Promoting Community Health and Resilience from the Los Angeles Fires: Small Grants Application for Eaton Area

Applications are open to organizations that have the capacity to conduct all the following activities:

1. Attend an in-person training on a multilingual outreach toolkit on the health impacts of wild-urban fires and plan education and outreach projects from Oct 2026-Jan 2027. Training will tentatively be scheduled between Oct 2026 and Jan 2027 (2-day or 2 half-day workshops). Organizations will use this training to develop a community education and outreach plan to be ready to implement it by Jan 2027, but are not responsible for developing the toolkit/educational materials. The provided toolkit materials include handouts, slides/presentations, scripts, and interactive case studies (see core competencies below), allowing organizations to provide flexible formats for community education, such as workshops/webinars, one-on-one case management, or individual education, and self-directed resources. Portions of the toolkit will be translated into Spanish and other languages as needed and requested by organizations. 

   Community organizations will receive:

   • In-person training and a multilingual outreach toolkit, on core competencies:
     • How wildfires can affect your health and your community’s health.
     • How to protect yourself and your family during a wildfire, such as when to evacuate, how to improve indoor air quality with air filters, and when and how to use masks.
     • How to stay safe after a wildfire, including:
       1. Indoors: Recognize the purpose of testing, how to reduce exposures to fire contaminants, and how to clean safely.
       2. Outdoors: Recognize potential contaminants in air, ash, and soil, when testing is beneficial, and how to reduce exposure.
     • How wildfires and other disasters can affect mental health, and activities, supports, and resources that help reduce stress and support recovery
2. Independently plan and deliver community education and outreach on the health impacts of wildfires, aiming to reach at least 300 people from Jan 2027 to March 2028. CBOs use grant funds to support educational projects and resources, including, but not limited to, events/activities with communities that share health information about the LA fires and projects/resources that build capacity for health promotion (healthy living, mental health, reducing exposures) and exposure prevention (i.e., air filters, PPE, etc.). Examples of potential projects include:
   1. A DIY air filtration workshop with education on wildfire or urban fire smoke for low-income groups
   2. Community greening/gardening project with health education on mental health and soil health for youth affected by the fires
   3. Routine mental health education and peer support therapy sessions for survivors that supplement education on the health impacts of fires

   4. Other needed resources that support community needs and integrate community education on the health impacts of fires for groups who face higher risks of exposures and health impacts

      Grant-funded projects should identify a health-related need and consider equity and inclusion in their implementation. Funded projects should be completed before March 2028. Outreach and education plans should prioritize one or more diverse groups who:

      • i.)  Are vulnerable to health impacts of fires due to underlying health conditions (including youth, pregnant persons, aging populations, persons with disabilities, or individuals with chronic health conditions such as asthma, heart conditions, or lung conditions), including some racial and ethnic minority communities where disproportionate wildfire-related health impacts have been documented.
      • ii.)  Face higher risks of fire and environmental exposure (such as outdoor workers, cleanup crews, and individuals who conducted stay-and-defend activities).
      • iii.)  Have limited access to information about the health impacts of fires (for example, individuals who prefer a language other than English).

      • iv.)  Have limited resources that may increase vulnerability during fire events (including low-income individuals, unhoused populations, those reliant on public transportation, individuals without internet or air filtration, or those unable to evacuate).

        Race or ethnicity alone is not an eligibility criterion; prioritization is based on demonstrated health risk, environmental exposure, and access barriers.

3. Grantees will need to report throughout the grant period on:
   1. Metrics for community education and outreach (frequency and populations reached), and collect surveys of the participants
   2. Attend quarterly check-ins with UCLA staff during the award period to support projects, receive technical assistance, and share successes and challenges (Oct 2026 to March 2028)

Applications that detail the following in their application will be prioritized:

1. Previous experience: The ability of the organization to reach and conduct outreach and education with local communities (previous experience of community education, previous experience serving populations affected by the Eaton fire and surrounding areas, and/or strength of proposed project)
2. Reach of focus populations: Potential reach of vulnerable fire-affected populations (populations as specified in the scope of work #2, i-iv above). 
3. Strength of the proposed outreach and education project: The project has clear community connections and identified needs, describes the potential benefits of outreach and education, and includes high-quality interactive community engagement and educational strategies. 
4. Measurable impact: Capacity to document outreach and education goals and metrics
5. Project goals are reasonable and feasible to implement within 18 months (appropriate staffing, plan can be achieved within 18 months)
6. Project budget is appropriate for the proposed project
7. Several grants may be designated for smaller organizations (annual budgets under ~$500,000).  

Number of Awards Available: Up to 7 awards

Individual Award Range: Up to $30,000 total costs per organization for 18 months

Types of community organizations that may be strong applicants include those serving Eaton fire-affected areas: Community organizations serving Eaton fire and surrounding area populations, including those at high-risk of health impacts (see priority groups under scope of work), with a strong interest in learning about providing community outreach and education on the public health implications of the 2025 LA Fires.

Eligibility: Nonprofits and community-based organizations that work with diverse populations in the Eaton fire area and surrounding fire-affected populations. Organizations that are not already working within the Eaton area and surrounding communities will not be considered. Organizations must have at least $1 million in general liability insurance to contract with UCLA. Nonprofit organizations without 501(c)(3) status can designate a fiscal sponsor to receive their funds.

Allowable costs: The award amount includes indirect costs (facilities and administrative costs). The sum of direct plus indirect costs should not exceed $30,000. Organizations without a federally negotiated indirect cost rate may use a 15% de minimus rate. There are no specific budget allocation requirements. A full budget and budget justification will be due in the full proposal application stage. The budget should be appropriate for the project and include reasonable items such as administration costs, staff, and resources. 

Non-eligible costs: Research funding, direct cash grants to individuals, personal debt relief, tuition, and stipends are not allowed. 

Notice of administrative contracts and related paperwork: If funded, awardees will need to complete paperwork to establish their organization as an official vendor and set up a subcontract with UCLA, and submit invoices. The contract will be deliverable-based. Questions regarding the contracting process with UCLA should be addressed to gmoon@mednet.ucla.edu.