Allstate Foundation Establishes $1 Million Wildfire Relief Fund

The Allstate Foundation joined with The California Community Foundation (CCF) to establish a $1 million fund to aid in the recovery and rebuilding efforts in response to the Southern California wildfire catastrophe.

Charitable donations from “The Allstate Foundation Wildfire Relief Fund at the California Community Foundation” will be disbursed to applicant grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that support programs to aid rebuilding and recovery efforts in the fire-ravaged counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles and Ventura. The San Diego Foundation, a sister organization to CCF, will also be involved in the partnership and will help to administer grants to San Diego-area organizations.

Donations from the fund are earmarked for a variety of fire-relief needs in affected communities. Specific needs include emergency shelter, food and clothing, health issues (as a direct result of the fires), social services, mental health recovery efforts, community clean up, rebuilding and restoring community emergency services, and assistance with home re-construction resident permit processing.

“As a company in the business of making people whole again after disasters, Allstate is intimately familiar with the immense challenges many Southern Californians face as they work to put their lives back together following these devastating fires,” said Thomas Wilson, president, Allstate Protection and a trustee of The Allstate Foundation. “We’re taking a stand to deliver critical funding to Southern Californians when they need it most.”

CCF is well-equipped to administer The Allstate Foundation Wildfire Relief Fund given its efficient support of a wide variety of nonprofit organizations and public institutions with funds for health and human services, affordable housing and other areas of need in the Los Angeles area. It has managed catastrophe response funds following the 1993 Los Angeles-area wildfires and the Northridge Earthquake in 1994.

New Allstate Foundation Wildfire Relief Fund

“The devastation and personal loss caused by these wildfires is at an unprecedented level here in Southern California, and it’s critical that we help people and communities to accelerate the all-important recovery period,” said Jack Shakely, president of the California Community Foundation. “This special fund is designed to reach people and communities with unmet needs, especially those that were missed by the initial wave of disaster relief services.”

“We are grateful for The Allstate Foundation for coming forward with this generous donation at a time when Southern California is in such dire need,” said Dallas Jones, executive director, The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “OES and the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism (GO SERV) are working closely with Allstate to ensure that their kind donation reaches those Southern California communities most affected by the wildfires. This public-private partnership will have a lasting impact in those areas.”