Dixie Fire Fund Update
In July 2021, the Dixie Fire spread through Northeastern California. The fire consumed homes and businesses across five California counties and into the Sierras, burning nearly one million acres. The fire displaced residents and destroyed buildings, but a sense of community remained.
Plumas Bank saw the devastating impacts firsthand, with five of its branches and two administrative buildings in the fire’s path. Thousands of Plumas Bank clients and dozens of employees were displaced by the wildfire. On August 4, the fire ravaged through the town of Greenville along with neighboring communities Canyon Dam and Indian Falls. Plumas Bank’s Greenville branch was one of only five buildings left standing.
“These local communities built Plumas Bank. The immediate concern was helping our clients, neighbors and team members evacuate to safety,” recalls North. “It was clear even before the fire was extinguished that the road to recovery would need many hands and considerable long-term support. We acted quickly to make a difference.”
Plumas Bank set out to raise donations for community relief and needed a 501(c)(3) partner poised to help. Together, the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada and Plumas Bank joined forces to establish the Dixie Fire Fund.
“It took one phone call, and the Community Foundation jumped in to help. In just days they had set up a fund that was bringing in donations from around the country,” says North. “We’re grateful the Community Foundation had the experience and infrastructure to act so quickly.”
Plumas Bank was the fund’s single largest donor, contributing $50,000 and securing a $25,000 matching grant from Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. In total, the Dixie Fire Fund raised more than $250,000. While impactful, the amount raised was modest in comparison to local needs for recovery. Collaborating with other community foundations and funders was essential to making those dollars go farther.
The Community Foundation partnered with the Dixie Fire Funders Roundtable, a group of funders convened by the North Valley Community Foundation. The Funders Roundtable members included the Almanor Foundation, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Nor Cal United Way, Plumas Bank, and others. Through the Funders Roundtable, the group leveraged and pooled monies from multiple community foundations and funders to award more grants.
Over the last year and a half, the Dixie Fire Fund provided awards to 10 non-profit organizations. A large portion of the funds went to immediate needs for the 700-plus families who lost their homes. Other funds purchased equipment and supplies for local non-profits providing food, shelter, and fire protection; support for the planning and infrastructure of rebuilding, including workforce development and volunteer housing; and funds for the winterization of a pop-up business district as they faced cold weather and snow.
Today, the communities impacted by the Dixie Fire are rebuilding. By collaborating with the Dixie Fire Funders Roundtable, the $250,000 raised by CFNN contributed to grant awards totaling $1,198,437.
“We’re grateful to the Community Foundation for coordinating and administering the Dixie Fire Fund,” said Stacy Kendall, Plumas Bank vice president of marketing and community engagement. “Everything came together very quickly and the fund’s advisory council shared a deep commitment to funding support for local communities that lost so much.”
In 2022, Plumas Bank reopened its Greenville branch as a community meeting space and continues to work with clients who are rebuilding and local businesses that are reopening.