have mobilized to provide disaster aid, raising over $55 million to date for various relief efforts. But this is only a drop in the bucket, particularly if the fires reignite.
Over a third of private giving occurs in the first four weeks of a sudden disaster or humanitarian crisis, and two-thirds within two months. Giving stops almost completely after five or six months. Understanding the giving options is important when deploying funds in response to a natural disaster or any other major event. The three primary stages of response are as follows:
- Immediate Relief: In the initial aftermath of a disaster, foundations, government agencies, nonprofit service organizations and volunteers rally to provide food, shelter, water, medical care, and clothing to survivors, and to account for the deceased.
- Medium-term Recovery: Press coverage and donations peak during the immediate relief stage. However, just when public attention begins to wane, critical recovery work begins. Philanthropic investments help provide continued health and social services, including the provision of safe drinking water, temporary or transitional shelter, sanitation facilities, and other services for survivors and their dependents.
- Long-term Rebuilding: In many communities hit by disaster, it takes several years to rebuild physical infrastructure, restore the natural environment, and rehabilitate the lives of those who are among the hardest hit. In this stage, funders play a key role by making strategic investments that can address chronic social and environmental challenges in the impacted community.
Several areas of support are needed for fire recovery. These include rebuilding homes or repairing damage, soil remediation, temporary housing, physical and mental health, assistance for survivors in navigating disaster recovery resources, community and economic development, agricultural support, and livelihood/income support.
As with all natural disasters, marginalized communities are most negatively impacted. They typically lack adequate insurance or savings, making recovery more difficult. Evacuation challenges, such as limited transportation and housing, further increase their risk. Mental health is always a significant issue following fires, especially fires that cause loss of life or mass destruction or occur in communities previously affected by wildfires.
Marginalized populations beyond the immediate vicinity of the fires are also at risk. Farmworkers and other essential workers, for example, face dangers, continuing to work in hazardous air conditions without proper protection or healthcare. Recovery resources often fail to reach these communities due to language barriers, digital divides, and bureaucratic obstacles.
What You Can Do
Several organizations are responding to the crisis in California and it can be a challenge for funders to identify those who are best equipped to provide high-quality services. It is important to choose grantee partners who meet the following criteria:
- Demonstrated emergency response experience
- Capacity and infrastructure to allow for rapid and robust response
- Existing regional or in-country presence
- Commitment to employing and/or working with local people and organizations
- Collaborative relationships with government entities
10 Impactful Non-Profits that are Helping the Victims of the California Wildfires
They are well-vetted organizations meeting the criteria outlined above and directly providing or facilitating relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts in the areas impacted by the fires. The list includes local grassroots organizations with significant community reach, trusted community foundations with a deep understanding of local needs, and seasoned national non-profits with years of emergency response experience.
Since 2008, Inclusive Action for the City has served underinvested communities in LA and built thriving local economies by improving access to transformative capital and advancing policy through collaborative research and community-driven advocacy. During the ongoing wildfire emergency in Los Angeles County, Inclusive Action has launched a new emergency fund to help outdoor workers – street vendors, landscapers, and recyclers – impacted by the fires. Through this fund, impacted outdoor workers can apply for one-time cash assistance support of $500.
Movement Innovation Collaborative is an organizer-led effort to amplify and accelerate the collective power of grassroots community building in California. Through the LA Unity and Solidarity Fund, the Collaborative will redistribute all funds directly to power-building organizations on the ground in Los Angeles County. All donations will support immediate needs resulting from the catastrophic fires in the region and the ongoing direct organizing of impacted residents to fight for the community’s recovery, health, safety, and housing needs.
The California Community Foundation has a long history of making a direct and meaningful impact on individuals and families in need, ensuring that support reaches those most affected. CCF has raised over $30 million for long-term recovery following the LA County wildfires, with support from over 27,000 individual donors, corporations, and foundations. These funds help provide housing, case management, mental health, and medical care, rebuild infrastructure, and offer financial, legal, and immigration services to displaced residents and low-wage workers.
The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation channels community and corporate support into tangible resources for L.A.’s firefighters. For over a decade, the LAFD Foundation has bridged critical gaps to secure essential equipment and support vital safety programs that would otherwise go unfunded. The LAFD Foundation is actively seeking funds to equip our LAFD members battling wildfires with equipment and supplies such as emergency fire shelters, hydration backpacks, and wildland brush tools.
Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. For over 45 years, Americares has worked in 85 countries, including the United States, providing life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies, and emergency aid.
In response to the LA fires, Americares immediately contacted more than 70 partners throughout the region, including 24 health organizations in Los Angeles that serve low-income, uninsured patients, and deployed an emergency response team to Los Angeles to deliver aid and coordinate shipments of medicine, masks, safe drinking water, and relief supplies for wildfire survivors throughout southern California. They are also prepared to provide emergency funding and deploy medical staff and disaster mental health specialists as needed.
Since 2010, World Central Kitchen has provided hot meals to first responders and survivors of natural and humanitarian disasters within hours of the emergency. WCK teams have provided more than 200,000 meals to communities affected by the Los Angeles wildfires since serving the first plates of food on January 8. They are managing 50 meal distribution sites across Southern California, with 20 designated for first responders.
Special Populations
Baby2Baby is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides diapers, clothing, and more to children living in poverty. In response to the wildfires, they are working with 470 partner organizations in LA County to provide essentials like diapers, food, formula, and hygiene products to families who have been displaced.
The Los Angeles United School District Education Foundation established an Emergency Relief Fund to provide direct cash assistance to families and employees affected by wildfires, especially those in financial need. It includes supporting teachers and resources for impacted schools to maintain learning, as well as offering flexible mental health support and assistance for the recovery of classrooms and other essential needs for students, families, and teachers.
The LA Arts Community Relief Fund will provide support for artists and arts workers in all disciplines who have lost residences, studios, livelihoods or have otherwise been impacted by the devastating Los Angeles fires. The fund will be administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, a longstanding intermediary providing funding, advocacy, and research support on behalf of individuals in the arts.
Best Friends Animal Society, a sanctuary and shelter in California is supporting local animal welfare organizations while ensuring the safety of the pets and staff in its West L.A. Pet Adoption Center. The organization has opened up two emergency pet pantries for the community that provide everyday pet supplies for folks in need, they are providing emergency medical support to injured animals and have started a home-to-home foster group to aid families who need a temporary haven for their pets.
Whether it is one of the preceding organizations or ones that you know of and have vetted, we encourage you to consider how you can help Southern California and the people of the state rebuild their lives, their businesses, their homes, and their physical and mental health.
