Local Altadena fire victims want everyone to know that while there are countless fundraisers and charity events claiming to support those affected, many of us still have no idea where that money is actually going—because it’s not coming to us. There’s growing frustration and concern over the lack of transparency in these efforts, and we have a lot of unanswered questions about how these funds are being distributed. If you truly want to help, we urge you to be mindful about where you donate and to ensure your contributions are reaching the people who need them most.
We've been asked so often what we need and how people can help. Right now, the answer is simple: time and money. Nearly everyone is underinsured, and it will take time just to find stability before we can even begin to replace what we've lost. Rebuilding our homes and community won’t happen overnight—most estimates suggest it will take about three years for our homes alone. LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger has stated that fully rebuilding Altadena could take a decade.
The best way to make impact is by donating directly to families in need. There are more fundraising efforts than we can even keep track of, from various GoFundMe campaigns to specialized lists like the Octavia Butler List of displaced Black families.
To make things easier, we’ve created a consolidated, community-controlled resource that lists hyper-local campaigns in one place, ensuring donations go directly to fire victims. This way, we can keep it updated as the months—and even years—go on, making sure help continues to reach those who need it most. There are a few solid organizations with boots on the ground that get high praise, so read on for more...
Update 2/19/25: Everyone's comments and questions and upset in our group and this op-ed about where the dollars for FireAid were going got the attention of not just the Annenberg Foundation, but also some of the artists who performed including Billie Eilish, who has a local connection to Altadena. A lot has been happening behind the scenes to ensure monies are distributed appropriately and the community organizations who have received the first round of local grants have been announced with more to come. Many neighbors still do not feel this is satisfactory, raising the point that most deadlines to apply had passed once this news was announced. Let's hope some of the additional funds are going to be distributed somehow directly to people in our community who need them the most, and let's continue to hope every penny ultimately lands local. Read more about the first wave of grants now on the Annenberg site.
The Beautiful Altadena Master Fundraiser List
If you want your donation to make the biggest impact, give directly to fire victims. Large organizations can take months (or years) to distribute funds—if they ever do. But a direct donation to a family in crisis? That changes lives today.
That’s why we created the Beautiful Altadena Master Fundraiser List—a comprehensive, community-driven resource to ensure your donations go where they’re needed most. This living document includes:
Individual & Family Fundraisers – Direct support for those who lost everything
Local Business & Institution Fundraisers – Helping keep our community’s backbone alive
Community Funds – Larger efforts focused on immediate and long-term recovery
Specialized Lists – Supporting displaced Black, Latino, and migrant families
Priority Alert: Campaigns with less than $10,000 raised are highlighted so you can focus your help on those most in need
This list is public-facing and meant to be shared. The reality is, our community will need support for years—long after the news cycle has moved on. Please share, donate, and remind others that recovery doesn’t happen overnight.
Find the Beautiful Altadena Master Fundraiser Directory here and spread the word:
📌 https://bit.ly/BeautifulAltadenaFundraisers
A big thanks to Hayley Burgess and Liz Oh for the heavy lifting in compiling and updating this crucial resource.
Know of a local Altadena fundraiser that’s missing? Email us at beautifulaltadenaog@gmail.com with the details. We verify all campaigns to ensure they are local and directly impacted. Before emailing, please Ctrl+F the document to check if your fundraiser is already listed.
Altadena stands together. We will keep showing up for each other.
Where Is the FireAid Money Going? Not to Fire Victims.
Tickets for FireAid ranged from $99 to $5,000, yet even fire victims couldn’t get access. One neighbor, Buck Down, shared:
"Not only did they deny us tickets, passes—anything—but they actually asked us to pay $1,500 each to attend. In other words, they were willing to charge $4,500 to people who just lost their homes in a fire, all while using our tragedy to raise money."
An estimated $100 million was raised, with donations still coming in. So where is that money going? That’s what Altadenans want to know—because not a dime has made it to actual fire victims. Instead, these Annenberg-administered funds seem to be focused on future fire prevention rather than helping the thousands of Angelenos already devastated by these fires.
