The Pasadena Community Foundation raised $83 million for Eaton Fire recovery in 2025 and disbursed $24 million to more than 110 nonprofit partners serving fire survivors across Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre, according to the foundation, which released its 2025 Impact Report this week.
The 32-page report documents the 73-year-old foundation’s response to the January wildfire, which killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 structures—including over 6,000 homes and rental units—in what President and CEO Khanh Duy Russo described as a year that “called us to pivot and respond to a disaster of unprecedented scale.” Donations came from all 50 states, the foundation said.
PCF established its Eaton Fire Relief & Recovery Fund on the morning of January 8, as the fire continued burning. In April, the foundation created the Altadena Builds Back Foundation, a supporting organization focused on long-term residential rebuilding. ABBF has secured $60 million from donors, according to the report.
The remaining fire funds—approximately $59 million not yet granted—are reserved for future recovery efforts and long-term solutions “as community needs continue to evolve,” PCF stated.
PCF now manages $283 million in total assets, the report said. The foundation’s assets stood at $187.5 million at the end of 2024, according to PCF’s financial disclosures. Of the current total, $147 million is invested in permanent endowments designed to generate annual support, and $135 million is designated for time-limited needs to be distributed over the next five to 10 years.
The report details how local nonprofit partners used fire recovery funding. Boys & Girls Club Pasadena distributed $50,000 in cash payments to 34 families who lost homes and seeded a Family Assistance Fund that ultimately supported more than 225 households, according to the report. Lisa Cavelier, CEO of Boys & Girls Club Pasadena, said PCF’s early support gave families “a little more breathing room to seek temporary shelter, replace lost items, and begin to rebuild a sense of hope and home.”
PCF directed $725,000 to Door of Hope, which provided shelter for 12 families and additional housing support for more than 130 fire survivors, the report said. Jessica Villanueva, who lost her family’s rental home in West Altadena, said the organization secured a deposit, rent, and furnishings for her family’s new home. “Door of Hope took the stress away,” Villanueva said. “At each step, my caseworker was there for me, asking ‘What do you need?'”
Other housing partners deployed PCF funding to reach hundreds of displaced residents. Union Station Homeless Services served 192 individuals with case management and motel vouchers; Greenline Housing Foundation helped 34 families secure long-term temporary housing and provided more than $550,000 in rental assistance; Friends in Deed supported 60 individuals; and Civic Soul assisted more than 60 families with emergency housing, according to the report.
Greenline also launched what the report called the region’s first emergency landbanking initiative, purchasing two fire-impacted properties and investing more than $1 million to keep lots from speculators. The effort is aimed at preserving Altadena’s historically diverse and affordable character, the report said.
ABBF’s work has begun producing physical results. The foundation awarded $4.55 million to San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity in June to rebuild 22 homes for under- and uninsured families in West Altadena. The first of those homes is nearing completion, with three currently under construction, six permits issued, and eight more in the approval process, according to the report.
ABBF and donor Molly Munger together provided $5.83 million for Beacon Housing to purchase a lot that once held a 14-unit bungalow court destroyed in the fire. The project will rebuild all 14 units using modular, factory-built homes with affordability guaranteed for 55 years, the report said. More than 77% of multi-family units in Altadena were destroyed in the fire, according to the report.
“ABBF has been so fortunate over the last year to partner with organizations that are innovating more efficient and affordable pathways home for Eaton Fire survivors,” Jennifer DeVoll, executive director of ABBF, said in the report.
A $500,000 ABBF grant to The Foothill Catalog Foundation will support up to 50 fire survivors with pre-approved architectural plans that can reduce pre-construction costs by up to 95%, according to the report.
The foundation also invested $1.3 million in a Childcare Relief Initiative after 56% of childcare facilities in Altadena were damaged or destroyed and nearly 1,000 licensed childcare spaces were lost across Greater Pasadena, the report said. By the end of 2025, 43 providers had used the funding to replace equipment, relocate, or reopen.
PCF awarded Trusted Messenger Grants to four grassroots organizations—Harambee Ministries, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, the Clergy Community Coalition, and Altagether—in partnership with the League of California Community Foundations.
Beyond fire recovery, the report documented PCF’s year-round philanthropic work, including almost $900,000 in scholarship support to more than 170 students and grants across arts and culture, education, health, and human services. The foundation’s Board is now chaired by Sonia Singla, a Pasadena physician and founder of The Marigold Center. Russo said in the report that meeting the moment “will require us to keep innovating, lead with humility, and stay committed to new ways of working together.”
Tony Gronroos, ABBF Board chair and himself an Eaton Fire survivor displaced while his home undergoes remediation, said recovery is about more than rebuilding structures.
“It is not only about rebuilding homes, but about restoring stability, dignity, and the spirit of our community,” Gronroos said in the report.
The full report is available by clicking here.
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