A group of arts organizations and philanthropists have raised $12 million to support members of the Los Angeles art community that have been impacted by the wildfires. Led by the J. Paul Getty Trust, the consortium launched the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund for artists and arts workers across all disciplines who have lost residences, studios, livelihoods or have otherwise been impacted by the fires.
Beginning Monday, January 20, impacted members of the L.A. arts community can apply for emergency grants The fund will be administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, a non-profit organization that provides funding, advocacy, and research support on behalf of individuals in the arts. For more information, and to contribute to the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, click here.
Additional major underwriters of the fund include the Mohn Art Collective (Hammer Museum, LACMA, and MOCA), East West Bank, Mellon Foundation, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Qatar Museums, Frieze, Ford Foundation, and others.
The fund is one of several L.A. fire relief philanthropic efforts from the arts and culture sectors; others include the artist-initiated Art World Fire Relief LA GoFundMe campaign, the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to Support Music Professionals of the Recording Academy and MusiCares, the We Are Moving the Needle Microgrants: Wildfire Relief Fund, the Entertainment Community Fund, and the Motion Picture Television Fund.
Several organizations from the L.A. design community are also donating resources to those impacted by the fires. For example, Harbinger LA, a showroom in the La Cienga Design Quarter, has teamed up with interior design studio House of Honey and design publication California Home and Design to launch The Soft Landing Project, an effort to collect new or gently used home furnishings to provide to those who have lost their homes. If you’d like to contribute, email [email protected].
Design brand The Expert has launched The Rebuild Hotline, offering free one-hour video consultations with top designers to those who have lost their homes. Two LA designers, Jake Arnold and Brigette Romanek, have already donated 800 hours of their time. Visit here for more information.
Design studio Kalon has partnered with over 50 local and international brands to launch the LA Wildfire Relief Free Market. Those impacted by the fires can pick up free essentials, such as apparel, bedding, and baby care items, at Kalon’s Atwater Village studio over the next several weeks. Visit their Instagram for more information.
Finally, for more information on historic architectural landmarks impacted by the fires and how you can help protect other structures from future fires or other environmental threats, visit the Save Iconic Architecture website or Instagram feed.
Steele Thomas Marcoux is the editor in chief of VERANDA, where she oversees brand strategy and content across all platforms and manages a team of editors and writers. She also writes about architecture, design, travel, jewelry, and gardening. Prior to joining VERANDA in 2018, Steele held editorial leadership roles at national design and lifestyle brands for over ten years. She has also worked as a freelance writer on articles ranging from celebrity profiles and gift guides to food and beverage trends. Steele has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College (art history) and a Master of Arts degree from University of Alabama (American history). When not working, Steele can be found cooking for her family, cheering her sons on at cross country meets, soccer games, or lacrosse tournaments, playing with her dogs, planning her next design-oriented trip, or trying to find a way to squeeze in a few more minutes on a tennis court. Follow her at @steelemarcoux.