Paris Hilton Launches Disaster Recovery Fund For Women Businesses/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Entrepreneur and media personality Paris Hilton has launched a national recovery fund to help women-owned small businesses recover after disasters. The initiative builds on relief efforts she started following the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. The new program aims to raise at least $1 million to provide grants and support for affected entrepreneurs.
Paris Hilton Disaster Recovery Fund Quick Looks
- Paris Hilton launched the Back in Business Recovery Fund to aid women entrepreneurs.
- Hilton donated $350,000 to start the nationwide initiative.
- The fund aims to raise at least $1 million by the end of March.
- The program is a partnership between 11:11 Media Impact and GoFundMe.org.
- The project expands disaster relief efforts after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
- Previous grants helped 50 women-owned small businesses recover.
- Grants of up to $25,000 helped businesses rebuild after the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
- About 90% of grant recipients are still operating one year later.
- The initiative works with 150 women’s business centers across the U.S.
- A new YouTube series titled “Back in Business” highlights affected entrepreneurs.
Deep Look
Paris Hilton Launches Nationwide Disaster Recovery Fund for Women Entrepreneurs
Media personality, entrepreneur and philanthropist Paris Hilton has launched a new nationwide initiative aimed at helping women-owned small businesses recover after disasters.
The program, called the Back in Business Recovery Fund, was announced Monday and seeks to provide financial support and resources for female entrepreneurs whose businesses are damaged or destroyed by natural disasters.
Hilton personally contributed $350,000 to launch the fund and hopes to raise at least $1 million by the end of March.
“Women-owned businesses are really the heart of so many of these communities,” Hilton said in an interview. “I want to lift them up, support them, and make a real difference in their lives.”
Partnership to Support Disaster Recovery
The new fund is being developed through a partnership between Hilton’s social impact organization 11:11 Media Impact and GoFundMe.org, the charitable arm of the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe.
GoFundMe.org is contributing $100,000 to the initial launch of the recovery initiative.
The effort expands on Hilton’s earlier disaster relief work following the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, which destroyed homes and businesses across parts of Southern California — including Hilton’s own Malibu home.
Losing the house where she lived with her young children was deeply emotional, Hilton said, and it inspired her to help other families facing similar losses.
“It made me think about other mothers who lost not just their homes but their income,” she said.
Early Grants Helped Businesses Rebuild
In the months after the fires, Hilton and her partners distributed more than $1 million in grants to help 50 women-owned small businesses affected by the disaster.
The grants, worth up to $25,000 each, were used to help owners rebuild operations damaged during the Eaton Fire, which severely impacted the community of Altadena, California.
Businesses that received funding included:
- Child care centers
- Bakeries
- Bookstores
- Dance studios
- Hair and beauty salons
The funding helped cover critical expenses such as rent, payroll, equipment replacement, and rebuilding efforts.
According to the Pasadena Women’s Business Center, which provided technical support and mentorship to many recipients, about 90% of the funded businesses remain open today.
Floral Designer Rebuilds After Losing Everything
One of the grant recipients, Renata Ortega, faced devastating losses when flames destroyed both her home and the studio where she operated her floral design company, Orla Floral Studio.
Her business had been run out of a converted garage next to the Altadena home she shared with her husband and their dogs.
The fire wiped out nearly everything — including the tools and equipment she used to prepare floral arrangements for weddings and events.
“Nothing prepares you for that amount of loss,” Ortega said.
She worried not only about rebuilding her business but also about the employees and suppliers who relied on her company.
The grant from Hilton’s program helped Ortega secure a new studio space and purchase essential equipment, including a floral refrigeration unit.
Today, Ortega says her company is thriving again.
Orla Floral Studio is now fully booked with event work, and she hopes to hire additional staff soon.
“The grant helped us get back into business — actually better than before,” she said.
Emotional Support and Inspiration
Beyond financial help, Ortega said the recognition and encouragement from Hilton also had a powerful emotional impact.
Rebuilding both a home and a business simultaneously can feel overwhelming, she said.
But the support reminded her to keep pushing forward.
“If someone like Paris Hilton notices your story and believes in you,” Ortega said, “then you have to believe in yourself too.”
Expanding the Program Nationwide
Hilton said experiences like Ortega’s inspired her to expand the effort beyond California.
After working closely with grant recipients, she began imagining a national program that could help women entrepreneurs across the country rebuild after disasters.
Hilton also supported some of the businesses personally, purchasing products from them and promoting their work.
For example, she wore a catsuit from the clothing shop Crop It Like It’s Hot at the Coachella music festival and hired local food vendors such as Carmela Ice Cream and Hot Shrimp Mami for events she hosted.
Those partnerships further reinforced the idea that supporting small businesses can help entire communities recover.
Women Entrepreneurs Face Funding Challenges
Despite their growing role in the economy, women-owned businesses often face greater financial barriers than those owned by men.
According to research from Wells Fargo, there are about 14.5 million women-owned businesses in the United States, representing roughly 39% of all U.S. businesses.
However, women — especially women of color — receive significantly less venture capital investment and business financing.
Rebecca Grone, director of 11:11 Media Impact, said women entrepreneurs often face additional recovery challenges after disasters.
“They are frequently the most under-resourced,” she said, particularly when they also carry caregiving responsibilities at home.
Local Support Networks
The new recovery fund plans to collaborate with a network of approximately 150 women’s business centers across the United States.
These centers will help identify business owners affected by disasters and connect them with both financial support and mentorship programs.
Amanda Brown Lierman, executive director of GoFundMe.org, said local partnerships are critical to helping entrepreneurs recover quickly.
The centers also provide a community of business owners facing similar challenges.
“That connection is really key to success,” she said.
Strengthening Communities Through Small Businesses
Organizers say the goal of the fund is not only to help individual entrepreneurs but also to strengthen communities recovering from disasters.
When small businesses reopen, they bring jobs, tax revenue, and essential services back to neighborhoods.
More importantly, they help restore the sense of identity and familiarity that makes communities feel like home.
“You don’t want to come back to a place where the community isn’t thriving,” Grone said.
New Series Highlights Recovery Stories
To highlight the entrepreneurs who benefited from earlier grants, Hilton also released a new YouTube series titled “Back in Business.”
The program shares the stories of women who rebuilt their businesses after the Los Angeles fires.
Hilton hopes the series will inspire others to donate to the fund and support disaster recovery efforts.
Celebrating Women Entrepreneurs
Several of the business owners who received earlier grants will join Hilton to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday.
The event coincides with celebrations for International Women’s Day, observed March 8.
Hilton said the moment will symbolize the power of women supporting each other through challenges.
“It shows what happens when women come together,” she said.
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