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Wildfire & Disaster Relief

**CURRENT INCIDENT INFORMATION **

September 2024:

Southern California wildfires currently fueled by high winds and excessive heat have burned more than 100,000 acres in San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The California Fire Foundation is currently raising money to support victims and evacuees from the Bridge Fire, Line Fire and Airport Fire. Donate below to support these relief efforts. 

July 2024:

California is now in the prime of wildfire season amid dry air and extreme heat. The Park Fire that started in Butte and Tehema Counties has spread into Plumas and Shasta Counties and forced new evacuations with reports of multiple structures destroyed – growing to more than 350,000 acres.

As a leader in providing immediate assistance to CA residents and firefighters impacted by natural disasters, the California Fire Foundation has partnered with Northern Valley Catholic Social Services to distribute direct aid in the form of $250 cash cards to households affected by the Park Fire. Please contact NVCSS directly for information about obtaining a card. 

DONATE TO CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE & DISASTER RELIEF TODAY

Your donation to the CFF Wildfire & Disaster Relief Fund directly supports victims of wildfires and disasters throughout California.  

At the California Fire Foundation, our purpose is to support the survivors, firefighters, and communities affected by natural disaster, whether that is a large-scale wildfire, a global pandemic, floods, mudslide, earthquake or other disaster. 

Our wide variety of programs support critical needs of those touched by natural disaster, from immediate assistance to long-term recovery and at the core of everything we do is our mission of providing emotional and financial assistance to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and the communities they protect across our beloved state. 

IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE FOR WILDFIRE & NATURAL DISASTER SURVIVORS:  

During fast-moving and chaotic disaster situations, the California Fire Foundation aims to administer direct financial relief to affected communities effectively and quickly. We work with a network of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to identify residents whose homes are damaged or who are experiencing extended evacuation orders in their communities. These organizations are in a unique position to understand and recognize the immediate needs within their communities. Just as firefighters are often first to reach the frontline of fires, often CBOs are the first line of support to survivors of large-scale disasters at emergency aid centers and with their involvement in the distribution of the $250 Disaster Relief cash cards, we can quickly get vital aid to those in need.  

In 2021, we distributed over 2,080 Disaster Relief cards totaling over $520,000 in aid, to survivors of the River, Dixie, and Caldor fires.

In 2022, the California Fire Foundation distributed over 2,685 Disaster Relief cash cards totaling $658,750 to those impacted by the Oak, McKinney, Mill, Mountain, Mosquito and Fork Fires and the December 2022 Earthquake in Humboldt County.

So far in 2023, we have distributed more than $770,000 into California Communities impacted by the severe storms at the beginning of the year. To see a complete accounting of these efforts check out our 2023 Winter Storms Special Impact Report. Additionally, California Fire Foundation raised more than $800,000 in monetary and in-kind support for Maui Wildfire Relief after the August 2023 Lahaina Wildfire. 

MID & LONG-TERM WILDFIRE RELIEF: 

Following the unprecedented devastation of the many catastrophic wildfires of recent years, the California Fire Foundation saw the need to provide ongoing, mid- and long-term support to the communities affected by disaster.  

While an immediate influx of funding may flood into communities in the days and weeks following the disaster, the recovery efforts take years to be completed.  In order to give continued support for the California communities that have been affected by wildfire over the last several years, the California Fire Foundation created a grant program for the organizations working on the ground in impacted areas to assist with their mid- and long-term relief and recovery needs.  By working closely with these organizations to assess ongoing needs and effective funding strategies, the Foundation is providing a direct, continued line of support to the Californians who are still living with the impacts of devastating wildfires, offering support and help long after the cameras have stopped rolling. 

To date, the Foundation has granted more than $4 million in the California Rises’ proceeds to nearly two dozen community organizations across the state. 

Working to bring California back from the ashes, grantees are helping renew communities scarred by catastrophic wildfires -- rebuilding lives and restoring hope for those who have lost so much. 

The average California Rises grant award is $200,000. 

Around 14 million Californians across two dozen counties are served by the grantees receiving relief and recovery funding under the California Rises Initiative.