2007 Fires Philanthropic Response
We send thoughts of support to the entire San Diego community in the wake of this week's devastating fires. Another developing story is about
the philanthropic community's contributions toward the relief efforts. The SDG annual conference committee is currently putting together a special closing session on disaster recovery. Although the details are being finalized, the session is intended to educate members about the essential needs of individual communities within the county and suggest ways that funders can best be of assistance in both the short and long term.
Funds List
Click here for a list of funds associated with the 2007 fires, prepared by Nina Smart for SDG. One addition: Project Concern International's San Diego Fire Fund, for medical expenses for nearly 200 migrant farm workers and their dependents who were affected by the fires. The fund has $35,000 and is primarily for Vista Community Clinic. Contact Jim DiFrancsca at PCI, 858/279-9690.
The San Diego Foundation After the Fires Fund Community Needs Assessment Report
Click here for the findings of The San Diego Foundation's After the Fires Fund Community Needs Assessment Report.
SDG Members Respond
Of course, SDG members are already moving to help those affected by this unprecedented county-wide loss and will continue to do so in the days, months and years ahead. Some examples are below -- please email us what you are doing and we will communicate and compile so we can all learn together. SDG will use this information:
- to share with fellow SDG members so that we know what each of us is doing;
- to answer media queries about the amount and nature of San Diego's philanthropic response to this disaster; and
- to share with foundations, corporations, and other funders outside of San Diego when they contact SDG to ask for giving options.
AMN Healthcare
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
The California Endowment
Cox Communications
Foundation for Change
The Hitachi Foundation
Holland America Line
Invitrogen
J.W. Sefton Foundation
Jack in the Box Foundation
Jewish Community Foundation
Qualcomm Incorporated
Rancho Santa Fe Foundation
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Foundation
San Diego Social Venture Partners
San Diego Union-Tribune
Sempra Energy
Union Bank of California
United Way of San Diego
Washington Mutual
Wells Fargo
Tell us about your response!
AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare is working to help provide medical personnel.
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Amylin is working to help provide medicine and medical supplies. The company also hosted a donation center on 10/26/07 to collect items for families, money, time, and volunteers. Click here for more information.
Amylin intends to support efforts for immediate, intermediate and long-term programs.
Immediate
- Amylin provided a relief shelter for employees and their families. Over 250 families were displaced and over 150 stayed at Amylin.
- San Diego Social Venture Partners, along with Volunteer San Diego and Hope Force International, hosted a collection drive on 10/26/07 for all of our neighbors who were forced into local evacuation centers and hotels. Amylin provided the distribution location.
- Amylin partnered with Scripps Whittier and provided a $10K grant to the Scripps Whittier Mobile Medical Unit (MMU). The MMU is designed to replicate services usually offered only in doctors’ offices, bringing them directly to the community. It provides diabetes screening, general diabetes prevention and management information.
Intermediate / Long-term
Employee dollars will be matched up to $50K and employees will also be encouraged to take advantage of the Amylin Community Affairs Matching Gift Program. Amylin will be providing support to the “After-the-Fires” fund at San Diego Foundation. From donor interest and need, funds have been created that will impact and assist the greatest needs of the community. As needs arise, per donor interest, they will be created. Some designated funds include:
- Fire Relief Biotech Immediate Response Fund – to provide immediate relief to individuals affected by the wild fires
- Fire Relief Biotech Recovery Response Fund – to assist individuals affected by the wildfires in the weeks, months and years ahead with recovery and rebuilding efforts
- After-the-Fires Scholarship Fund – to provide educational scholarships to fire victims
- San Diego Indian Reservation Fire Relief and Recovery Fund – to provide relief, recovery and rebuilding assistance to Indian reservations
- After-the-Fires Animal Welfare Fund – to support wild fire relief and recovery efforts benefiting animals and injured wildlife
Also, Amylin's partner, Eli Lilly, has donated $100K in the following manner: $25K to Salvation Army, $25K to Red Cross and $50K to San Diego Foundation.
