LOS ANGELES, CA (January 28, 2025) – As Los Angeles embarks on a massive long-term recovery effort from the devastating wildfires, United Way of Greater Los Angeles today announced the first phase of funding distribution. A total of $1 million from the Wildfire Response Fund has been awarded to 25 organizations to support community response and urgent relief efforts.

Within a day of the January 7 wildfires igniting, United Way of Greater Los Angeles launched the Wildfire Response Fund to address urgent, ongoing needs and longer-term recovery, which include support for low-income individuals whose livelihood has been disrupted, people experiencing homelessness and those who provide services to support them, and disruptions to community organizations and small businesses. To date, the fund has raised more than $8.3 million due to the immense response of support and care from institutions and individuals in Los Angeles and across the nation. The cost of the wildfire damage has been estimated at $250 billion.

“The tremendous response and generosity from the community, philanthropists, corporations and every donor who has contributed to this fund has been overwhelming. We are deeply thankful,” said Elise Buik, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. “This Fund proves the power of unity and commitment to one another that we have in Los Angeles. Together, we will rebuild and strengthen our community.”

The United Way of Greater Los Angeles Wildfire Response Fund will continue to accept donations and will invest funding across at least three phases to support long-term recovery. The Phase 1 grants are focused on community response, targeting support for some of the most adversely impacted communities, including unhoused, low-income, and BIPOC households across Los Angeles County. Special consideration was also given for organizations serving the deeply impacted communities of Altadena and Pasadena. The funding will help these community organizations provide relief for workers and emergency supplies and support for unhoused and displaced neighbors, including protective equipment, transportation costs, and financial assistance for household needs. Phase 2 funding will support equitable rebuilding, including investments to assess the scope and scale of long-term recovery needs, investments in housing and economic solutions that complement public disaster assistance for renters and homeowners, and plans to address long-term impact on directly impacted communities. Phase 3 funding will emphasize community resilience.

“We are deeply grateful for this funding as it enables us to provide essential relief to people in our community who lost their jobs due to the wildfires,” said Maegan Ortiz, executive director of IDEPSCA, a nonprofit assisting domestic workers and day laborers. “Our partnership with United Way has a long history, and we are joining forces once again for the long-term recovery ahead of us.”

The organizations receiving funding from the Phase 1 distributions of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles Wildfire Response Fund are as follows:

Worker Relief:

Mutual Aid:

Homelessness:

About United Way of Greater Los Angeles
United Way of Greater Los Angeles is one of LA’s most trusted nonprofits, mobilizing neighbors and investments to support each other in a crisis and build a future where all people can thrive. www.unitedwayla.org

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Media contact:
Esmeralda Fabian Romero, United Way of Greater Los Angeles,
efabianromero@unitedwayla.org