YouTube, Google Pledges $15M to L.A. Wildfire Relief

YouTube and parent Google are pledging $15 million to organizations providing relief efforts during the ongoing L.A. wildfires.

Along with the charitable arm Google.org, the tech giants are giving funds to Emergency Network Los Angeles, the American Red Cross, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, and the Institute for Nonprofit News. 

Products and services like Google Search, Google Maps, and Waze are also being used in the response to the disaster, the companies said Wednesday.

The gift is the latest high-profile one from the entertainment and tech world, with Amazon, Disney, Netflix, Comcast, and others also each putting forward between $10 million and $15 million in recent days. 

Despite unsettling weather forecasts for high winds on Wednesday, optimism is gradually building about the ability of firefighters to gain control over the fires. More than two dozen people have been killed and 11,000 structures destroyed in the nine days since the disaster began.

Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, detailed the contribution Wednesday in a blog post. “Los Angeles is the heart of entertainment and storytelling and has an impact on culture all over the world,” he wrote. “It’s also where many YouTube creators, artists, partners and our employees call home. Like so many, we’ve been heartbroken by the devastation from the wildfires and want to do our part to support the community as it rebuilds.”

"Once it is safe for YouTube and Google to reopen their L.A. offices, they plan to offer YouTube production facilities to creators and artists affected by the fires as they begin to recover and rebuild their businesses,” Mohan added. “In the coming months, we’ll also host a number of events to bring the YouTube creative community together – making space to connect and share resources.

“On the long road ahead, we’ll continue to support recovery and rebuilding efforts alongside our partners across the industry. In moments like these, we see the power of communities coming together to support each other – and the strength and resilience of the YouTube community is like no other.”