Philanthropy California's Response and Messaging on the January 2025 Fires

About Philanthropy California 

Philanthropy California is an initiative of our state’s three regional philanthropy associations: Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties, Northern California Grantmakers, and SoCal Grantmakers. Philanthropy California brings together our three philanthropic networks to increase our collective impact and build a thriving, equitable, and inclusive California. Our combined statewide membership represents over 600 foundations, corporate funders, philanthropic individuals and families, giving circles, and government agencies that invest billions annually to support nonprofits and communities across the state, the country, and worldwide. 

Philanthropy California’s response and coordination efforts during the January 2025 wildfires and firestorm:

• Real-time fund vetting. Our team activated the Philanthropy CA Disaster Response Page to list vetted funds stood up by philanthropic organizations responding to the southern California wildfires. The philanthropic community has shown an outpouring of support for disaster survivors.
• Shared messaging campaigns with state partners. Quick action and early partnership between government and philanthropy enabled shared trusted messaging across sectors, as well as mobilization of rapid response and early recovery funding to those affected. Our vetted funds list was shared by the Cal OES Business Operations Center and the Governor’s Office to reach funder networks and grant seekers across the state.
• Mutual aid resource tracking. Our team created, curated, and managed a living document to track resources pertaining to community health, rapid response funds, legal aid, housing, basic needs, access and functional needs, language access and trusted messaging, mental health, youth and children, news/information, research, and disaster briefings. 
• Uplifting resources for national funders and philanthropy-serving organizations. Philanthropy CA supported United Philanthropy Forum in developing a resource page to help strengthen philanthropic support from outside of California. 
• Funder briefings and education. SoCal Grantmakers/Philanthropy CA, League of California Community Foundations, SmartGrowth CA, United Philanthropy Forum, Council on Foundations, and Cal OES, co-hosted a special funder briefing to provide a shared understanding of the philanthropic response in Southern California. Panel speakers included representatives from the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), California Community Foundation, Pasadena Community Foundation, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and Latino Community Foundation. Approximately 1,300 people registered, and over 800 people attended live. Subsequent monthly briefings through May 2025 will focus on educating funders about relevant recovery topics. Monthly briefings through May 2025 will focus on educating funders about relevant recovery topics. Philanthropy CA also co-sponsored a national funder briefing on wildfire recovery led by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
• Local funder coordination and network alignment. Beyond response, SoCal Grantmakers participates on the steering committee of the L.A. Wildfire Recovery Funders Collaborative, an emergent cross-sector coalition of local recovery philanthropic fund managers, government agencies, academia, and nonprofit partners responding to the devastating January 2025 wildfires in Southern California. 

Regarding the funds Philanthropy California vetted and published on the Disaster Response Page and the criteria used during the vetting process: 

Our team at SoCal Grantmakers, through our alliance with Philanthropy California, has compiled a list of vetted and active funds set up by philanthropic organizations that are currently responding to the January 2025 Southern California wildfires. 

Our list represents funds managed by experienced, accredited grantmaking organizations/institutions with a long-term commitment to addressing emergent or unmet needs in the affected communities and to anti-discrimination in its grantmaking practices. This enables us to ensure transparency, accountability, and donor intent. These vetted funds are held by established grantmakers who primarily serve as re-granters to local funders (e.g. community foundations or statewide & national funds). We make exceptions where funders are addressing unmet needs. 

Being a member of Philanthropy CA or its regional associations is not required for a fund to be listed. At the same time, membership does not guarantee that funds from member organizations will automatically be listed. 

Regarding the data that Philanthropy California is (and is not) collecting and monitoring in relation to the philanthropic response to the January wildfires: 

As of the baseline data gathered in February 2025, Philanthropy CA is tracking $736M in philanthropic funds collectively raised for the wildfires, which includes the vetted funds, FireAid, GoFundMe, LA Rises, CA Rises, and known NGO-led funds. This is an estimate; some funds have reported total commitments, not necessarily dollars granted. Philanthropy CA will not be tracking the distribution of grants from these various funds.

