Paris Hilton Launches $1M Fund to Help Women-Owned Businesses After Disasters

The initiative will provide grants to female small-business owners impacted by crises like the 2025 LA fires that destroyed Hilton's own Malibu home.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Paris Hilton has launched the Back in Business Recovery Fund, a $1 million initiative to support female small-business owners impacted by disasters. Hilton is donating $350,000 to kick-start the fund, which will partner with GoFundMe.org and local women's business centers to identify and assist affected entrepreneurs. The fund was inspired by Hilton's own experience losing her Malibu home in the 2025 LA fires, as well as her previous efforts to aid women-owned businesses in the area through $25,000 grants.

Why it matters

Women-owned businesses make up a significant portion of small businesses in the US, but often face disproportionate challenges in accessing capital and resources, especially in the aftermath of natural disasters or other crises. Hilton's initiative aims to provide critical support to help these businesses recover and thrive, preserving jobs and the fabric of local communities.

The details

The Back in Business Recovery Fund will distribute unrestricted grants to women-owned small businesses impacted by disasters, partnering with local women's business centers to quickly identify and assist affected entrepreneurs. This model was inspired by Hilton's previous efforts to aid 50 women-owned businesses in the Altadena area after the 2025 LA fires, which destroyed her own Malibu home. Those grants helped cover rent, payroll, equipment replacement, and rebuilding, with 90% of the grantee businesses still operating a year later.

  • Hilton launched the Back in Business Recovery Fund on Monday, March 9, 2026.
  • The fund aims to raise at least $1 million by the end of March 2026.

The players

Paris Hilton

A pop culture star, advocate, and entrepreneur who is donating $350,000 to kick-start the Back in Business Recovery Fund and aims to raise at least $1 million for the initiative.

GoFundMe.org

The philanthropic arm of the fundraising platform GoFundMe, which is contributing $100,000 to the launch of the Back in Business Recovery Fund.

Renata Ortega

The owner of the floral design company Orla Floral Studio, who received a grant from Hilton's previous LA-based initiative that helped her keep her business going after the 2025 fires.

Rebecca Grone

The director of Hilton's social impact organization 11:11 Media Impact, which is partnering on the Back in Business Recovery Fund.

Amanda Brown Lierman

The executive director of GoFundMe.org, which is collaborating with the women's business centers to identify impacted entrepreneurs and distribute the Back in Business Recovery Fund grants.

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What they’re saying

“Women-owned businesses are really the heart of so many of these communities. I want to be able to lift up and support them, shine a light on them and really make a difference in their lives.”

— Paris Hilton (The Associated Press)

“Nothing prepares you for that amount of loss. I didn't think I was going to be able to get back on my feet because it took me years to be able to come up with the inventory I had.”

— Renata Ortega, Owner, Orla Floral Studio (The Associated Press)

“It directly went into getting us back into business, but actually back and better than ever.”

— Renata Ortega, Owner, Orla Floral Studio (The Associated Press)

What’s next

Several of the LA grantees, including Renata Ortega, will join Paris Hilton on Monday afternoon to ring the New York Stock Exchange closing bell, marking International Women's Day.

The takeaway

Hilton's initiative highlights the crucial role women-owned businesses play in local communities, and the disproportionate challenges they face in recovering from disasters. By providing direct financial support and access to resources, the Back in Business Recovery Fund aims to help these resilient entrepreneurs rebuild and thrive, preserving the vibrancy of their neighborhoods.