Millions Raised for Spokane Wildlife Relief Fund

Within days of the Spokane wildfires, community members, businesses, and organizations have raised millions of dollars for the Innovia Foundation’s newly-established Spokane Complex Wildfire Response Fund, said Molly Sanchez, Innovia’s chief community investment officer. Five days after the fund was established, on Aug. 7, $3.1 million had been raised, said Sanchez.

That response is the largest the foundation has seen for a disaster relief fund, more than a million dollars more than its other most recent wildfire fund, she said. “It isn’t surprising, based on the significant scale of this and the amount of coverage that it’s received, nation and worldwide,” said Sanchez. The wildfire relief fund will be open continuously, and grants will be awarded to nonprofits that provide assistance and financial help to those affected by the fires, said Sanchez. “It’s very similar to previous disaster response work that the community foundation has done,” she said.

“The fund is open and will continue to be open both short term and long term as recovery goes on because we know from experiences that the work to build back takes a long time.” Innovia Foundation has already awarded $30,000 to the Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group, said Sanchez. According to its website, Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group is a nonprofit that was formed after the 2023 Oregon Road Fire in Elk and Chattaroy and Gray Fires in Medical Lake. The group was “created to coordinate recovery services and resources for individuals, families, businesses, and communities that were adversely impacted.

Its focus is on addressing emergency, short-term needs and managing resources so they will be available for long-term rebuilding and recovery,” the website states. Sanchez said the Innovia funds helped provide Visa and grocery gift cards, as well as the ability for personnel from the Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group to hand out supplies and resources at the Disaster Assistance Center, located at Shadle Park High School. Sanchez’s favorite part of working for the Innovia Foundation is how accessible it is to the local community; corporations, organizations, individuals, and children with jars full of pennies have all donated to Innovia. “Everybody’s gift can have a significant impact,” she said.