In response to the January 2025 Southern California Wildfires, CAA Community & Impact (formerly the CAA Foundation) recognized the opportunity to reimagine what disaster response could look like for the families, teachers, and classrooms affected.
At a time when much of the response was focused on supporting first responders and collecting donated goods for survivors, we chose to center our efforts around families and students. Our goal was not simply to provide relief, but to give those affected agency, fill the gaps left by traditional disaster response, and help communities move from crisis to recovery.
In partnership with Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) and the Los Angeles Unified School District Education Foundation, CAA Community & Impact launched the SoCal FIRE FUND, administered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), with a strategy spanning immediate and long-term needs.
In the immediate term, we provided direct cash assistance to families, allowing them to decide what they needed most, while also supporting teachers and classrooms that had lost essential resources. We then focused on critical recovery costs that often fall through the cracks, including debris removal and expenses not covered by insurance or government assistance, while helping families navigate the complexities of insurance and better understand what was and was not covered.
Our long-term goal was to help families and schools rebuild through sustained case management and connections to housing, mental health, education, and rebuilding resources through a network of case managers.
The SoCal FIRE FUND was built on two principles: speed and a deep understanding of what families and communities need most to recover from disaster. Our partners brought years of humanitarian and disaster-response expertise, as well as direct access to affected communities, allowing us to quickly identify priorities and allocate resources where they could have the greatest impact.
Within 48 hours of launching the fund, we provided direct cash assistance to affected families, giving them the agency to address their most urgent needs while recognizing that recovery required support beyond financial assistance. Partners including CORE and the LAUSD Education Foundation were on the ground with families, teachers, and classrooms, continuously identifying needs and directing resources accordingly—from providing air purifiers to classrooms to removing debris from homes and community centers.
The local expertise of our partners helped us understand which interventions could determine whether a family or community could recover. Debris removal was a critical example. For homeowners whose properties had been destroyed, the cost of clearing debris became a deciding factor in whether they rebuilt or sold their lot. By removing that barrier, we helped families remain in their communities and begin rebuilding.
The most challenging aspect of our effort was that needs changed rapidly. Our model was designed to shift with them, combining the speed to respond immediately, the expertise to identify what mattered most, and the infrastructure to remain engaged throughout the long recovery process. This adaptability is what sets the SoCal FIRE FUND apart from other funds.
The SoCal FIRE FUND was built to evolve as families moved from immediate crisis into the more complex process of recovery. Case managers became an essential part of that infrastructure, providing individualized, ongoing support and helping families navigate FEMA, insurance, housing, rebuilding, and local resources. Rather than expecting families to navigate a fragmented recovery system on their own, we created human connections to help them understand their options and access the resources available to them.
To maximize fundraising and awareness for the fund, CAA Community & Impact partnered with Charitybuzz to create exclusive auctions and sweepstakes featuring one-of-a-kind experiences donated by CAA clients and industry partners. Experiences included lunch with Julia Roberts, meet-and-greets with Lily Collins and Ashley Park, a VIP experience with The Chainsmokers, a South Park character cameo, and set visits to acclaimed productions including Only Murders in the Building, Sugar, and RuPaul's Drag Race. Premieres, sporting experiences, and other once-in-a-lifetime opportunities transformed celebrity access into meaningful philanthropic action, while $10 sweepstakes entries made participation accessible to supporters at every giving level. The initiative's visibility extended further through a pro bono partnership that featured the SoCal FIRE FUND across more than 4,000 New York City taxi tops for two weeks. Additionally, a PSA campaign helped keep the long road to recovery visible after the initial headlines faded.
The SoCal FIRE FUND exceeded its objective of providing both immediate relief and sustained recovery for communities devastated by the January 2025 Southern California wildfires. To date, the initiative has generated more than $20 million in cash and in-kind support, with more than $5.9 million deployed through nonprofit partners and direct assistance.
More than $4 million in direct financial assistance has reached 4,127 households, helping families address urgent needs including temporary housing, food, transportation, and medical care. More than 130 tons of debris have been removed to help restore safe drinking water in Altadena, while classrooms have received critical resources and students have gained access to expanded mental health support.
Additionally, over 400 families are currently being supported by a network of 45 case managers, with the fund committed to supporting them for the next two years. These case managers provide individualized guidance as families navigate FEMA, insurance claims, housing, rebuilding, and local resources, helping them access support they might otherwise struggle to find or understand.
This sustained, hands-on support is a defining feature of the initiative. Rather than providing a one-time grant and moving on, we stay alongside families through the complex process of rebuilding their lives.
For us, success is measured not simply by the amount raised, but by whether we can help families move from surviving a disaster to rebuilding, while remaining with them every step of the way.
