Generosity After the LA Fires: Charitable Giving and the Road Ahead to Rebuilding

In the aftermath of the devastating Eaton and Palisades Wildfires in Los Angeles, philanthropic institutions, corporations, community-based organizations, and individuals generated a significant cross-sectoral charitable giving response—and this response is still unfolding one year after the disasters.

In our report, Generosity After the LA Fires: Charitable Giving and the Road Ahead to Rebuilding, we share a review of charitable giving from various sources within the first year following the disasters.

Our research includes a holistic but non-exhaustive review of publicly announced charitable contributions to recovery and rebuilding, as well as insights from interviews with 17 leaders from philanthropic, corporate, local government, and nonprofit sectors. Publicly available data and these conversations demonstrate that charitable giving was uniquely robust and innovative in the aftermath of the disasters, highlighting the importance of continued attention and philanthropic investment as Altadena, the Palisades, and Malibu advance from emergency response and short-term recovery to long-term rebuilding in 2026 and beyond.

However, it is also clear that charitable giving is only capable of addressing a fraction of the unmet need that persists among fire survivors. Only the government—at the local, state, and especially federal level—as well as new forms of collaboration between public and private sectors, will be able to generate and sustain the resources needed to lead full reconstruction and recovery that also enables greater resilience against future hazards.