CDP 2019 California Wildfires Recovery Fund

In 2019, fast-moving wildfires threatened areas around the state, prompting the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) to closely monitor the situation, particularly after California had experienced the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in its history over the last two years.

There were more than 6,800 fire incidents in California that burned hundreds of thousands of acres across the state in 2019, resulting in loss of lives and loss of homes, property, agriculture and livelihoods. For detailed information on the wildfires, go to our disaster profile.

(Photo: USDA)

This fund supported these disasters:

Why we launched this Fund

The CDP 2019 California Wildfires Recovery Fund was launched to support communities as they work to rebuild and recover. CDP recognizes that immediate needs must be met, yet the disaster cycle does not end there. This Fund focuses on investing in medium- to long-term recovery, particularly among vulnerable communities.

Funding focus

In order to respond effectively, CDP experts on staff work directly with local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other agencies to assess the long-term needs.

With an emphasis on recovery, this Fund aimed to:

  • Support vulnerable populations.
  • Fill in gaps where public resources are unavailable or scarce.
  • Give locally.
  • Foster collaborative relationships among donors.

The programmatic expertise of CDP’s board, advisory council and staff – paired with an extensive network of disaster management experts – guide our grantmaking strategy.

Emphasis was placed on making targeted, holistic investments with grants that will address the greatest emergent needs and gaps in funding of recovery efforts.

With support from our 2019 California Wildfires Recovery Fund, our grantee partners are helping affected communities rebuild stronger.

See all our grantee partners

Thank you to the following donors for their generous support of the CDP 2019 California Wildfires Recovery Fund.

We'd also like to thank the countless number of individuals who stepped up to support the communities affected by these wildfires.

  • Convene
  • Klopper Charitable Fund
  • United Airlines
  • The Wallace Foundation

Fund updates

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Fund resources

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