This year’s wildfires in greater Los Angeles devastated communities, including students and teachers whose schools were shut down, who were displaced, and who lost their access to learning resources and technology. To help, Google and YouTube announced Wednesday $3 million in funding to improve access to technology and support continuity of learning for students, teachers, schools, and districts that were affected by the January wildfires.  

This includes a contribution to the Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation (GLAEF), the premier philanthropic partner of the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), to provide more than 3,000 Chromebooks for students, helping to ensure they maintain access to digital learning resources. In addition, a back-to-school matching campaign through DonorsChoose.org will launch this fall to ensure teachers in wildfire-affected schools have the essential resources and supplies to rebuild their classrooms. This funding is part of the $15 million Google, YouTube, and Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, committed to organizations providing relief in greater Los Angeles.

The announcement was made during an event hosted by the Pasadena Educational Foundation(PEF), Google, and YouTube at Pasadena High School with participation from United States Representative Judy Chu (CA-28) and Pasadena Unified School District officials. Pasadena students, Los Angeles-based YouTube creators Colin and Samir, Google and YouTube leaders, and local leaders came together to underscore the importance of education in recovery efforts.

"This generous contribution from Google and YouTube will be instrumental in rebuilding our classrooms and empowering this future generation of American citizens and innovators,” said Representative Judy Chu (CA-28). “While it's a long road to rebuild, it's heartening to see such ongoing support from so many for Altadena, Pasadena, and the greater Los Angeles community during this challenging time."

LACOE and GLAEF served as the central hub for identifying educational technology needs in districts affected by the fires. Working in collaboration with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and other government partners, and in direct collaboration with PEF and the Los Angeles Unified School District Education Foundation, LACOE and GLAEF connected affected schools with new equipment and digital resources to accelerate recovery efforts across impacted school communities.

“Replacing critical devices that were destroyed in the fires and providing necessary technology to support students and teachers who are displaced from their classrooms is an essential step for learning,” said Kerry Franco of the Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation. “This support goes a long way toward helping rebuild and foster resilience in the face of crisis.” 

During the event, Google representatives led students in a coding workshop to learn foundational computer science skills and introduced the students to FireSat – a first-of-its-kind global satellite system that launched its first satellite out of California in March. This AI technology enables authorities with the data to react with unprecedented speed and potentially stop fires before they become catastrophic. 

"Google and YouTube are deeply committed to supporting the greater Los Angeles community as it recovers from the devastating wildfires,” said Adam Stewart, Google vice president and local office leader. “Through funding and exposure to computer science and AI-built technologies, we hope to ensure that affected students can continue their learning journey without disruption and empower them to build the technology solutions that can help us tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our communities, like wildfires. Educating the next generation of tech innovators is so vital for America's future.”

Google’s commitment to Los Angeles wildfire recovery, in partnership with YouTube, is part of the company’s broader work to provide real-time information and resources to help people and communities be prepared, safe, and resilient in times of crisis – from deploying cutting-edge technology like FireSat to working closely with local authorities to provide accurate and timely information through Google products and services. 

Recognizing that rebuilding will be a long-term effort, Google and YouTube are proud to help greater Los Angeles students continue their education and support the community's recovery as a whole.