LA Strong: Disaster Response Fund

Together, We Can Help Our Communities Recover

Community college students, staff, and faculty are facing unprecedented challenges in response to the multiple wildfires that devastated regions across the Los Angeles area in January 2025. In response, the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges has activated the LA Strong: Disaster Response Fund.

Events like these not only threaten lives but also disrupt education, housing, and basic needs. Your generous donation will help provide critical emergency relief during these difficult times and support the long-term recovery. Learn more about how you can support this effort, and our impacts, learnings, and grantmaking to date.

How Your Donation Helps

Here are only a few examples of how your financial contribution can help students, staff, and faculty during this difficult time.

Temporary Housing & Relocation

Many families are left without a place to stay. Your donation can help cover emergency housing expenses, such as temporary stays in hotels and short-term rental or rental application fees.

Food, Clothing, and Essential Items

Students and faculty may lose access to basic necessities like food and hygiene supplies. Your support can help purchase grocery cards, clothing, toiletries, and cleaning supplies for displaced students.

Replace Lost Academic Supplies

Disasters like this can lead to the loss of essential school supplies and technology. Your support ensures students can replace items such as laptops for online classes, textbooks, and other tools and supplies.

Transportation Needs

People often need reliable transportation during and after evacuations. Your contributions can help cover gas cards for returning to campus or relocating, bus or train passes or emergency ride-share vouchers.

Emergency Childcare Support

Disasters can disrupt students' daily routines, including access to reliable childcare. Your donations help student-parents stay on track by covering temporary childcare services during recovery.

Faculty Support Fund

Faculty members face unique challenges in rebuilding their professional and personal lives. Donations provide targeted support to help faculty maintain stability and continue their vital role in student success.

Ways to Give

  • Give By Check

    Please make the check payable to the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges, and mail to:

    Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges

    770 Wilshire Blvd., 9th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017

  • Give by Credit Card

    To support students: Please click here to donate online with a credit card.

    To support staff and faculty: Please click here to donate online with credit card.

  • Other Gift and Grant Methods

    To give by ACH, through a DAF, or for foundation or corporate gifts, please contact Katy Cisneros at CisnerKA@laccd.edu

Apply for Support

LACCD Students

Funding is available for current LACCD students who have experienced a loss of housing for an extended period due to destruction, damage, or unsafe conditions caused by the January 2025 fires, or who are facing other significant hardships as a direct result of the fires.

To be eligible, students must meet at least one of the following:

For-Credit Students:

  • Completed at least 3 units at any LACCD college in the Fall 2024 term, OR

  • Enrolled in at least one course at any LACCD college in the Winter 2024 term, OR

  • Enrolled in at least one course at any LACCD college in the Spring 2025 term

Non-Credit Students:

  • Completed a Non-Credit course with SP (Satisfactory Progress) or P (Pass) at any LACCD college in the Fall 2024 term, OR

  • Enrolled in a Non-Credit course at any LACCD college in the Winter 2024 term; OR

  • Enrolled in a Non-Credit course at any LACCD college in the Spring 2025 term

Note: K-12 Dual Enrollment students are not eligible.

Please direct any questions to disasterfund@laccd.edu

How to apply:

Please click the button below to request application access. You will need to confirm that you are a current or recent LACCD student who was impacted by the fires.

LACCD Employees

Funding is available for part-time and full-time LACCD employees with a verified loss of housing, extended displacement, or substantial and documented losses as a result of the January 2025 fires. This may include employees who owned or rented housing that was destroyed, damaged, or otherwise made unsafe for use due to recent fires. 

Please click the button below to request application access.

LACCD employees can access additional resources from LACCD here. 

Please direct any questions to disasterfund@laccd.edu