WGAW Wildfire Resources

(Updated Febuary 14, 2025)

Whether you are affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, or looking to help others in need, our union is a community and it comes together in times of crisis. 

See the information below for ways to access emergency resources or give what you can. 

SUPPORT THOSE IN NEED

DONATE

  • Support your fellow members through the Writers Guild Member Fund.

    Making donations to the Writers Guild Member Fund through a donor-advised fund (“DAF”):
    • For DAF gifts, donors should instruct their financial institution to make the grant to the Entertainment Community Fund (“ECF”), which might be listed on their DAF portals as The Actors Fund of America (which is still the legal name of the ECF).
    • Some DAFs allow you to designate the gift in the memo of the DAF, and others do not. If your DAF allows you to enter text in a memo line, enter “Writers Guild Member Fund.”
    • In any case, donors should email Katherine Freedman to indicate the incoming DAF donation is for the Writers Guild Member Fund to ensure the gift is allocated to the correct fund.
    • The ECF Tax ID is 13-1635251; there is not a separate Tax ID for the Writers Guild Member Fund.
  • Provide targeted items that members who have been affected by the fires have specified they need.
  • Give to the Entertainment Community Fund and the Motion Picture & Television Fund as they provide assistance to those in the entertainment community affected by the wildfires.
  • Contribute to individual writer fundraisers on Humanitas’s Los Angeles Fire Resource & Fundraisers List 

VOLUNTEER

  • If you are interested in volunteering with your fellow WGA members in the coming weeks and months, please contact the Guild.
  • In the meantime, the Mutual Aid LA Network has created an up-to-date list of volunteer opportunities.

ACCESS RESOURCES

Financial Assistance for WGA Members

  • If you have lost your home or been displaced, contact the Guild.
  • Writers Guild Member Fund grants. These grants are available due to the support of fellow Guild members who have donated to the Writers Guild Member Fund, which is administered by the Entertainment Community Fund. The grants are available to Current and Post-current members who were impacted by the wildfires. Grants of $7,500 are available to eligible members who lost their home or have been displaced for 15 days or more because of evacuation. Grants of $2,500 are available to eligible members who have been displaced between 2-14 days because of evacuation. Please contact the Guild to request your verification/eligibility letter to upload as part of your application.
  • WGAW Good and Welfare Emergency Assistance Loans will be expedited in this time of crisis.
  • Entertainment Industry workers can apply for need-based financial assistance from the Entertainment Community Fund and the Motion Picture & Television Fund. ECF's application asks for a list of documents to be uploaded. If a document is unavailable, upload a blank file to move the application forward.

WGAW Wildfire Resources Zoom

  • In this presentation, Guild staff and representatives the Entertainment Community Fund offer information on navigating the recovery process. The presentation includes instructions on how to apply for grants through the Writers Guild Member Fund, for members who have lost their homes or been displaced by the Southern California wildfires.

WGA Member Support – Targeted Donation Drive

  • If you have lost your housing, or have had to evacuate (either long-term or short-term) and you are looking for specific items—children’s clothes, wheelchair, laptop, phone chargers, kitchen supplies, etc., please fill out this short Member Support Survey. A team of volunteer captains and members will try to match donations to get these items. 

Medication Refills

  • Guild members who have lost their medications and it's "too soon" to refill should contact the PWGA’s Eligibility Department by phone at (818) 846-1015 (press 1, then press 2) or by email. PWGA staff will handle the necessary overrides.

Member Work Space at the WGAW, 3rd & Fairfax

  • The Member Lounge is available for members to work. Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Parking in the garage off Blackburn Ave. as available. Check with parking attendant.

FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL RESOURCES

Resources & Information

Safety & Preparedness

Other Financial Assistance

Shelter & Temporary Housing

It is against the law for hotels to increase rates more than 10% due to increased demand from fire evacuations. 

Childcare

Food Assistance

Mental Health

Recovery After the Fires