One year after devastating wildfires tore through Los Angeles communities, MusiCares
® has directed more than $15 million toward fire relief efforts. This includes $7 million deployed in the immediate aftermath of the fires to address urgent needs, along with substantial ongoing recovery support that continues today. In total, over 3,200 music professionals have been reached through direct financial assistance, health and wellness services, and long-term recovery throughout the region. While the immediate crisis has faded from the headlines, the impact on working music professionals—many of whom lost homes, instruments, studios, and livelihoods—continues to unfold.
Funds raised during the 2025 Grammy® Telecast, MusiCares’ Persons of the Year event and additional fundraising efforts were used to address both urgent needs and sustained recovery, reflecting the reality that rebuilding lives and careers takes time. To date, MusiCares has provided direct financial assistance, customized case management and health and wellness support to music professionals navigating housing instability, interrupted income, physical health complications, and ongoing trauma. Additional funds were directed to trusted community partners, including California Community Foundation, Direct Relief and Pasadena Community Foundation, supporting broader recovery efforts in neighborhoods hardest hit by the fires.
While many music professionals reached out for support immediately after the wildfires, others needed time to understand what help they needed and to assess their losses. For gig-based workers whose lives and livelihoods were disrupted all at once, recovery has not followed a clear or predictable timeline.
“Recovery does not happen on a fixed schedule,” said Theresa Wolters, Executive Director of MusiCares. “We continue to hear from people who have been in survival mode for nearly a year, rebuilding homes, juggling displacement, trying to keep working, and only now able to focus on their own health and stability. That delayed need is a very real part of disaster recovery.”
As needs evolved from immediate relief to longer-term stability, MusiCares has remained attuned to the needs of music professionals in affected communities, providing financial assistance, mental health support, equipment replacement, and other resources to help them rebuild and regain stability. Building on these efforts, in April 2025, MusiCares hosted a dedicated LA Fire Relief Music Equipment Distribution event, providing music professionals affected by the fires with free instruments, gear and recording equipment. The event helped participants return to work, rebuild their creative spaces and continue earning a living through music.
In recent months, MusiCares has continued its on-the-ground support, including hosting free Health and Wellness Clinics for music professionals affected by the fires. At a recent clinic in Altadena, attendees accessed mental health care, physical therapy, vision and hearing services, and guidance on disaster relief resources while also finding something less tangible but equally vital: connection. Many shared that they had evacuated with only minutes’ notice, leaving behind instruments, home studios, generational homes, and entire neighborhoods. Others spoke about managing asthma and other health complications from smoke exposure, supporting children through trauma and navigating the financial strain of relocation while still paying mortgages or leases on homes that no longer stand.
Expanding awareness and access has also been a critical part of MusiCares’ long-term recovery efforts. With a $1 million contribution from Google’s philanthropic arm Google.org and YouTube, MusiCares is strengthening outreach so music professionals affected by the fires know help remains available. This work includes elevating the voices and stories of individuals already assisted and using culturally responsive and multilingual content to connect with communities that may not yet be engaged with MusiCares’ services. By increasing visibility and awareness through thoughtful storytelling and digital engagement, MusiCares continues working to ensure no one is overlooked in the recovery process. The new funding is part of a broader commitment made by Google and YouTube with support from Google.org.
“The music community shows up for one another in extraordinary ways,” said Wolters. “Even a year later, we want people to know they are not alone and it is not too late to ask for help. Recovery looks different for everyone, and our role is to meet music professionals wherever they are in that journey.”
With natural disasters becoming more frequent and destructive, recovery is no longer a finite phase. For music professionals affected by the wildfires who have not yet sought support, MusiCares wants to be clear: help remains available. Many people delay reaching out while prioritizing family, housing and work, or because the full scope of their losses only become clear over time. MusiCares encourages anyone in the music community impacted by the fires, whether recently or months ago, to connect with its team to explore available resources, care and on-going support. Additional information about MusiCares’ impact and details on available resources can be found at musicares.org/lafirerelief.
