January 2025 Firestorm & Wildfires Funder Briefing: Cross-Sector Partnerships for Recovery

California communities and funders are not new to responding to catastrophic wildfires. Neither are communities and funders in many other regions of the United States. This shared experience allows philanthropy to learn from past disasters to inform future strategies to ensure that communities can recover equitably.

As we shift from disaster response into early and long-term recovery in Los Angeles, intentional collaboration between funders, community, and local government is needed to ensure that resources are flowing towards the greatest need, and that needs are being met by the best suited organizations. The road to recovery is long and complex, but it must be led locally and with equitable, resilient outcomes held at the center.

Join SoCal Grantmakers and Philanthropy California for a briefing that uplifts lessons learned from past disasters and examples of cross-sector partners who have responded to Paradise after the 2018 Camp Fire, in the North Bay Area after the 2017 fires, in Boulder County, Colorado after the 2021 Marshall Fire, and Lahaina after the 2023 Maui Wildfires.

We’ll explore:

• What lessons do these partners hold that may be urgently relevant for funders in southern California?
• How might philanthropy coordinate to manage complex decision-making and resource prioritization across the response and recovery spectrum?
• What data needs may emerge in the coming months and years?
• How might philanthropy work with cross-sector partners to support grantseekers in navigating the challenges around accessing recovery funding?

More speakers will be announced soon.

Target Audience

This event is open to anyone interested in the history of CA wildfire recovery and long-term disaster relief.

Speakers

David Little | Executive Vice President | North Valley Community Foundation

David has worked for NVCF for more than six years, starting as director of communications and serving in a variety of other roles leading to his current job as executive vice president. David has 40 years of experience as a journalist, including nearly 20 as editor of the Chico Enterprise-Record. He is a Chico native and Chico State University graduate. He plays an instrumental role in the foundation’s relief and recovery strategy and also relays stories about the foundation’s work and grants.

In Partnership With