Paris Hilton launches recovery fund for women business owners after disasters

The pop culture star is donating $350,000 to kick-start the Back in Business Recovery Fund to support female small-business owners impacted by disasters.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Paris Hilton, the pop culture star, advocate and entrepreneur, launched an initiative on Monday to support female small-business owners impacted by disasters. The new Back in Business Recovery Fund is a nationwide expansion of Hilton's philanthropic support for women entrepreneurs after the 2025 Los Angeles fires, where she deployed over $1 million in cash grants to 50 women-owned small businesses. The fund aims to raise at least $1 million by the end of March and will be a partnership between Hilton's 11:11 Media Impact organization and GoFundMe.org.

Why it matters

Women-owned businesses are often the heart of their local communities, but they also face disproportionate challenges in accessing capital and resources, especially after disasters. Hilton's initiative aims to provide critical support to help these businesses recover and thrive, which in turn can protect jobs, tax revenue, and the overall vibrancy of impacted communities.

The details

The Back in Business Recovery Fund will distribute unrestricted grants of up to $25,000 to women-owned small businesses affected by disasters, partnering with local women's business centers across the U.S. to quickly identify and assist impacted owners. The grants helped 50 women-owned businesses in the LA area after the 2025 fires, with 90% of those grantees still operating one year later.

  • Hilton launched the new initiative on Monday, March 9, 2026.
  • The goal is to raise at least $1 million for the fund 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.

GoFundMe.org

The philanthropic arm of the fundraising platform GoFundMe, which is contributing $100,000 to the fund's launch.

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 business recover after the 2025 fires.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

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)

“You have to keep going and you have keep pushing and fighting forward, because if somebody like Paris Hilton notices your story and thinks you're important, then you have to believe in yourself and also think that you're important.”

— 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

Paris Hilton's new nationwide initiative to support women-owned small businesses impacted by disasters highlights the critical role these enterprises play in their local communities, and the need to provide them with greater access to capital and resources to recover and thrive after unexpected challenges.