Kat Zimmerman, who lost her Altadena home, put it bluntly:
"The whole thing felt like a feel-good spectacle that I wanted no part of. I doubt the funds will help real people—it’ll just end up in the hands of corporations."
Jonathan Weedman, the former Senior VP of the Wells Fargo Foundation in Los Angeles echoed the frustration:
"Every dollar raised should go directly to fire victims. Not municipalities. Not fire departments. Not fire research. Every cent should be in the wallets of people who lost their homes and businesses—period. And let’s not forget that any nonprofit or foundation ‘administering’ these funds will take their cut, because philanthropy is big business."
For many of us in Altadena, watching the fundraiser was salt in the wound. A Pasadena firefighter proudly spoke about how they threw everything they had at the Palisades fire, brought in DC-10s, and worked all night to save homes in the canyon. But for Altadena? No one came. Homes that survived the first 48 hours burned on day three because gas fires still raged on, unchecked. There was no response, not even the basic act of turning off the gas as neighbors whose homes had miraculously survived pleaded to deaf ears.
Nearly all of the homes that did survive weren’t saved by first responders—they were saved by residents who stayed behind, risking their lives, fighting the flames alone. Neighbors like the brave residents on our block of E Poppyfields, including Weedman and his husband Raymundo Baltazar, who stayed until they were quickly overwhelmed, and by our friend Ulises Gerardo who was able to save their home on Mt Curve and those of neighbors in what ultimately became a fire break that saved multiple homes.
These are the stories that need to be told. These are the people who need help.
Right now, FireAid and other well-intended fundraisers are offering no direct assistance to fire victims trying to rebuild their lives. Altadena won’t stay silent. We demand transparency, real results, and money that actually reaches the people who lost everything.
If you want to donate, use our guide. Don’t let your money disappear into well intended but ultimately ineffective, feel-good campaigns that do nothing for the people who need it most.
So, Who Else Should You Donate To?
If you’re wondering where your money will actually make a difference, let me tell you firsthand: these are the organizations that have had the biggest real-time impact in our community.
Every single day, they’ve been here, feeding our community. No red tape, no bureaucracy—just hot meals (even gluten free and vegan ones) in the hands of people who need them. They’re still here and no doubt will be for the duration.
It took them a minute to get operations running, but once they did, they stepped up in a big way. They are making direct cash payments to fire victims—real money in real people's hands—funded by generous donations past and present.
Samaritan’s Purse
This disaster relief organization has been mobilizing in our neighborhood, helping families sift through hazardous, toxic waste-laden rubble to recover anything salvageable. They have the training, the equipment, and the heart to do the work most of us physically shouldn’t—and emotionally can’t—do alone. Yes, they’re a religious group, but they are respectful, kind, and focused on helping, no matter your faith. Our experience with them was incredible and provided much needed closure.
I first used this app in Lake Arrowhead during the Line Fire, but it proved life-saving when the Eaton Fire hit. The night we all had to evacuate, this app was our only warning—because no official evacuation alert ever came. They are an independent, community-driven wildfire alert system that deserves all the support they can get.
An extension of the California Black Power Network, they had our number from the census and called early on to see if we needed food, clothing, housing assistance, mental health support—even help for pets and kids. (I’ll admit, I initially thought it was another spam call and nearly read them the riot act—but they were amazing.) They even checked in again this week to make sure we were still okay and to offer help to any neighbors in need, in case it did not go without saying, regardless of race.
Bottom Line: Support Organizations That Show Up
We’ve been on the receiving end of these incredible groups—two of which we’ve heavily donated to in the past. You never think it’s going to be you—until it is. If you want your donation to actually help fire victims, give to those who are here, doing the work.
Can you write an op-ed for either the LA Times of Sacramento Bee! (I mention the Bee because that’s what state lawmakers read) regarding the fireaid story?
Thanks for the real information. Our house was one of a small cluster of homes saved by neighbors with hoses while the water lasted and then with buckets and pool water.