The California Endowment
The California Endowment announced its commitment of $750,000 to provide wildfire relief and aid to the often overlooked communities impacted by this disaster in Southern California. The Endowment will make grants to nonprofit organizations and clinics providing health and supportive services to low-income children and families in need, particularly those with chronic respiratory conditions like asthma. More importantly, The Endowment’s funding will support individuals in the regions' most impoverished communities who often slip through the cracks in relief and evacuation efforts. This includes displaced farm workers and day laborers, Native Americans whose reservations suffered fire damage, and those living in remote, rural areas where there are few community-based organizations that are able to meet the community’s needs when disaster strikes.
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is donating $25,000, including $15,000 to The San Diego Foundation San Diego Regional Disaster Fund and $10,000 to the American Red Cross, San Diego. Cox Communications and Channel 4 San Diego have teamed up with the San Diego Padres and Fashion Valley Mall for the “Cox Channel 4 Cares” week-long donation drive to aid victims of the San Diego wildfires. San Diego Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff will make a special appearance during the donation drive on Saturday, October 27 from noon to 2 p.m. Channel 4 San Diego’s Sam the Cooking Guy will make a special appearance during the donation drive on Sunday, October 28 from noon to 2pm. The public can drop off cash donations or checks made payable to ARC-San Diego Wild Fires during this week-long fundraiser. All public donations will be handled by the San Diego Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The Foundation for Change
To encourage grassroots efforts aimed at reaching San Diego's under-served populations in this time of urgent need, the Foundation for Change has established "Fires 2007 - Fund for Change." Grants from the fund will be awarded to organizations actively engaged in addressing the fire-related needs of San Diego's disenfranchised communities. Special emphasis will be given to groups working with leadership indigenous to these communities. The Foundation for Change wants to ensure that poor and elderly and immigrant and homeless San Diegans, and others who lack the resources and savvy to access the programs offered by large, bureaucratic charitable and governmental organizations, still receive support. Click here for more information about donation sites. The foundation has given $17,000 thus far and expects to give about $40,000 more in early 2008.
The Hitachi Foundation
Hitachi has designated a fund with the TSDF After the Fires Fund and is collecting employee donations and company contributions from the family of Hitachi companies across North America. The Hitachi Companies in North America will donate $94,800 and its employee campaign raised $2,290 for the San Diego Foundation’s After the Fires Fund.
Holland America Line
Holland America Line will be contributing $5,000 to The San Diego Foundation’s After the Fire Fund as part of the recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Invitrogen
Invitrogen will donate $50,000 outright and match employee contributions up to another $50,000 in support of the San Diego Foundation Biotech Recovery Fund.
J.W. Sefton Foundation
The J.W. Sefton Foundation will make a $100,000 grant to The San Diego Foundation After the Fires Fund.
The Jack in the Box Foundation
The Jack in the Box Foundation's fire relief program is designed to serve immediate and long-term community needs. Serving immediate needs:
- $25,000 donation to the American Red Cross.
- Launched a Jack in the Box Foundation program matching donations made by employees and franchisees to The Foundation to further
benefit the American Red Cross and other relief organizations (committed to a minimum donation of $100,000 to the American Red Cross).
- $5,000 donation to the San Diego Blood Bank
- Reviewing additional requests for immediate funding from charitable partners that have been impacted.
- Approx. $37,000 in donations of Jack in the Box food, free meal coupons and goods for American Red Cross volunteers, evacuees and fire fighters
- Jack in the Box provided the American Red Cross with a 44-foot refrigerated trailer to store perishable goods for volunteers and evacuees (also providing daily onsite refueling of diesel needed to run the refrigeration).
- Jack in the Box connected with business partners regarding donations of goods (for example, a coffee vendor donated 44 cases of bulk ground coffee to the American Red Cross).
- Jack in the Box employees have volunteered by manning the kitchen at corporate headquarters to prepare food for American Red Cross volunteers and evacuees and delivering food and goods. Employees have also delivered thousands of Jack in the Box free meal coupons to firefighter command bases in the county.
- Jack in the Box will provide temporary housing for employees who have lost homes and counseling for all employees who would like guidance through the crisis.