While there may be hundreds of millions raised in philanthropic funding, this amount is spread across many organizations with different grantmaking priorities. Official recovery needs assessments are still underway. Meanwhile, early estimates indicate that structural and economic losses can be as high as $250BN. 

It is uncertain that these funds will continue to grow, underscoring that philanthropy cannot be expected to fill these gaps alone. Federal/state/local funding and insurance must come first.

On the importance of ensuring an equitable recovery and that impacted communities emerge more resilient than before: 

Long-term recovery after a disaster, at minimum, can be a 3-5 year process. Funding for recovery may come from different sources, but the needs of impacted communities must lead the way toward a just and equitable recovery.

Centering equity in recovery means ensuring that the most vulnerable survivors—those disproportionately affected and least likely to access traditional aid—are not left behind but rather prioritized in the path toward rebuilding and resilience.

SoCal Grantmakers’ current involvement in recovery initiatives and the public-private partnerships emerging in Southern California:   

SoCal Grantmakers has partnered with Cal OES, L.A. County’s Center for Strategic Partnerships, City of L.A. Office of Strategic Partnerships, and local funders to organize the L.A. Wildfire Recovery Funders Collaborative. At a high level, we envision representatives consisting of all of the major Wildlife Relief Funds, representatives from the City of LA, the County, and the State. Each would agree to collaborate with the goals of creating a more aligned recovery process across the County, building resilience in historically disinvested communities and populations, and building a framework for coordinated disaster philanthropy across the region.

Additionally, SoCal Grantmakers has partnered with the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD) on the LA Region Small Business and Worker Relief Funds. The two funds create a public-private partnership to provide immediate relief for wildfire-impacted small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and workers and are now welcoming philanthropic contributions. These funds will be managed in collaboration with the County’s Center for Strategic Partnership and Southern California Grantmakers, the County’s fiscal sponsor.

Applications for the funds for eligible small businesses and workers are open as of February 2025, offering grants between $2,000 and $25,000 for eligible small businesses and nonprofits and $2,000 for displaced workers. DEO and EWDD have partnered with Southern California Grantmakers and AidKit to spread awareness of the opportunity, assist with the application process, and distribute funds directly to awardees. 

How Philanthropy can make long-term investments in climate resilience:

These wildfires are not isolated disasters—they are part of a larger pattern of escalating climate impacts that demand long-term solutions. Investing in resilience means going beyond emergency response to support community-led efforts that reduce risk, strengthen local infrastructure, and ensure equitable recovery. Philanthropy has a critical role to play in advancing policies and funding strategies that build a climate-ready California, where all communities—especially those most vulnerable—are prepared for the challenges ahead.

Philanthropy CA’s Resourcing Resilience Report, created in partnership between Philanthropy California and Nonprofit Finance Fund, provides a landscape analysis of public and philanthropic investments in climate resilience and serves as a call to action for both sectors to unlock pathways to more equitable, accessible funding. Philanthropic and government funders have important roles to play in addressing the real challenges communities face when securing funding for their work on climate adaptation, mitigation, and disaster resilience. Neither can achieve meaningful and equitable climate action alone, and community-led solutions require coordinated public and private support. The actions recommended in this report outline a path forward for ensuring communities are able to access the funding they need. 

Points of Contact

For inquiries regarding Philanthropy California’s climate and disaster coordination, programming, or response effort, please contact: 

Lily Bui, PhD
Manager, Climate and Disaster Preparedness and Resilience
SoCal Grantmakers & Philanthropy California
lily@socalgrantmakers.org

Katie Oran 
Manager, Climate & Disaster Resilience 
Northern California Grantmakers & Philanthropy California 
kaoran@ncg.org

For broader inquiries regarding the individual work of the three regional associations within the Philanthropy California Alliance, please reach out to these regional contacts: 

Eddy Gonzalez 

Vice-President, Knowledge & Communications

SoCal Grantmakers 
eddy@socalgrantmakers.org 

Kirin Kumar
Director, Climate and Disaster Resilience
Northern California Grantmakers & Philanthropy California
kkumar@ncg.org

Megan Thomas
President/CEO

Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties
megan@catalystsd.org