Shortly after the wildfires raged across Southern California, donations began pouring into a small office near Dodger Stadium.
Leonardo DiCaprio wanted to give. So are the Dodgers, Lakers, Netflix and Las Vegas casinos.
Their big subject matter is an obscure non-profit organization Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation For two decades, it has quietly helped firefighters by raising funds for equipment — often nominal things like gloves and flashlights — not covered by the city budget.
After averaging less than $3 million in donations per year, the group received about $20 million in a few days.
The money came in so fast, in such large chunks, that the foundation's president, Liz Lin, couldn't be sure of the exact total during a recent interview. “Absolutely huge,” she said.
Now she and her staff are working the phones, looking for a supplier who can fill emergency orders for hand tools, hydration packs and fire shelters — the silver linings that protect firefighters engulfed in flames. They have received requests for hundreds of headlamps.
“There are so many things they can do to help,” Delia Ibarra, former chief of the civilian Los Angeles Fire Commission, said of the foundation. “To me, they're gold.”
Such generosity by the fire department has drawn controversy, pitting Mayor Karen Bass against billionaire Elon Musk, drawing the fire chief and other civic leaders into the fray.
The news comes after the fire department slashed the fire department's budget by 2.7% for 2024-25 as flames burned thousands of acres in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Hollywood and San Fernando valleys.
In fact, when ongoing negotiations with the firefighters union ended just months after that budget took effect, an additional $53 million in pay raises and $58 million in new fire trucks were approved, boosting the operating budget by more than 7% compared to the previous fiscal year. year, according to city financial analysts.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, right, and Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley, left, address the media at a press conference on Jan. 11.
(Alan J. Schaben/Alan J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Regardless, Fire Chief Christine Crowley He complained that he did not have enough money. Musk and Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong Criticized city officials On social media. Lin and his foundation tried to distance themselves from the controversy.
“We don't want to get into political nuances,” he said. “We're just asking [the firefighters]'What do you want? Give me a cost.' “
His foundation dates back to 2010, when local business owners visited a station house without a washing machine capable of cleaning toxins from high-turnout coats. They discovered that the bulk of the department's budget goes to salaries, leaving relatively little for equipment and specialized training. Breakfasts were held to raise money at individual stations.
Establishing itself as a 501(c)(3) organization, the new group signed an agreement with the city to become an authorized fundraiser and created a process for department heads and stations to apply for assistance.
Donations initially totaled about $500,000 annually, enough to pay for computer equipment, some of it specialized washing machines, and several thousand fluorescent lights. If a station's refrigerator breaks down and the budget doesn't have money to buy a new one, the basement steps in.
Firefighters often “need to make repairs at the stations,” Ibarra said. “Sometimes they fix things out of their own pocket because it's easier than making a claim. [to the city].”
As of 2017, the foundation has attracted more than $1 million annually and will continue to grow. Lynn took over from the previous president the following year, shortly before the Woolsey Fire burned nearly 100,000 acres in L.A. and Ventura counties.
“Woolsey was my training camp,” he said. “I had to understand the mechanics, the processes, what was going on.”
When 11 firefighters were injured in the 2020 explosion, the department requested a $277,000 Thermite RS3 robot that can remotely survey submerged buildings. After two years, the aging helicopter had to be replaced.
The foundation, which raised nearly $6 million that year, spent half of that on the new Bell 505. Other prizes include specialized training classes, mental health services and veterinary care for search-and-rescue dogs.
“It's a process we haven't had before,” said LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart, a 19-year veteran. “Those are unmet needs.”
In the world of philanthropy, local organizations like the J. Paul Getty Trust and the California Endowment have billions in assets, and the foundation remains relatively modest. Its paid staff of five works out of a rent-free office at the department's Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center near Chavez Ravine.
Charity Navigator, a watchdog, gives the group a four-star rating and reports that 93 cents of every $1 in donations goes to firefighters. A similar LA nonprofit dedicated to county firefighters recently disbanded after facing allegations of misappropriation of funds.
Ibarra said of the city foundation: “If you give them money, the firefighters will get that money.”
Some quick thinking has now greatly expanded the pot. As soon as the Palisades fire broke out, Lin told his staff: “Let's put something out on social media.” Money rolled in.
In the coming weeks, as the wildfires subside, he will meet with department heads to discuss future purchases that could better prepare firefighters for the next emergency. Lynn said: “As I was leaving the operations center this morning, four people stopped me and said, 'Hey, what do you think about this? What do you think about that?' “
With such a large department, serving a city so wide, the wish list seems endless.
Those heavy-duty washing machines that started it all? The trust has patiently bought a few at a time – between more pressing needs – and is working its way down the list of 106 stations. Fifteen years later, Lin says there are 10 more to go.