The Jack in the Box Foundation has a program in place that provides emergency relief funds to employees in times of disaster (funded by employee contributions).
Serving long-term needs: The foundation will help nonprofit organizations with both donations of money and employee
volunteer time, and will consider company programs and efforts to raise additional money for relief and rebuilding efforts.
Jewish Community Foundation
The Jewish community has established the Jewish Community Disaster Fund to provide assistance to Jewish families and others in need who have been affected by the fires as well as to rebuild communal infrastructure if required. Funds will be held by the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego in partnership with the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County. Relief will be provided through Jewish Family Service of San Diego and other community organizations. No overhead costs will be taken from the fund, and all dollars raised will help those in need. As of 12/13/2007, over $500,000 has been raised.
The Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego’s Grants Committee approved an initial $200,000 grant from the Jewish Community Disaster Fund to Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) to support these critical recovery services:
- Emergency cash distributions for groceries, rent assistance, food, gas and clothes
- Case management to assess needs and develop a long-term plan for services
- Free or low-cost therapy sessions
- Services within the burn areas such as resiliency training at schools for children
The Legler Benbough Foundation
So far, The Legler Benbough Foundation has granted $10,000 to the Salvation Army to support their immediate support activities for the fire, and is granting $50,000 to the SD Foundation for the After the Fires Fund.
Qualcomm Incorporated
Qualcomm has committed $1.5 million to support relief and recovery efforts. The total commitment includes immediate donations of $100,000 to the San Diego/Imperial Counties American Red Cross Chapter and $100,000 to Volunteer San Diego. Over the next several weeks, the remaining $1.3 million will be directed to various nonprofit and first responder organizations providing fire relief and recovery efforts via Qualcomm's corporate giving program, employee matching grant program and donations in recognition of employee volunteer efforts. Qualcomm is also providing services for employees who lost their homes and is establishing an internal website for those who need assistance and those who want to give assistance with resources such as: counseling and support services, state and county information, insurance contact numbers, national services, and volunteer opportunities. The company is also establishing a shopping registry at Target.com where employees can purchase items for fellow employees who have lost their homes. Click here for more information.
Rancho Santa Fe Foundation
The Rancho Santa Fe Foundation's Good Samaritan and Disaster Relief Funds are accepting donations now for local residents who have lost property as a result of the wildfires in Rancho Santa Fe and North San Diego County. There are also funds for First Responders and Rebuilding Lives for San Pasqual Academy. In addition to cash donations,
- RSFF received nearly $3000 in gift cards that have been distributed to people in the fire district,
- six new computers have been given to students at the local school,
- clothing/non-perishable food has been shipped from a Montessori School in Versailles, Kentucky (will be distributed to families in the Valley Center area)
- all local families have a “buddy family” who is helping with the recovery – Thanksgiving dinner, camping stuff for Sixth Grade Camp, “showers” for re-stocking the kitchen/bathroom necessities, etc.,
- 121 un-assembled bikes (which local firefighters have now assembled) donated by the Tony Hawk Foundation along with thousands of clothing items will be distributed on December 8th to fire survivors, and
- Sun Diego donated thousands of clothing items to the students, alumni and “grandparents” at San Pasqual Academy while they were displaced – 17 homes on the campus were lost.
San Diego Chargers
The Chargers re-activated their Fire Relief Fund with a lead gift of $1 million from the Spanos family. The NFL is supporting the effort and has already donated an additional $250,000 to the fund. A few other teams are also sending checks to help. The Chargers Fire Relief Fund is a donor advised fund of the San Diego Foundation. From the lessons learned in 2003, the Chargers Fire Relief Fund will focus mostly on recovery and rebuilding. To support immediate needs, the Chargers held a collection at the gates during the game on 10/28/07, directly benefiting the Salvation Army, and raised close to $75,000 from the fans. Click here for an article on the Chargers' efforts.
