CDP Colorado Wildfires Recovery Fund

On Dec. 30, 2021, high winds and downed electrical lines in Boulder County sparked two wildfires that led to multiple evacuations and hundreds of homes destroyed.

The Marshall Fire, the larger of the two fires, is believed to be the most destructive fire in Colorado history.

Since it first launched in November 2020, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s Colorado Wildfires Recovery Fund worked across the state to support families and communities as they recovered from fires that affected them.

We know the recovery process lasts long beyond when the fire is extinguished. CDP addressed this through targeted grantmaking that prioritized medium- and long-term recovery needs identified in collaboration with local partners.

Photo by South Metro Fire Rescue via Twitter.

In 2020, Colorado joined the year’s record-breaking North American wildfire season with three fires that challenged firefighters in the state: the Cameron Peak Fire, East Troublesome Fire and Calwood Fire. The Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires are the second- and third-largest fires in Colorado history, respectively.

Not to mention, the state’s response was complicated by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

With an intersectional racial equity lens and an emphasis on medium- and long-term recovery, CDP worked to identify gaps in recovery funding to help direct financial and technical support where it was needed most.

This fund supported these disasters:

Advocacy for equitable recovery

This included support for those advocating for farmworkers, agricultural workers, immigrants, refugees, indigenous communities or those who have lost income due to the wildfires. We also supported those advocating for and providing affordable housing, housing repair and utility support.

Social services

We funded organizations that provided programs for disproportionately affected populations as they saw the needs for their services continue.

Access to food

We supported efforts that addressed food insecurity as prices continued to increase and accessing food became an issue.

Leadership accountability and trustworthy information

We supported those that hold leadership accountable for systems failures and organizations working to disseminate accurate information about their existing challenges.

Mitigation

We supported projects that protect the land against the future effects of wildfires – those working in the forests and watersheds to protect the environment.

With support from our Colorado Wildfires Fund, our grantee partners helped affected communities rebuild stronger than before the fires struck.

See all grantee partners

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