After the Fire Announces $220,000 Grant from Walmart Foundation to Support Community to Community Programs (C2C)
Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO and Judy Coffey, Board President of After the Fire, a leading nonprofit in wildfire recovery in the United States, announced a grant from the Walmart Foundation to support programs dedicated to helping communities recover, rebuild and reimagine after experiencing a megafire.
The $220,000 grant supports the work of After the Fire USA, specifically our Community to Community Programs (C2C) supporting, mentoring, coaching and sharing best practices with those affected in the devastating 2020 wildfire season that burned over 10 million acres and caused $16.4B in damage across California, Oregon, and Washington states. “The 2020 wildfire season was not only unprecedented, it was also a confirmation that we are living in the Era of Megafire. This generous grant from the Walmart Foundation demonstrates their commitment to ensuring wildfire survivors have equal access to adaptable systems, resources, best practices, and our Wildfire Resilience Network of leaders,” stated Jennifer Gray Thompson.
Our C2C Programs link communities recently affected by fires with local leadership from other wildfire communities with the goal of supporting locally-led and designed recoveries. No community should have to reinvent every aspect of recovery. The grant will be used to support capacity, increase digital communications, support delegations of survivors and build case studies highlighting best practices.
“The impact of having Walmart Foundation support our mission is a testament to our long-term dedication to collaborative and relevant services for wildfire leaders and survivors. As a person who lost her own home in the Tubbs Fire and has served on this board for over four years, I am grateful to the Walmart Foundation for their visionary investment in our work,” stated President Judy Coffey.
With a presence in thousands of communities across the U.S., Walmart and the Walmart Foundation support communities where they operate in the wake of disaster. They also aim to help communities build resiliency and respond when disaster strikes.
“Our philanthropy aims to improve entire systems in disaster relief and preparedness so communities can respond to disasters more quickly and effectively,” said Brooks Nelson, Senior Manager, Community Resiliency at Walmart.org. “We’re proud to support After the Fire’s Community to Community programs and their goal to streamline recovery and build resilience for communities impacted by wildfires.”
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After the Fire: Recover. Rebuild. Reimagine (ATF3R) is an initiative of Rebuild NorthBay Foundation in response to a dramatic increase in megafire disasters across the American West.
Our vision is to empower the communities of the American West be more resilient, and to recover faster from wildfire disasters by building local capacity and increasing access to resources.
Our mission is to support communities as they recover from fire, rebuild their lives, and reimagine a more resilient future through prevention, innovation, and facilitating the connection from one fire-impacted community to another.
Please visit www.afterthefireUSA.org
ATF USA Media Contact: Jennifer Gray Thompson (707) 953-6034 or [email protected]