The San Diego Foundation
The San Diego Foundation opened the After-the-Fires Fund 2007 to receive donations for making emergency grants to first responders and other nonprofit service organizations engaged in disaster response, recovery and rebuilding. The first stage of the After-the-Fires effort will be immediate response and recovery activities, primarily the provision of food, shelter, housing and healthcare needs. The second stage will provide grants to help rebuild the lives of fire victims, as well as restore the communities affected by the fires. Funds include an Animal Welfare Fund, Scholarship Fund, Fire Relief Biotech Immediate Response Fund, Fire Relief Biotech Recovery Fund, and funds created by individual corporations. Click here for more information and a full list of funds. The fund has received over $3million so far.
The San Diego Regional Disaster Fund of The San Diego Foundation has provided initial funding from its After-the-Fires Fund to support the Local Community Recovery Teams (LCRTs) in each of the fire-stricken communities, as well as a Regional Community Recovery Team (RCRT) to provide region-wide assistance and relief coordination.
LCRTs are now open in these communities:
• Fallbrook 337 East Mission Road
• Rancho Bernardo/Poway 16776 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite 110
• Ramona/Santa Ysabel 1710 Montecito Road in Ramona
• Escondido, reached by calling 760-746-3473
• Deerhorn Valley, Jamul, Dulzura, Barrett Junction, Potrero and Tecate are served by the Harris Fire Recovery Center located at 1136 Community Building Road, Dulzura.
The La Jolla Reservation is served by the LCRT representative, Adam Geisler. Recovery and rebuilding assistance is available at the Tribal Hall. For information, call 760-742-3771 or visit 22000 Highway 76, Pauma Valley.
San Diego Social Venture Partners
San Diego Social Venture Partners hosted a drive for clothes and other much needed items for families displaced by the fire at Amylin Pharmaceuticals on 10/26/07. Click here for more information. SDSVP will also be doing some strategic planning with Volunteer San Diego to help them get ready for next disaster, and SVP International is taking up a collection for San Diego.
San Diego Union-Tribune
The Helen K. and James S. Copley Foundation is contributing $100,000 to the San Diego/Imperial Counties chapter of the American Red Cross, which will use the money to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those affected.
In addition, $50,000 is being donated to the San Diego Humane Society by the Copley Foundation, to help care for family pets displaced by the fires and to further the organization’s future efforts. Also, the Union-Tribune’s Web site, SignOnSanDiego.com, is donating more than two million impressions of advertising to the American Red Cross.
The Union-Tribune is also selling a book with photos and accounts of the fires by its journalists, with net proceeds benefitting TSDF's After the Fires Fund. Click here for more information.
Sempra Energy
Sempra Energy has established a $5 million fund to aid its Southern California customers and impacted local communities. The relief program, which will be funded by Sempra Energy and not through utility rates, will be devoted to aiding people in the service territories of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Co. (The Gas Company) who have experienced hardships as a result of the fires. The fund will be expanded with contributions from suppliers, business partners and employees. The company has also donated supplies, sleeping cots, blankets and meals at evacuation centers, as well as staffed evacuee information booths. Click here for more information.
Union Bank of California
Union Bank of California announced a disaster relief program that includes a total current contribution in San Diego of $250,000. UBOC intends to stagger distribution of resources to address immediate, intermediate, and long-term needs.
Immediate:
- The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, parent company of Union Bank of California, is making a $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross. Of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi contribution, $80,000 will be contributed to the San Diego/Imperial Counties American Red Cross.
- Though the San Diego Area Subcommittee on Contributions, the Union Bank of California Foundation granted $10,000 to 2-1-1 San Diego.
- Union Bank has established an Employee Relief Fund for affected employees.
Intermediate: The Union Bank of California Foundation has committed $200,000 to support relief efforts; $160,000 is designated for San Diego. All funds ($160,000) will be distributed by the end of the year. UBOC is seeking intermediate and long-term opportunities for employee volunteerism in the community.
