Six weeks have passed since the series of fires that tore gaping holes in our city’s colorful fabric. Six short weeks of relief and recovery efforts, and an outpouring of support, which included the FireAid benefit concert on January 30, a worldwide event made possible by dozens of sponsors, streamers and headliners, as well as millions of viewers, donors and fans. We are honored to announce that FireAid raised an estimated $100 million, half of which will be distributed through an initial set of grants.

FireAid is proud to partner with more than 100 organizations to support response across the Southland in areas victimized by the Eaton Fire, Palisades Fire and others. Our intention is to strike a balance, geographically and organizationally, assisting both large funds and organizations with longstanding experience navigating moments of crisis, and community groups with deep knowledge of impacted neighborhoods. Some of the most influential work is being done by these smaller organizations, so in addition to providing direct grants to community-based organizations, we have also established the FireAid Community Grants Program, where they can apply for grants ranging from $10,000-$50,000.

Thousands of our neighbors have been affected by these fires, and we want to lift as many as we can. Most of the grants are concentrated on families, students, children and foster youth, who lost homes, schools and other safe havens. In addition, many are focused on frontline workers and firefighters, who jeopardized their own safety for our protection; small business owners and displaced workers, who lost sources of employment; senior citizens and disabled adults, whose obstacles have multiplied; and artists and musicians, using their talents to raise funds, while facing innumerable hardships themselves.

The process used to identify high-impact organizations, worthy of these grants, was painstaking. Through it, we learned a lot about what victims urgently need:

Direct Relief: Gift cards, grocery cards, cash. We targeted groups providing direct financial assistance, quickly and efficiently, after other benefits expire.

Food Access: Not since Covid have food banks experienced such drastic shortages, with demand expected to increase after benefits expire.

Navigation: Many of our most vulnerable residents are understandably frustrated navigating insurance companies and complex disaster relief policies. They need resources to access the benefits to which they’re entitled.

Health and Housing: The next phase of funding will focus more on long-term housing issues, but medical care and short-term accommodations are an immediate priority.

Community Hubs: For basic necessities, victims continue flocking to institutions they trust, such as schools, churches, temples and mosques short on resources.

Six weeks have passed and we are just getting started. The road to recovery is long and arduous. We hope today marks another step.

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