$2 Million in Grants for Community-Led Fire Recovery

Helping nonprofit partners hire, build systems, and meet residents’ needs for years to come

PASADENA, CA, August 13 — Pasadena Community Foundation announces $2 million in capacity grants from the Eaton Fire Relief & Recovery Fund to support nonprofit partners working alongside residents. Unlike traditional funding tied to specific programs, these grants fund the core infrastructure of nonprofit organizations: staffing, operations, and equipment. That flexibility helps partners stay in this work for the years of rebuilding ahead. In the immediate aftermath of the Eaton Fire, residents leaned on nonprofit partners for help, and those organizations have continued walking alongside them through recovery and rebuilding in the months since. Many nonprofits have stretched beyond their core missions to meet the moment, and that pace isn’t sustainable without more support.

This one-time grant provides $200,000 in flexible funding to each nonprofit partner, strengthening their ability to support recovery in the years ahead. The funding can go toward hiring staff, investing in technology, or building project management systems, all aimed at expanding what these organizations can offer fire survivors. These nonprofit partners are supporting fire survivors’ mental health, connecting them to critical resources, guiding them through the rebuilding process, preventing displacement, developing affordable housing, and mobilizing resources for long-term recovery, among other efforts.

Clockwise from top left: Union Station Homeless Services, Greenline Housing Foundation, Neighborhood Survants, and Foothill Family.

These organizations are deeply embedded in Greater Pasadena and equipped to coordinate and leverage resources at scale. Together, they blend new, survivor-led groups with established experts in housing affordability, mental health and child-well being support, and construction. They include:

• Altagether, a grassroots Altadena network that works at the neighborhood level to connect fire survivors and help them access recovery resources. 
• Clergy Community Coalition, a coalition of local faith leaders bringing together faith communities, civic leaders, government agencies, nonprofits, and funders to support recovery.
• Early Care and Learning Collective (ECLC), a Pacific Oaks College project to provide recovery support for 51 childcare providers affected by the Eaton Fire.
• Every Fire Survivors Network, a survivor-led hub helping families understand their options, access funding, and voice their needs as they rebuild.
• Foothill Family, a mental health and social services agency supporting survivors’ emotional health and trauma recovery.
• Greenline Housing Foundation, a housing nonprofit helping preserve housing affordability in Altadena and providing survivors with rental assistance, rebuilding support, and down-payment assistance.
• The Legacy Land Project, an organization protecting generational homeowners and those at risk of displacement in Altadena by helping households manage their cases and find their way through the recovery process.
• Neighborhood Survants, a nonprofit connecting survivors to essential goods, care management, and health and wellness support.
• San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity, a longstanding local nonprofit focused on rebuilding homes for Altadena families and providing financial support and construction-management systems.
• Union Station Homeless Services, a Pasadena-based homeless services agency developing long-term, affordable, service-connected housing for fire survivors.

The Department of Angels’ most recent survey of fire survivors found that 2 in 3 people living in Altadena at the time of the fire remain displaced, with financial barriers the top factor in rebuilding decisions. It also found 3 in 4 survivors report worsened mental health, virtually unchanged from a year ago. With this funding, these organizations will be better positioned to meet needs at this scale. 

These capacity grants are part of a five-part strategy by Pasadena Community Foundation to build lasting recovery infrastructure for the Greater Pasadena area. The other priorities include: funding direct services and rebuilding efforts to meet survivors’ immediate needs; connecting philanthropic resources to the Eaton Fire Collaborative Long-Term Recovery Group and Unmet Needs Table; securing continued public resources; and ensuring an equitable, community-led recovery. This past summer, Khanh Russo, CEO of Pasadena Community Foundation, shared,

“The first months following the Eaton Fire were focused on meeting urgent needs. As we look ahead, recovery will take years, and it must be guided by the people most affected. We are proud to invest in partners committed to walking this journey with residents and grateful for the donors and philanthropic partners standing with us to support a community-led recovery.”

These capacity grants are made possible through our partnership with GlobalGiving, a nonprofit that connects donors and companies to vetted, community-led organizations around the world and has directed disaster recovery funding to crisis-affected regions since 2002. Rylan Truman, Manager of Global Grant Programs at GlobalGiving, said, “We are honored to partner with the Pasadena Community Foundation in our California wildfire response because of their strong commitment to transparency and community-led recovery. Their accessible, flexible grantmaking model allows resources to evolve alongside recovery, while maintaining clear accountability to the community, making PCF a trusted steward of wildfire recovery funds and a strong partner in long-term rebuilding.” That trust extends to the thousands of donors across all 50 states who fund the Eaton Fire Relief & Recovery Fund. Rebuilding at this scale will require continued coordination, learning, and commitment across philanthropy, nonprofits, government, and community members.

You can donate to the fund here.

(Caption Note for Lead Photo – Clockwise from top left to right: Union Station Homeless Services, San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity, Greenline Housing Foundation, and Foothill Family.)

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ABOUT PASADENA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) is a philanthropic foundation serving Greater Pasadena, including Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. For more than 70 years, PCF has connected donors with causes that matter to the community, and in the wake of the Eaton Fire, PCF is helping drive a recovery that is run by and for local residents, preserving the diversity, character, and affordability of Greater Pasadena for generations to come. For more information, visit pasadenacf.org.

Media Contact – media@pasadenacf.org