Long-Term: 2008 budget planning will include potential set-asides for long-term rebuilding. UBOC will also make adjustments to its products and services. On a case-by-case basis for qualified Union Bank of California customers affected by the fires, the bank has activated a disaster relief program that includes:
- Payment deferrals up to 120 days for mortgage and consumer loan customers;
- Reduced rates on short-term home equity loans up to $25,000;
- Unsecured loans up to $15,000 with reduced rates for up to four years;
- Assistance in recovering financial records, replacing lost checks and debit cards.
In the aftermath of last October’s Southern California wildfires, the Union Bank of California Foundation continues to support relief efforts in San Diego County with grants totaling nearly a quarter million dollars. This includes an immediate donation of $80,000 to support the American Red Cross – San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter from the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, the majority shareholder of UnionBanCal Corporation, as well as another immediate grant of $10,000 to 2-1-1 San Diego, the new national dialing code for community, health and disaster information, which fielded nearly 12,000 calls the first day of the disaster.
Over the next several weeks, $130,000 will be provided to other non-profit organizations providing fire relief and recovery efforts in the area. The strategy for allocating the remaining funds is to support non-profit organizations assisting communities and vulnerable populations who were most severely impacted and most conspicuously in need of recovery support. Focus areas include the Ramona and Fallbrook communities, the agriculture industry and children, seniors, immigrants/migrant workers and burn victims. The organizations that will receive support in the coming weeks and their donation amounts are listed below.
- San Diego Ag in the Classroom - $25,000 To provide scholarships to children of farmers and farm workers currently enrolled in or preparing for college;
- Poder Popular/ Farm Worker CARE Coalition - $25,000 To help improve the living and working conditions of agricultural workers in San Diego’s North County;
- Interfaith Community Services - $25,000 To support outreach to immigrant, migrant and vulnerable populations in need through faith community engagement;
- Vista Hill Foundation - $25,000 To support mental health treatment for students with various mental health issues in the Ramona area;
- ElderHelp of San Diego - $20,000 To help in its work to enhance the quality of life for seniors;
- San Diego Burn Institute - $10,000 To aid in the survival of the burn victims that were admitted as a result of the fires, including four firefighters.
United Way of San Diego
United Ways in Southern California are responding to the devastating wildfires in two key ways: ensuring the strength of the 2-1-1 phone number for people who need help and launching the regional United Way Southern California Wildfires Recovery Fund.
This fund, which has over $300,000, is unique in the following ways:
- This Fund represents a collaboration of several United Ways across the region. United Way of San Diego is leading the way with United Ways throughout Southern California actively participating, including: United Way of Great Los Angeles, Inland Empire United Way, Orange County United Way, United Way of the Inland Valleys, Arrowhead United Way, United Way of Santa Barbara County, United Way of Ventura County and United Way of California
- The Fund will focus primarily on community-wide healing. United Ways will activate local volunteer committees of community leaders to review applications from support agencies and develop strategies to address the long term needs of the communities affected. Another crucial role United Way is playing in the response to the wildfires it to ensure the strength of 2-1-1, an easy-to-remember phone number that can be dialed for people who need services or for those who want to offer help. As call volumes in the area continue to soar, United Way of America has committed the funds to bring in extra 211 operators to staff the busy lines. Click here for more information.
- There is also a LOCAL fund, the United Way of San Diego County 2007 Wildfire Fund, with over $20,000 in the door (and more than $700,000 expected if all pledges are met and grants received). All of the monies received in this fund will stay in San Diego County.
The total of funds distributed locally by the United Way of San Diego County’s 2007 Fire Fund has risen to $428,650. Fourteen community organizations have now received funds to help fire victims recover and rebuild.
Washington Mutual
Washington Mutual's disaster relief program includes alternate loan payment plans and suspension of late charges and credit reporting on loans. Customers affected by the fire may be eligible for reduced interest on home equity lines of credit. The bank will also waive certain CD withdrawal penalties and reimburse customers for fees charged for ATM use.
Washington Mutual is donating a total of $500,000 to assist recovery efforts in the affected counties. The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army will be recipients of $100,000 each. Grants in the amount of $200,000 will go to local nonprofits, including $100,000 to the San Diego Foundation’s “After the Fires Fund.” Finally, WaMu will match employee donations to California fire relief up to $100,000. The company is also encouraging customers to donate to nonprofits of their choice.
