Announcing the 2018 California Wildfires Recovery Fund Grants

The CDP California Wildfires Recovery Fund was launched to support recovery efforts in the state following the devastating impacts from the Camp, Woolsey and Hill wildfires with the purpose of:

• Fostering collaborative relationships among donors – including the sharing of information with funders and nonprofit organizations.
• Supporting local long-term recovery groups.
• Mobilizing resources for housing recovery programs and initiatives.
• Mobilizing resources for programs and initiatives supporting mental health.

A total of $1,537,796 will be allocated toward wildfire recovery in California and I am pleased to announce the following seven grants have been awarded from the fund:

• $250,000 to Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) to support the reconstruction of affordable multi-family housing in Paradise destroyed by the Camp Fire.
• $500,000 to Butte County Office of Education’s Response and Recovery Project to support expanded mental health outreach, assistance and services for school-aged children and their families across Butte County.
• $250,000 to the Workforce Housing Project (a project of the North Valley Community Foundation) received $250,000. This partnership of funders and stakeholders is working to provide solutions for more stable temporary housing among Camp Fire displaced residents.
• $30,000 to Disaster Leadership Team to continue providing direct mentorship support to the Camp Fire Long Term Recovery Group and Los Angeles Region Long Term Recovery Group.
• $114,656 to Camp Fire Long Term Recovery Group to support their Camp Fire Resource Center which will become the “storefront” for community recovery resources, services and assistance for the entire county.
• $250,000 to Ventura County Community Foundation to support local nonprofits providing housing and/or mental health support or services in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
• $143,140 to United Policyholders to scale-up their Roadmap to Recovery program in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in addition to increasing available resources for wildfire recovery in the housing sector in southern California.

This grantmaking reflects some of the current acute recovery needs in the housing and mental health sectors. Roughly 75 percent of the funding recommendation dollars will directly benefit Butte County and the communities affected by the Camp Fire, while the remaining 25 percent will reach communities in Southern California affected by the Woolsey and Hill wildfires. Combined, the seven grants represent CDP’s commitment to serving vulnerable populations and creating avenues that boost disaster preparedness and resilience within affected communities.

It is important to highlight that the collection of housing-related grants address temporary housing needs; persons trying to maintain housing; and investments in the reconstruction of affordable housing. All funding in these housing recovery areas is earmarked for upfront or first phase expenditures of “shovel-ready” projects and are meant to act as a catalyst to other donors while fostering the advancement of housing recovery for communities still dealing with debris removal and clean-up nearly one year later.

Four of the grants include disaster preparedness and resiliency components that advance readiness and preparedness measures in notoriously high-disaster-risk California. After the two very recent reminders that California is earthquake county too, we should not overlook opportunities to support current disaster recovery needs that also promote community and institutional disaster resilience.