LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County small business and worker relief program has closed after distributing $23.4 million to those impacted by January’s wildfires, county officials said Monday.
The county Department of Economic Opportunity awarded $17.7 million to 2,181 small businesses and nonprofits and $5.7 million to 2,892 workers. Officials said the program received 14,477 complete applications, underscoring the scale of economic damage caused by the Eaton, Palisades and other regional fires earlier this year.
What You Need To Know
The LA Region Small Business and Worker Relief Funds program was created in response to the January 2025 windstorms and wildfires
Small businesses and nonprofits were awarded up to $25,000, and workers were all awarded $2,000 as part of the program
The program began less than one month after the wildfires began
Supervisor Kathryn Barger represents Altadena and co-sponsored the relief program
The LA Region Small Business and Worker Relief Funds program was created in response to the January 2025 windstorms and wildfires, which destroyed or damaged 1,907 brick-and-mortar businesses and disrupted 39,000 businesses employing 230,000 workers.
“Fire survivors deserve nothing less than a full and fair recovery, and these reflect Los Angeles County’s commitment to just that,” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in a statement, who represents Pacific Palisades and led efforts to establish the relief program.
“With $23.4 million in grants, we ensured that every eligible small business, nonprofit and worker had access to meaningful relief to move forward.”
Funds were made available via public-private partnerships with the county’s Center for Strategic Partnerships, Southern California Grantmakers as a fiscal sponsor and AidKit as the third-party administrator managing distribution of all grant awards.
Small businesses and nonprofits were awarded up to $25,000, and workers were all awarded $2,000 as part of the program.
“From the earliest days of the Los Angeles wildfires, it was clear that our small businesses, nonprofits, and workers needed quick, meaningful help to stabilize their lives,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement, as she represents Altadena and co-sponsored the relief program. “Closing this fund with every eligible applicant served is a testament to what we can accomplish when government, philanthropy and community partners collaborate to meet urgent needs.”
The program began less than one month after the wildfires began. DEO provided the first $1 million using Care First Community Investment funds, followed by additional support from the following:
LA County Board of Supervisors provided investments totaling $4 million
Philanthropic partners such as the California Community Foundation, CalFire, Annenberg Foundation, Hilton Foundation, Kanye Foundation, Fire Aid, Prologis, among others
Corporate contributors such as Wells Fargo and Google
State leadership from Governors’ LA Rises led by Mark Walter, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Casey Wasserman, and the contributions from the Walter Family Foundation, Maersk and APM Terminals
Donations made from the public through the LA County Relief website
“We applied for the grant. When we got it, we were so happy and so grateful that we go the fund because it’s going to help us focus on rebuilding,” Anya Schodorf, a grant awardee and founder of Cafe de Leche in Altadena, said in a statement. “We had immediate access to the funds that are going to help us.”
More information about the program can be found here.