California Community Foundation: Wildfire Recovery Fund
The California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund focuses on intermediate and long-term recovery needs that follow wildfires in California, with special efforts to serve the most disaster-vulnerable populations including the disabled, farmworkers and other migrant communities whose homes and employment are impacted by wildfires, Native American populations living on or proximate to impacted tribal lands, economically-disadvantaged populations without resources to respond to and recover from wildfire impacts, and specific impacted vulnerable populations whose lives have also been affected by structural racism which limit their practical ability to access disaster response, recovery and mitigation resources.
Since 2003, CCF’s Wildfire Recovery Fund has awarded over $32 million to support relief and recovery efforts. While some Wildfire Recovery Fund grants are made directly to local organizations offering direct service, a large portion of grants each year go to local community foundations, which in turn provide grants to multiple partner organizations positioned in the communities they serve. Past grants have supported replacing and rebuilding homes for the displaced, and to restore lost belongings and/or employment. Resources have also gone to help provide support services including case management services, mental health services and financial assistance as well as to upgrade support services like 2-1-1 phone lines and information systems, follow-up medical care and supplies and updated safety equipment for first responders.
CCF ensures that resources reach those most in need, leveraging partnerships with community-based organizations and government agencies. For the LA County wildfires, we’ve activated our fund to complement immediate relief, addressing the long-term recovery needs of neighborhoods long after media attention has shifted away.