News

We stand with the greater Los Angeles community, and everyone affected by the devastating wildfires. As the situation continues to unfold, we are prioritizing the safety and well-being of our employees, as well as aiding critical relief and recovery efforts.

To support those impacted by this tragedy and the greater Los Angeles community, PayPal has launched several initiatives to help the communities and the first responders that are on the front lines of the response effort.

How PayPal is helping the Los Angeles community

• Launching a Los Angeles Wildfire Disaster Relief Campaign with PayPal Giving Fund, matching up to $1 million USD in customer donations (up to $1,000 USD per user) made to support select charities through February 12, 2025^*. Contributions to this campaign will aid charitable organizations that are responding to the disaster and providing essential services to the affected communities and first responders.
• Granting a total of $1 million to support the California Community Foundation, the California Fire Foundation, the LA Regional Food Bank, and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. We also previously contributed to the American Red Cross’s Annual Disaster Giving Program, which has enabled them to quickly activate in the area.
• Ensuring impacted small and medium-sized businesses have our support in their recovery by offering relief from late fees, collections reporting, and pausing business loan repayments.
• Matching 100% of PayPal employee donations through an internal employee giving campaign.  

Other ways you can help

You can find several charities that are aiding in the recovery efforts in the Give section of the PayPal app, enabling customers to easily make donations, without any deductions or transaction fees. In the PayPal app, customers can discover charities vetted by PayPal by scrolling in the app menu and clicking on ‘Donate’ under ‘Send and Pay’ in the PayPal app.

Additionally, you can donate with Venmo to GoFundMe’s Wildfire Relief Fund. Select Venmo during checkout and choose to donate from your balance or other linked payment methods. 

We encourage you to donate through trusted channels like PayPal. All charities we're supporting as part of this campaign have been vetted, as have additional charities with Venmo Charity profiles and those listed on PayPal Gives. Keep in mind that during tough times, when generous people step up to support others, fraudsters may attempt to capitalize on the community’s goodwill by perpetrating common “impersonation scams.” Scammers might pose as reputable charities or individuals supporting relief efforts to trick well-meaning people into making “donations” or sharing personal information. We encourage customers to remain mindful online and check out our advice on how to spot and avoid charity scams and other common phishing scams.

Thank you to everyone that is coming together in support of the greater LA community, including all those who contribute through these campaigns. We will keep this post updated with additional developments as needed.
 

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