Rising Together: A Year of Impact

Pasadena Humane helped 1,500 animals affected by the Eaton Fire, providing medical care, temporary emergency boarding, food and supplies.

A grant from the Wildfire Recovery Fund helped the animal center navigate the biggest emergency rescue operation in its century-old history. As animals filled the center, the quick infusion of CCF funds helped fill urgent and varied needs.

A team of veterinarians provided life-saving medical care, with some animals needing multiple surgeries. Staff purchased many more kennels and converted meeting and training rooms into boarding areas. The shopping list also included special oxygen cages to help animals suffering from smoke inhalation breathe easier.

And for animals left in the burn areas, Pasadena Humane provided water filtration systems for koi, feed for chickens and outdoor cameras to monitor the community cats and wildlife.

“It means a ton to have such great support from CCF,” said Kim Burbank, Pasadena Humane’s director of philanthropy and stewardship. “Especially in a disaster, you don’t know what’s coming next. We did not realize we were going to have the number of animals we did. We didn’t realize the scope of destruction. So a general grant like this is really supportive to be able to let us do what we need to do when we need to do it.”

By the time fire survivors Kate Sullivan and her husband found a steady place to live in early February, they were exhausted.

They had already lived in five different places — and in five different neighborhoods — since evacuating a month earlier. Both retired, they were running short on cash. They hadn’t received any insurance money on their underinsured home in Altadena that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire. After so many moves and so much uncertainty, they felt “totally overwhelmed,” Sullivan said.

Their Los Feliz rental house went mostly unfurnished for three months.

“I was in a mental state where I was just in shock,” Sullivan recalled. “I didn’t want to buy anything and I just couldn't believe everything was really gone. I was just kind of shut down. So it took time to realize all of that’s gone and we need some things.”

In May, she stopped by the Altadena Disaster Recovery Center where she met volunteers and staff members from Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) who were set up in the back room. CORE received a grant from CCF’s Wildfire Recovery Fund.

After a quick vetting process, Sullivan received a prepaid ATM card on the spot and used it to purchase dining chairs and some lamps. Those items filled a void in their house and provided a spark that led them to seek donated furniture to fill out the rest of their house.

“CORE helped our family get back on our feet,” she said. “We were really in a tight spot … we didn't have a lot of funds coming in and they were there right at the right time.”

For wildfire survivors, one of the most painful and unnecessary burdens post-disaster is the requirement from insurers to itemize every possession lost. It is an exhausting process that can retraumatize people already navigating immense loss.

SB 495 offers a humane alternative: in declared emergencies, it requires payment of personal property benefits without demanding exhaustive inventories. This allows survivors to focus on recovery, rehousing, and rebuilding their lives.

Signed into law after CCF’s advocacy coordination efforts, Senate Bill 495 (Allen) will play a critical role in protecting and assisting impacted homeowners. It requires insurance companies to offer 60 percent of the personal property insurance policy coverage limit, up to $350,000, without an itemized claim from the policyholder.

CCF staff worked closely with Allen’s office and with impacted communities to ensure that the needs of those impacted were truly addressed with this legislation. We wrote letters of support, gave testimony, and met with the Governor’s Office to emphasize the importance of this bill for our communities.

In addition to the foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund, our donor-advised fundholders donated generously — more than $34 million — directly to support wildfire recovery efforts. Among them:

Edgerton Family

For longtime donors Brad and Louise Edgerton, giving through the California Community Foundation is about trust, impact, and community. When the devastating wildfires struck Los Angeles, they wanted to ensure their support reached those most affected, quickly and effectively.

Knowing that the California Community Foundation had the internal expertise to triage funds to those most in need and was committed to provide funds quickly to the devastated communities of Altadena and Palisades were important considerations to provide immediate funding.

The Edgerton Foundation similarly partnered with the California Community Foundation in 2020 to provide emergency aid during the Covid pandemic, granting funds to International Medical Corps to obtain and distribute protective masks and gowns for health care personnel when they were in short supply in Los Angeles. The ability of the private sector to help in emergencies such as these is an outstanding asset for American society to treasure.

