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How you are helping
Fire Recovery Fund Grants
Photo credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout
Three years after the devastating CZU Lightning Complex Fires, generous donations to the Fire Recovery Fund are still making an impact.
The Fire Recovery Fund was established on August 19, 2020, while evacuation orders were still being issued. Donations provided immediate support to nonprofit organizations for relief efforts and are now supporting long-term recovery for fire survivors who are navigating the complex work of rebuilding their homes and lives.
Thanks to you, we’ve awarded over $4 million.
Today, we're working with the Long-Term Recovery Group to provide grants that are bridging funding gaps for hundreds of residents as they move through the rebuilding process, providing rental assistance for displaced families, and helping purchase temporary housing solutions to get families back on their land while they rebuild.
It takes a village
We couldn't have done any of this without you and there is still a lot of hard work ahead. Thank you.
Fire Recovery Grants
Basic Immediate Needs
Amah Mutsun Land Trust: $31,000 to support housing for the Native Stewards of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust displaced due to the fires and wage replacement due to the debris flow evacuation.
Boulder Creek Recreation and Parks District: $38,000 to support food and meals for fire survivors at the Boulder Creek Resource Community Relief events and to purchase gift cards from local Boulder Creek restaurants to distribute to fire survivors who live in Boulder Creek. Storage for supplies for survivors and staffing to support the fire relief. To support the tool shed for fire survivors.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey: $115,000 to support fire survivors and evacuees with critical needs and direct emergency financial assistance. For rental or direct financial assistance to fire families.
Davenport Resource Service Center (a program of Community Action Board): $226,500 to support fire survivors and evacuees with critical needs, food, direct emergency financial assistance, and case management. For debris flow evacuation support including food, financial assistance and equipment. For water tanks, portable showers, tools, gas cards, and rental or financial assistance for fire survivors. To support housing navigation resources for disaster case management providers.
Mountain Community Resources (a program of Community Bridges): $165,644 to support fire survivors and evacuees with critical needs, direct emergency financial assistance, rental assistance, and case management. For increased outreach and communications to fire survivors about the resources and assistance available, FEMA applications, and debris flow. For food cards for fire survivors.
Office of Emergency Services Santa Cruz County: $21,000 for emergency gas cards for evacuees.
Santa Cruz Education Foundation: $3,000 to support fire victims and evacuees with direct financial assistance.
Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County: $100,000 to purchase additional healthy shelf stable fruits, vegetables, and food for fire evacuees.
Valley Churches United: $10,000 to support fire victims and evacuees with critical needs and direct emergency financial assistance.
United Policyholders: $3,750 gift cards for CZU Survivors
Emergency Services
Boulder Creek Volunteer Fire Department: $8,000 for their emergency services.
Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Foundation: $5,000 to care for evacuated animals.
Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation: $10,000 for onsite improvements to aid conditions for evacuees.
Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County: $10,000 to support coordination of shelter volunteers.
Environmental Restoration
Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks: $20,000 for fire damage assessment work in Big Basin State Park.
Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County: $70,000 to support their post-fire recovery assistance and remediation. Providing on-site technical and planning help to asses post-fire land conditions and recommended actions. Offering free webinars on how to protect your land after a wildfire. Purchasing materials for run off and erosion control for landowners in preparation for winter storms. Education and outreach on fire preparedness and post-fire recovery, and post-fire recovery site visits.
Santa Cruz Relief: $13,162 for environmental remediation supplies for fire survivors.
Insurance Advocacy
United Policyholders: $720,000 for three years of their Roadmap to Recovery Program to help households impacted by the fires navigate insurance claims. To work with fire families in coordination with community partners and provide leadership to our Long Term Recovery Group. Providing guidance and free workshops on collecting available insurance benefits, making decisions, legal clinics and getting back home after a catastrophic loss.
Outreach & Communications
Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County: $20,983 for educational fire prevention and preparedness brochures and administrative support and program coordination
Outreach: $38,677.42 for service coordination, Hindsight 2020 publication, Community Relief Events for fire families and CZU Fire Remembrance events.
CADRE (Collaborating Agencies Disaster Relief Effort): $35,044 for fire survivor case management database.
Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District: $36,353 for counseling for Bonny Doon Elementary students and staff
Pacific Elementary School $36,353 for counseling for Pacific Elementary students and staff
Small Business Grants
Arts Council Santa Cruz County: $6,500 to support artists affected by the CZU fires.
National Development Council: $150,000 to provide grants to local small businesses impacted by the fire.
Supplies & Equipment
Bonny Doon Community Preschool: $5,000 to purchase supplies and equipment necessary to safely reopen the preschool.
Bonny Doon Community School Foundation: $20,000 to provide fire survivors with school supplies and technology for the youth’s distance learning.
Campesino Appreciation Caravan: $2,500 for N95 masks for farmworkers due to poor air quality.
CERT Auxiliary of Santa Cruz County: $4,890 to support kits of equipment necessary to respond to fire and debris flow disasters.
Davenport County Sanitation District: $63,000 to pay assessment for Davenport rate payers for trucked in water following the fires.
San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District: $2,000 for gift cards to support basic supplies for families who have lost or damaged homes due to the fires.
San Lorenzo Valley Youth Council/ Little People's Repertory Theatre: $2,000 to provide a safe space at the Annex for fire survivors to use for work and distance learning
Ace Portable Services: $1,305.72 for waste management at Fire Family Resource Events and rebuilding.
Home Rebuilding
Atkins North America, Inc: $139,210 for the Debris Flow Geological Report.
Essential Operations: $2,164 for water and waste treatment systems.
Last Chance Community Center/ Fund to Rebuild Last Chance: $145,000 for rebuilding equipment and materials. For restoring water and electricity to the community center, supporting Last Chance neighbors as they rebuild, and rebuilding Last Chance Road.
Rebuilding Equipment and Materials: $2,258,813. Disaster Case Managers are working with fire survivors to identify equipment and material needs for rebuilding. Greatest needs are identified and funded through the unmet needs committee in the Long Term Recovery Group in partnership with Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey, Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Community Bridges and more.
Technical Assistance: $35,300 for technical assistance, service coordination, and guides for fire survivors in rebuilding their homes.
Resources
Support those recovering from the fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Donate to the Fire Recovery Fund
