EGA President and CEO
A New Year, A Renewed Commitment: Honoring the Legacy of Rev., Dr. King Jr. in its entirety
I hope that this message finds you in health and strength or recovery at the start of a new year. I offer care and compassion to those in relationship to the Los Angeles, CA area affected by the wildfires, and to those watching the terms of a fragile ceasefire, as war rages across the globe.
We have all borne witness to the start of the next phase of the climate crisis, and are managing our capacities to respond to it. The emergence of mutual aid, hardening into capability all across the country is a hopeful reaction, and one EGA encourages as a mode of operation over the next many years. In these moments, community is an essential resource for the generational work of justice, and the present work of sustaining ecosystem health as the truest economy.
On Monday, we observe a collective memorial and remember the legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Reverend Dr. King gave his life to building momentum in community to unleash the power to have and hold liberty, as an inclusive practice, for all people.
As a part of a cadre of brilliant thinkers, orators, stewards and strategists, Rev. Dr. King built a durable foundation for an actualized democracy, which we are all tasked to make real. That work is without end as it passes from one generation to the next. As we prepare for the succession of the office of the U.S. President, we would do well to put the full story of violence, sacrifice, community and care into our front view and hold it tight as we stake out positions, and partners for the duration. It will take more than well wishes, and pledges to see and sustain peace. And we should prepare for that.
In February 1967, Dr. King offered us enduring insight, at an Anti-War Conference in Los Angeles, saying “It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but the positive affirmation of peace.”
EGA honors Rev., Dr. King’s vision for peace and a transformative democracy which requires a commitment to racial equity as a touchstone for planetary progress. Our commitment to you and the POV is our guide star for ecosystem repair for the generations. And we are here to serve your commitment to achieving the mission for people and planet. I look forward to seeing and strategizing with you for stewardship repair and mutual capability in Washington D.C., for the 2025 Federal Policy Briefing, on February 23-25, 2025.
Our next best moves are together for renewed advocacy, durable equity, and a joyful future.
In care,
Tamara
Tamara Toles O’Laughlin
CEO & President
Environmental Grantmakers Association
LA Wildfire Resources
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation on Fueling Innovation to Navigate the Wildfire Challenge Ahead.
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) on Giving Strategically After Disaster: Ten Points to Consider.
- Los Angeles Fires Giving Guide by The Boston Foundation
- Wildfire Resources & Evacuation Sites by Liberty Hill Foundation
- Los Angeles Wildfire Statement, Support & Resources by the Redford Center
- How To Help Those Affected by the California Wildfires by Tides
- 5 Ways To Increase Your Impact When Donating After a Crisis
- Resources for the Los Angeles County Wildfires by San Diego Foundation
- Los Angeles Wildfire Funds & Resources by Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties
- Emergency Relief Resources by Hispanics in Philanthropy
- Support LA: Resources For Those Affected and How To Help by Native Americans in Philanthropy
- California Black Freedom Fund's - Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund
- Strengthening Sector Support for Communities Impacted by the 2025 CA Wildfires by United Philanthropy Forum
- A list of free and discounted resources for victims of Los Angeles-area fires
- 2025 North American Wildfires Response and Recovery by Disaster Philanthropy
- LA Unity & Solidarity Fund for Mutual Aid and Equitable Recovery by the The Movement Innovation Collaborative
- Organizing Resilience is coordinating a national funder briefing to share real time updates from movement leaders on the ground and raise funds for both the Black LA Relief and Recovery Fund and the LA Unity & Solidarity Fund on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Find more information and register here.