As we marked one hundred days after the L.A. fires, our Wildfire Recovery Fund grantee partners continued working diligently to ensure fire survivors have the support they need to rebuild and restore.

Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services remained deeply committed to providing housing, therapy, and trauma-informed care to those who need it most.

Pasadena’s College Access Plan (CAP) helps underserved students prepare for college, beginning when they are fifth-graders. When more than 80 percent of the 1,700 students it serves experienced housing disruptions after the Eaton Fire, CAP staff rushed in with financial, emotional and mental support. Gift cards, computer tablets, air purifiers and money to secure new housing were some of the aid rushed to affected families. Fifteen students also received an emotional boost by attending the GRAMMY Awards, outfitted in new clothes courtesy of Macy’s.

CCF has bolstered CAP with grants since 2022, and supported its pivot toward making wildfire recovery a top priority. The work continues as CAP helps students revise college plans, including filing financial aid appeals based on the trauma of the past year.

Pasadena High School senior Alejandra Surias, whose family was displaced in the Eaton Canyon fire, was filled with relief upon answering her phone and hearing the familiar voice of a program coordinator with College Access Plan offering support, asking her “What do you need? How can I help?”

CCF is honored to receive support from notable celebrities and influential voices who have promoted and given to the Wildfire Recovery Fund, including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, and Ariana Grande.

These generous individuals used their celebrity influence in the best way possible — calling for financial support for thousands of survivors displaced by the January wildfires. Some notable news coverage included stories from Elle, Newsweek and Archewell.

The week after the Eaton Fire devastated Altadena, Joy Chen and her pickleball WhatsApp groups began sharing urgent information – everything from temporary housing options to where to find clothes.

The conversation quickly expanded, touching on dozens of issues facing survivors, especially insurance claims. As word spread, the group welcomed the broader Altadena community.

Today, more than 10,000 residents are connected through the Eaton Fire Survivors Network. With support from CCF, Chen’s grassroots effort has drawn national attention and even prompted the California Insurance Commissioner to investigate State Farm’s handling of thousands of insurance claims from wildfire survivors.

Once celebrated as a green community, Altadena was shaded by more than 28,000 mature trees, their canopies arching over streets and neighborhoods.

But after the devastating Eaton Fire and the massive debris removal that followed, just 10,000 of those trees remain. Their survival now depends on a massive watering effort by the local nonprofit, Amigos de los Rios (the Emerald Necklace Group). The group, which said it was “desperate” for volunteers and funding, received welcome support from the California Community Foundation to help save the remaining trees.

“Altadena is known for its beautiful mature trees and biodiversity,” said Claire Robinson, managing director of Amigos de los Rios. “We need to do everything we can to save what we have remaining.”

Staff members and an army of volunteers are delivering about 1,500 gallons of water daily to trees stressed by the fires and subsequent hot weather. Racing against time, they are a lifeline for beloved trees that have graced the town for generations.

Local artist Myra Burg lost her home studio to the Palisades Fire, and along with it her life’s work.

But Burg was able to move forward with plans for recovery, thanks in part to the Jewish Free Loan Association (JFLA), a nonprofit that offers interest-free and fee-free loans to help people with urgent financial needs. The Malibu artist, who creates tapestries and visual art, received a $50,000 small business loan, which has helped her begin to replenish her supplies and start work again in a temporary studio space her brother created for her in his home.

With support from a grant from the Wildfire Recovery Fund, JFLA has stepped up in a major way to provide financial assistance to wildfire survivors. JFLA has distributed over $1.9M in no-cost loans to wildfire survivors like Burg and helped people across LA, Ventura, and Santa Barbara Counties recover their homes, small businesses, and stability.

“This loan completely saved me,” Burg said. “It put me back in business.”

Julia Winter, 77, returned to her condo in the Palisades in the summer after a crew cleaned it of ash and smoke. CORE, which received a grant from CCF, hired crews that cleaned Winter’s condo this summer, which saved her thousands of dollars, she said.

