By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor
Pacific Palisades Community Council hosted a presentation led by LA Clippers Chief Communications Officer Chris Wallace and FireAid’s Lisa Cleri Reale on Thursday, June 12.
Wallace and Reale—who leads the FireAid grants program—discussed FireAid’s work and the process involved in providing grants to nonprofits for fire recovery.
Wallace explained that in January, a FireAid benefit concert took place at Intuit Dome and Kia Forum to raise money for those affected by the Los Angeles fires. The event—spearheaded by the Ballmer Group, co-founded by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie—featured over 30 artists and presenters, including former Honorary Mayor Billy Crystal, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. An estimated $100 million was raised to be designated for direct fire relief.
Wallace explained that funds are being released in three phases. The first round of grants—which was distributed in February—provided $50 million to more than 120 nonprofit organizations.
“These grants supported families, displaced homeowners, foster youth, seniors, small business owners, first responders, artists and others with emergency housing, food assistance, trauma counseling, direct financial relief, childcare, and animal welfare services,” according to a statement.
Wallace and Reale spoke about their experiences working with Palisades-based organizations, noting that several area nonprofits received funding during the first and second phases of FireAid grants.
“The FireAid grantmaking process was extensive and community-informed,” Wallace said to PPCC in May. “It involved local outreach, feedback from those directly affected and collaboration with nonprofit organizations embedded in fire-impacted neighborhoods. Grant recommendations were developed by an experienced operations team, reviewed by an independent advisory committee with deep familiarity across the region—including site visits and conversations with fire victims—and ultimately approved by the FireAid Board.
“We are proud to share that over $21 million in the Phase 1 FireAid funding was directed to organizations serving the Palisades and adjacent communities, as well as many Los Angeles countywide organizations that serve Palisades wildfire-impacted residents.”
The organizations include Palisades Charter High School, Palisades Recreation Center, Chabad Jewish Community Center of Pacific Palisades, Westside Food Bank and Meals on Wheels West.
The distribution of an additional approximate $25 million was announced in June in a second round of grants. Of that, more than $14 million was proposed for organizations serving the Palisades and surrounding areas, including funding for the library and high school baseball field.
Additional Palisades nonprofits are expected to receive FireAid funding in the third round of grants, scheduled for early fall. Wallace said the third round is set for late August or early September.
“We know there’s more to learn, there are more people we need to meet, there’s more listening to be done,” Reale added. “That’s kind of why we’re here this evening to reach out to you … We’re reaching out to you because we want to know what groups [we] haven’t spoken to, that we should be speaking to. We really would love to hear your thoughts about recovery, about rebuilding, about some of your challenges and any other issues you’ve identified that you think that we should know about as we strategize for round three.”
NORC
Toward the end of the June 12 meeting, PPCC Vice-President Quentin Fleming provided an update regarding the status of the NORC focus groups.
Palisadians were invited to join a series of focus groups between Monday, June 23, and Friday, June 27, to help shape a communitywide survey that is planned to launch this summer.
Researchers from NORC at the University of Chicago, in partnership with PPCC and funded by the Riviera Foundation, launched a study to understand the Palisades’ “priorities, values and preferences for recovery and rebuilding” following the January fire.
Researchers assembled focus groups that were designed to reflect a full range of experiences within the Palisades community, with residents from all neighborhoods invited to participate.
“Your input will directly influence the information that is shared with community, state and national decision makers,” according to NORC.
Fleming reported a “good response,” with nearly 300 individuals expressing interest in participating.
The next PPCC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 26, at 6 p.m. via Zoom.
For more information or to apply for a Phase 3 grant, visit fireaidla.org or contact donations@fireaidla.org.
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