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo will donate $250,000 to the Red Cross and another $250,000 to local relief agencies.
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Fire Response Meetings for Grantmakers
Update on 211 San Diego
January 8, 2008
1:00-3:00pm
Location/Host: Qualcomm Incorporated, 5665 Morehouse Drive (building L), San Diego, CA 92121
SDG has been asked to aid coordination among members who have recently been approached by 211 San Diego for funding. While it is not typical for SDG to gather funders around a single nonprofit, there seems to be agreement that this situation merits a different approach in light of 211's central infrastructure and referral role in the social services - but particularly due to their role in the recent fires and potential future disasters. If you have funded 211 San Diego in the past or would like to learn more, please attend. Please RSVP to programs@sdgrantmakers.org
After the Fires: The San Diego Foundation's Community Needs Assessment Report
January 31, 2008
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Location/Host: The San Diego Foundation, 2508 Historic Decatur Rd., Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92106
Grantmakers are invited by The San Diego Foundation and San Diego Grantmakers to attend a session to review and discuss the recently published findings of the After the Fires Fund Community Needs Assessment Report. The objective is to continue to help funders learn about the most critical fire related needs, share perspectives and funding strategies in order to better leverage and optimize fire related giving in our community. Comments by Jeff Wiemann, Director of Disaster Operations and Bob Kelly, CEO. Please RSVP to programs@sdgrantmakers.org
Nov 27 Meeting: San Diego Fires 2007: A Coordinated Philanthropic Response
So that SDG members don't act in isolation from one another and, instead, coordinate our giving in ways that best meet the community needs created by this disaster, SDG convened any and all interested members at a special funders-only meeting on Tuesday, November 27. The meeting was held to share information on individual funding strategies and to discuss the region's needs. We learned from the work, research, and due diligence of fellow members and devised a process to enable us to best coordinate our grantmaking/contributions. Note: the goal of this meeting was to create a space for sharing individual grantmaking decisions, programs, challenges, suggestions, and successes. There is no plan for pooled funding -- just better-informed and unduplicated funding.
Other Relief
Efforts
Other organizations engaged in relief efforts:
Media Coverage
Media reporting on philanthropic support of fire relief and recovery include the following:
- Click here for a 12/16/07 Union-Tribune article covering TSDF's needs assessment report and the work of SDG to coordinate member response. Click here for a related PND article.
- Click here for a 12/17/07 North County Times article on the needs assessment report.
- Click here for a SDBJ article on The San Diego Foundation's fire funds.
- Click here for the Voice of San Diego section on the fires.
- Click here for a Fox6 article on fundraising in the wake of the fires.
- Click here for a 10news.com article on business support.
- Click here for a San Diego Union-Tribune article on corporate contributions and click here for another article detailing further corporate contributions as of 10/30/07.
- Click here for a San Diego Daily Transcript article about free resource guides for residents and small businesses published by Morrison and Foerster law firm.
- Click here for a North County Times article on responses to the fires.
- Click here for a San Diego Union-Tribune column on generosity and "compassion fatigue."
- Click here for The Chronicle of Philanthropy's article on fire-related giving.
- Click here for a North County Times article on SDG's work to coordinate philanthropic response to the fires
- Click here for a Philanthropy Journal article on giving.
- Click here for a PND article reporting that $27 million has been given to fire recovery efforts as of early November.
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Building a Record
of Philanthropic Response
When we are asked by the media and colleagues about San Diego's
response, we'd like to share your stories. Please share with us
-- and with your colleagues -- what you are doing. As you take action,
please email the information.
Disaster Grantmaking Resources
As you consider your organization's response, here are some helpful resources on disaster grantmaking.
- Do no harm.
- Stop, look and listen before taking action.
- Don’t act in isolation.
- Think beyond the immediate crisis to the long term.
- Bear in mind the expertise of local organizations.
- Find out how prospective grantees operate.
- Be accountable to those you are trying to help.
- Communicate your work widely and use it as an educational tool.
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