“I did not pay a cent. I was just totally stunned and grateful,” said Winter.

She had evacuated with her daughter’s family to Westlake Village for two weeks and later moved in with the family in Topanga where she stayed in a guest room for months.

Her home, in the Casa Gateway affordable housing complex for seniors and families in the Palisades, suffered smoke and ash damage from the fire. The complex was also hit by debris and mud flows a month after the fire. Many senior residents were displaced for months because they were unable to cover insurance gaps to get the condos safe for their return – until CORE stepped in to assist.

Pacific Palisades has always been defined by its caring, close-knit community. That’s no accident. The all-volunteer Pacific Palisades Community Council has long served as the voice for the area’s quality of life.

Now, many months after a wildfire tore through the Palisades, the council is leading the charge to rebuild not just thousands of structures, but community spirit.

Backed by a grant from the Wildfire Recovery Fund, the council partnered with a nonprofit research group to survey residents about their post-fire needs and vision for the future. Council members also hope to use CCF funds to restore community treasures like the public library and recreation center. Beloved landmarks might be gone, but the community still pulses.

“We’re all looking at how we hold onto and recover the heart and soul of the Palisades,” said Donna Vaccarino, of the Pacific Palisades Historical Society.

After the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, the once-verdant Altadena Community Garden was left charred and barren. Many of its gardeners lost more than a harvest: Of the 120 members, 62 saw their homes burn. But they never lost hope.

Volunteers have been remediating the contaminated soil in the 2.5-acre space using fungi and plants. Oyster mushrooms, sunflowers, squash and other crops are helping detoxify the earth.

“This is the largest mushroom remediation project I’ve ever been involved in,” said Joe Nagy, the garden’s president, who consulted sustainability advocates for the effort.

A grant from CCF — and help from neighbors — is steadily bringing life back to the garden. The effort aims to grow more than herbs and flowers; it’s about reviving the community.

“Our goal is to get our gardeners back to gardening in January,” said Vice President Mary McGilvray. “We need this place back.”

For many older adults in Altadena, their retirement years turned from golden to grief-stricken overnight in January. The Eaton Fire destroyed their homes at a stage in life they expected to be safe and secure.

The Pasadena Senior Center quickly became their lifeline. Staff delivered essentials to evacuees, helped seniors replace wheelchairs and walkers and set up phone trees to check on 3,000 members and friends. With a grant from CCF, the center expanded its food pantry and launched one-on-one guidance for rebuilding. It also created a support group and brought in mental health professionals.

Insurance workshops empowered seniors to advocate for themselves, while games and a coffee bar restored community and connection.

“A lot of people are anxious because they don’t know what the future holds for them,” said Akila Gibbs, the Pasadena Senior Center’s executive director. “We’re helping people through this.”

As a grantee partner of the Wildfire Recovery Fund, Step Up brings trauma-informed care, stable housing solutions, and long-term recovery services to those most impacted.

Step Up is a 40-year-old organization serving chronically homeless individuals with serious mental health problems. After the fires, the organization took immediate steps for individuals who are homeless in the community, keeping service centers open. Step Up became an access point for people in need of food, clothing, shelter and showers.

“CCF's wildfire recovery fund was just so helpful and essential for us because our staff were working almost 24 hours a day,” said Tod Lipka, President and CEO of Step Up.

We express the deepest gratitude to institutional donors, donor-advised-funds and influencers that gave so generously. We were also impressed by the countless local, community-driven efforts to help survivors recover. Among them:

• A group of Isla Vista residents held a cash donation drop-off event in January to collect money for organizations aiding the Los Angeles fire effort. They also sold baked goods, photo and art prints and raised around $12,000, according to the Daily Nexus.
• In January, a network of grassroots organizations and small businesses were running their own disaster relief efforts – from coordinating overnight evacuation services to delivering essential supplies to victims and frontline workers, according to The Guardian. The article featured All Power Books based in West Adams that transformed itself into a “donations hub” where donors and mutual aid groups coordinated supply dropoffs and deliveries.
• In February, Neighborhood Coffee in downtown L.A. organized a bake sale “to raise as much money as possible for CCF.” The event featured 35 participating bakers.

