Entertainment industry groups including the Screen Actors Guild and the Entertainment Industry Foundation have launched wildfire relief efforts in Southern California geared toward helping first responders and members of the entertainment industry community.
As a series of devastating wildfires continued to burn across Los Angeles on Wednesday, various organizations began to mobilize aid efforts, including ones intended for first responders and for members of the entertainment community impacted by the natural disaster.
The active wildfires in L.A. County, which include the Palisades Fire, the Eaton, Hurst and Woodley fires (see photos), are at zero percent containment and have led to more than 30,000 evacuations and at least five deaths.
Here are some of the organizations collecting donations and offering help:
Defy:Disaster, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), is accepting donations from members of the entertainment community and the public to offer support to firefighters, first responders, and neighborhoods affected by the fires. EIF, which was founded in 1942, has a long history of disaster response — after the deadly Camp and Woolsey fires in 2018, the organization directed more than $2 million to first responders across California, as well as other organizations that provide long-term aid to survivors. “Our hearts go out to all who have lost their homes and those who are uncertain what the days ahead will hold,” EIF president and CEO Nicole Sexton said in a statement. “There is an urgent need to provide shelter, food and water, medical care for individuals and families, as well as care for pets that have been displaced.” In 2023, Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launched People’s Fund of Maui, administered by EIF. That fund supported those who lost homes in the fires in Lahaina and Kula, delivering $60 million to residents’ bank accounts in six months.
SAG-AFTRA, which canceled Wednesday’s live, in-person announcement of the SAG Awards nominations due to the fires, is accepting donations to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s natural disaster relief fund to help the guild’s community.
On Tuesday, the LA Fire Department Foundation issued a funding alert calling for donations to help cover the costs of tools and safety equipment for LAFD firefighters. The Annenberg and Wasserman foundations immediately provided $1 million to the fund, which helps equip LAFD members with supplies like emergency fire shelters and hydration backpacks.
CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), the organization co-founded by Sean Penn and Ann Lee which has responded to wildfire relief efforts in California for years, is deploying a team to LA evacuation shelters to distribute masks, go-kits, hygiene kits and other resources.
In addition to the entertainment industry-specific aid efforts, many more general wildfire-related philanthropies are getting involved.
GoFundMe has established a growing hub for its verified pages related to the local wildfires. One fundraiser is to assist the nonprofit canine rescue Rags2Wags. “The Palisades fire has forced an evacuation of the rescue,” the page explains. “Getting each dog into a safe and appropriate location is both difficult and expensive.” Other efforts describe losing homes and belongings in bluntly personal terms. “The fire took everything,” one organizer explains of her mother’s plight.
GlobalGiving, which specializes in partnering with local organizations on disaster assistance and is highly ranked by Charity Navigator, has announced its California Wildfire Relief Fund to support longer-term recovery efforts. More immediately, its focus includes providing food and emergency medical supplies to impacted residents and their animals, as well as other aid to front-line workers.
World Central Kitchen, chef José Andrés’ food relief nonprofit, is on hand in L.A. to provide first responders and people who are evacuating with sandwiches and water.
The International Medical Corps, a humanitarian organization headquartered in L.A. that provides emergency medical services, is delivering relief supplies—including hygiene kits and first-aid kits—to communities affected by the fires.
Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization, has launched a California wildfire relief fund and offered assistance to more than 70 partner health facilities in the path of the fires.