Charities Providing Aid to Victims of The Wildfires in Greater Los Angeles
Jan 9, 2025
CharityWatch announces a list of legitimate, efficient, and accountable charities involved in efforts to aid and assist victims of the Greater Los Angeles wildfires.
Wildfires have raged in the Los Angeles areas of Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Woodley, Lidia and elsewhere as strong winds have created major challenges for firefighters working tirelessly to contain the blaze. As of Thursday morning, January 9th, close to 200,000 evacuation orders have been issued, at least 17,000 and 10,600 acres have burned in the Palisades and Eaton fires, respectively, with 5 people confirmed dead and many more suffering significant injuries.
On Wednesday, according to a White House press release, “President Biden approved a Major Disaster declaration for California, allowing impacted communities and survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery…”
In major disasters charities often serve on the front lines as first responders to provide much-needed food, water, shelter, medical care and other services as a stop-gap to ensure that immediate needs are addressed in a timely manner. Those wanting to help can consider donating to the following CharityWatch Top-Rated charities. This list will be updated on an ongoing basis as information becomes available.
Warning: Unscrupulous charities will sometimes use disasters as a money grab to raise funds for unrelated causes. CharityWatch does not add just any charity to our disaster alerts. We sort through the marketing fluff of charities to find out what specific aid is being provided to victims before adding an organization to our list. This list will be updated as new information becomes available.
The charities listed below are Top-Rated by CharityWatch for spending at least 75% of their cash budgets on programs; for maintaining fundraising efficiency of $25 or less to raise each $100 in cash donations; and for meeting CharityWatch’s governance & transparency benchmarks.
American Red Cross is on the ground supporting southern California residents to make sure no one faces the intense and and fast-moving wildfires alone. It is working alongside its partners to provide safe shelter, food, emotional support, and health services. Over the coming days the charity will coordinate with local officials and community partners to make sure people have the support they need during this challenging time. View CharityWatch’s rating information on American Red Cross here. Click here to navigate directly to the American Red Cross donation page.
Americares is responding to the multiple wildfires devastating Los Angeles, including the Eaton, Hurst and Palisades fires. It has offered assistance to more than 70 partners across California and is preparing to address urgent health needs and help restore health services for survivors. View CharityWatch’s rating information on Americares here. Click here to navigate directly to the Americares doantion page.
Church World Service’s Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery team is monitoring the situation in impacted communities through the VOAD network, Cal OES, the Emergency Network Los Angeles, media outlets and partners. It is standing by to provide support in the form of CWS Kits and Blankets, technical assistance and information sharing with local partners, as well as offering limited temporary housing for newcomers needing to evacuate. In collaboration with CWS local offices, EPRR has also assembled and distributed over 200 fire- and waterproof “Go Bags” with essential supplies for evacuation for newcomer families.
CWS supports affected immigrant communities, including unaccompanied children and their sponsors, by connecting individuals to resources and existing support structures.
View CharityWatch’s information on Church World Service Here. Click here to navigate directly to the Church World Service donation page. 
Direct Relief & Direct Relief Foundation provides N95 masks, medicine, and other resources to healthcare agencies and first responders in wildfire-affected communities across California. View CharityWatch’s rating information on Direct Relief here. Click here to navigate directly to Direct Relief’s donation page.
GiveDirectly is delivering cash to low-income families in the hardest hit areas of Los Angeles. This emergency cash will help cover their immediate needs, including essentials like food, medicine, and diapers; shelter and hotel stays while evacuated; and bills for their phones, healthcare, and utilities. View CharityWatch’s rating information on GiveDirectly here. Click here to navigate directly to GiveDirectly’s donation page.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, International Medical Corps has deployed a response team and is working with local partners, including LA City and County governments, in affected areas to assess the impact of the wildfires. Its teams are providing essential relief supplies—including hygiene kits, first-aid kits and KN95 masks—to support affected communities, health facilities and local organizations.
View CharityWatch’s rating information on International Medical Corps here. Click here to navigate directly to International Medical Corps’ donation page.
Early reports indicate that at least one federally qualified health center (FQHC) network has lost a facility. International Medical Corps has stated that it “stands ready to provide additional medical and mental health services, as well as other critical support, to health facilities—including FQHCs, which serve low-income and other vulnerable populations—as well as local partners and affected communities during this crisis.”
World Central Kitchen’s relief team in southern California is supporting first responders and families impacted by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Its teams have mobilized across the region to provide immediate relief in the form of sandwiches and water as it works to identify all areas of need. Several World Central Kitchen Chef Corps members are on standby ready to provide comforting meals.
View CharityWatch’s rating information on World Central Kitchen here. Click here to navigate directly to World Central Kitchen’s donation page.
ATTENTION: The charities listed in this alert were Top-Rated by CharityWatch at the time of its publication. CharityWatch updates our ratings throughout the year. To see if a particular charity is currently Top-Rated, please click on its name to navigate to its CharityWatch profile page.
Donors Beware
Scammers will exploit your feelings of empathy and compassion during times of crisis as a means of siphoning donations away from legitimate charities and into their own pockets. Read CharityWatch’s advice for avoiding charity frauds and scams:
5 Tips For Avoiding Charity Frauds & Scams
10 Tips For Giving In a Crisis