When the Palisades-Malibu YMCA burned to the ground in January, its more than 600 members were among the approximately 90,000 individuals and families in the Los Angeles area affected by the Palisades and Eaton Fires.

Thanks to the philanthropic partners of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles — including the California Community Foundation, which quickly supplied two grants — the Y was able to spring into action to meet urgent needs and support recovery efforts for all affected individuals, whether YMCA members or not.

As plans solidify for a new Palisades facility, the YMCA unveiled a novel mission to turn all of its facilities into permanent community resilience hubs. YMCA facilities will become sites for disaster preparedness and resource distribution, as well as providing wellness and public health services.

Palisades High School senior Hamish Milne lost his home, high school, and the Palisades Y where he worked part-time. “The Y gym in the Palisades was our home. I was there every day for two years. I’d see all my friends there.” When the Y found him a new job at the Westchester Y, “everything good ended up coming back to me. It was the exact same vibe.”

The Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Disaster Relief Clinic was born out of necessity – first as a series of pop-up legal aid events after the January wildfires and later as a formal program with staff attorneys and law students.

Much of the Disaster Relief Clinic’s pro-bono work focuses on guiding traumatized fire survivors through complex applications and appeals. Among the most common issues are disputes with FEMA and insurance companies: Survivors often face denials or insufficient payouts at a time when they are least equipped to advocate for themselves.

“Most people can understand insurance, banking, mortgages, leases and all the stuff you have to do now,” Jeff Baker, clinical law professor at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, said earlier this year. “What most people can’t do well is to do all of that at once while you’re under incredible stress, while you are trying to survive and caring for your families and going to work.”

The California Community Foundation supported the clinic with a grant from its Wildfire Recovery Fund earlier this year.

The clinic has served more than 300 clients since the January wildfires, providing roughly $400,000 worth of pro-bono services to them according to a Pepperdine spokesperson. The clinic has helped clients recover at least $750,000 in FEMA aid and clients have recouped millions of dollars in insurance payouts, the spokesperson said.

All of these CCF-backed bills were signed into law in 2025:

• Senate Bill 547 (Perez) prohibits an insurer from canceling or refusing to renew a commercial property insurance policy for one year from the declaration of a state of emergency, if the commercial property is located within the perimeter of a wildfire or in an adjacent ZIP Code.
• Senate Bill 293 (Perez), known as the Generational Homeownership Protection Act, establishes a pathway for impacted homeowners to bring their property transfer records up to date without penalty.
• Assembly Bill 851 (McKinnor) bans unsolicited offers for properties in wildfire-impacted ZIP codes in L.A. County.
• Assembly Bill 338 (Solache) provides a disaster workforce development board allocation to L.A. and Ventura counties.

Recovery is not just about rebuilding what was lost. It’s also about reimagining what’s possible — and building a future that is safer, more equitable, and more resilient.

The arc of recovery is long, measured in years, not months, and calls for steadfast commitment from our neighbors, partners, and donors.

As a 110-year-old organization dedicated to ensuring a good life for all in Los Angeles County, CCF is here for the long-haul to support Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena and other impacted communities through every stage of recovery and rebuilding.

Over the next year, CCF’s Wildfire Recovery Fund will continue to make investments in rebuilding housing and community spaces, supporting healing and mental health, and strengthening the capacity of local nonprofits to serve those most impacted.

But that will require your ongoing support. We all must recognize that the crisis remains profound and full recovery ultimately depends on our community to rally around fire survivors so they can heal and return home.

CCF’s commitment to recovery is long-term, grounded in connection, compassion and the collective strength of our communities.

The need continues, and together, we are helping families rebuild their lives and communities, step by step.

If you would like to learn more about how you can support our ongoing efforts, please contact CCF Chief Philanthropy Officer Celina Santiago at csantiago@calfund.org.