CDP Colorado Wildfires Recovery Fund

Colorado is joining this year’s record-breaking North American Wildfire season. Three fires have challenged firefighters in the state – the Cameron Peak Fire, the East Troublesome Fire and the Calwood Fire. The Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires are the first- and second-largest fires in Colorado history, respectively. So far this year, nearly 700,000 acres – almost 1,100 square miles – have burned in Colorado.

“What we’re seeing in Colorado is a drier, hotter climate because of climate change,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly. “This year, we had our three largest fires in the history of our entire state.”

And as with many things in 2020, the state’s response is complicated by the coronavirus. “We’ve had to have the pandemic lens on all of the fire efforts from the very start,” Polis said.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) Colorado Wildfires Recovery Fund supports communities across the state as they work to rebuild and recover from wildfires. The Fund will help families and entire communities recover through targeted grantmaking that prioritizes medium- to long-term recovery, especially among vulnerable populations.

Disaster philanthropy has become an all-too-necessary practice in recent years. Yet donors still are challenged to determine how, when, and to whom to give to have the greatest impact. The Center for Disaster Philanthropy helps individual, family, corporate, and institutional donors answer the question, “How can I help?” more easily and quickly in the wake of a disaster. The Center provides a platform of learning and connection with leading disaster experts and other disaster philanthropists that brings more private money to disaster response efforts.