January 01, 2026
Float Honoring Wildfire Survivors Wins Rose Parade® Award
As the year draws to a close, we begin with gratitude—for you and for the extraordinary compassion our community has shown in the face of profound loss. Earlier this week, as we prepared for the beloved Southern California tradition of the Rose Parade®—a celebration watched worldwide just before the one-year anniversary of the devastating fires—we had the privilege of gathering with wildfire survivors from Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena to unveil Rising Together, a float created in their honor. (No wildfire funds were used to pay for the float).
California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund co-sponsored the “Rising Together” float in the 137th Rose Parade, dedicated to the 31 victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires and the tens of thousands of survivors still rebuilding their lives. Miguel A. Santana joined fire survivors at the float barn in Pasadena, reflecting on the power of community healing: “We acknowledge this horrible thing happened, and people are still suffering, but we can offer this as a way of healing together.”
Nearly one year after the Eaton and Palisades fires tore through Los Angeles communities, California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund announced the “Rising Together” float—a 45-foot tribute to the 31 lives lost and the tens of thousands still rebuilding. The float’s phoenix centerpiece, native California landscapes, and 31 sunflowers tell the story of two devastated communities through four themes: remembrance, resilience, the disproportionate impact on Black and Latino families, and the urgent need for sustained support. “When we come together with purpose, there is no challenge too great to overcome,” said Miguel Santana. “Los Angeles will rise from these ashes.”
Latest Department of Angels survey, sponsored by the California Community Foundation, illustrates accelerating crisis threatening the region nearly 500 days after the Los Angeles wildfires
Ariana Silva and her son Aaron were temporarily displaced after smoke damage to their home.
As the holiday season approached, the California Community Foundation awarded $6 million in grants to 14 nonprofits providing direct assistance to Eaton and Palisades fire survivors—many of whom are heading into the holidays with depleted savings and growing concerns about affording basic necessities like food. “As we approach the holiday season, we are providing immediate relief as families struggle to meet their basic needs while also confronting the long road to rebuilding,” said CCF President and CEO Miguel Santana. While noting the critical role of philanthropy, Santana also called on the federal government to step up with large-scale investment to get survivors back in their homes
Miguel Santana was interviewed about the California Community Foundation’s latest efforts to support wildfire survivors as the holiday season approached, explaining that nearly a year after the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires the foundation awarded $6 million in grants to 14 nonprofit organizations to provide direct assistance—such as food, basic needs support, and rebuilding help—to families still struggling with depleted savings and rising debt, and he emphasized the urgency of this relief as people confront both immediate needs and “the long road to rebuilding,” saying, “As we approach the holiday season, we are providing immediate relief as families struggle to meet their basic needs while also confronting the long road to rebuilding.”
Juan, on a lunch break from a construction job. Rosalina, at home with her children. Miriam, appearing in court. Edwin, seeking work at Home Depot.
Spanish-language outlet La Opinión amplified CCF’s “Am I Next?” campaign to Latino audiences across Southern California, centering Miguel Santana’s urgent warning: “When fundamental rights are taken away, anyone can be detained, for any reason—none of us are safe.” The piece underscored the campaign’s sweeping cultural coalition, from actor-activists Edward James Olmos and George Takei to partner institutions including the Japanese American National Museum, the Museum of Latin American Art, and the Social and Public Art Resource Center—a united front spanning generations and communities who know firsthand what it means to be targeted.
California Community Foundation launched a sweeping public art campaign projecting the urgent question “Am I Next?” across the sides of downtown Los Angeles buildings—visible to thousands along the 101 Freeway—challenging the Trump administration’s immigration raids and their threat to due process for all Americans. Miguel Santana, who led the effort alongside major cultural institutions, called it a defining moment: “We ask the question in these historic moments, ‘What would I have done?’ This is that moment. This is our call to action.”
Backed by the California Community Foundation, the coalition reflects a united effort to ensure immigrant communities remain central to California’s growth and prosperity
California Community Foundation President and CEO Miguel Santana joined Mayor Karen Bass to celebrate the reopening of Casa Gateway, a 100-unit complex for low- and fixed-income seniors and families in Pacific Palisades—made possible in part through CCF’s Wildfire Recovery Fund grants to several nonprofits, including The Change Reaction and CORE. The milestone brought dozens of displaced residents back home, underscoring CCF’s long-term commitment to recovery. “CCF has been around for 110 years, and we plan to be around as long as it takes until every single Angeleno is back at home,” Santana said.