CBFF and CCF Launch Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund
New Fund Aims to Help Black Communities in Altadena and Pasadena Rebuild
Los Angeles, CA – This week, California Black Freedom Fund and California Community Foundation announced the launch of the Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund, supporting community organizations on the ground that are meeting the immediate and long-term needs of Black communities displaced by the wildfires.
“These neighborhoods, once places of promise and opportunity for middle-class Black families unable to purchase homes in other parts of Los Angeles because of racist covenants and redlining, are no longer,” said Marc Philpart, CEO of California Black Freedom Fund. “Too often, in the wake of a disaster, Black communities are displaced and marginalized in recovery efforts, breaking up beloved communities and diminishing generational wealth. Together, we can support an equitable recovery for historic Black neighborhoods and ensure Black permanence.”
Across the region, 25 lives have been lost, over 40,000 acres have burned, more than 150,000 people have been forced to evacuate, and thousands have lost their homes, schools, and places of worship. Economic losses are estimated between $250 billion and $275 billion, making this disaster one of the costliest in U.S. history. In Altadena alone, where 18% of the population identifies as Black and Black home ownership is almost double the national average, the Eaton Fire destroyed over 1,000 structures, killed at least 17 residents and displaced thousands.
As a result of systemic racism and long-standing discrimination, it is even more challenging for Black communities to recover after major disasters. Recent studies show that Black communities receive fewer grants and lower levels of assistance than others following natural disasters and FEMA is less likely to approve disaster assistance to Black homeowners – even when they live in similar disaster-impacted areas as white residents. The Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund seeks funding from private, corporate and community foundations, along with individual donors, to support Black communities’ ability to return, reclaim, and rebuild in the same way as other communities.
“In the wake of these devastating fires, we can’t just rebuild. We must ensure communities heal and flourish for generations to come. This is about more than recovery—it’s about restoring the heart and soul of neighborhoods that hold so much history, culture, and promise,” said Miguel Santana, President and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “Through our partnership with the California Black Freedom Fund, we are committed to addressing the urgent needs of Black communities displaced by the wildfires, especially in the cherished, historically Black neighborhood of Altadena. Thanks to this partnership with the California Black Freedom Fund, we are able to help safeguard a cultural treasure of Southern California, ensuring the vibrancy of these communities is a legacy passed down to future generations.”
Since 2020, CBFF has distributed over $40 million dollars to over 142 organizations working on behalf of Black communities. The California Black Freedom Fund works to strengthen and coordinate California’s ecosystem of local, regional and state organizations dismantling cultural and systemic anti-Black racism.
The Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund has raised 2.2 million dollars to date. For more information or to make a donation to the Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund, please visit https://www.pledge.to/BlackLA or text BlackLA to 707070.
About California Black Freedom Fund
Launched in 2021, the Black Freedom Fund (BFF) works to ensure that Black power-building and movement-based organizations in California have the sustained investments and support they need to eradicate systemic and institutional racism. For more information, visit cablackfreedomfund.org.