Paris Hilton, the pop culture icon, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, has unveiled a new national initiative to support women-owned small businesses affected by disasters, expanding her ongoing efforts to aid female entrepreneurs after the 2025 Los Angeles fires, reports Baltimore Chronicle via Associated Press. Hilton is donating $350,000 to launch the Back in Business Recovery Fund, with a target to raise at least $1 million by the end of March 2026. The program will operate through Hilton’s social impact organization, 11:11 Media Impact, in collaboration with GoFundMe.org, the charitable division of the fundraising platform, which is contributing $100,000 to the fund’s initial capital.
The initiative builds on Hilton’s previous disaster relief work, which provided over $1 million in grants to 50 women-owned businesses following the devastating Los Angeles fires that destroyed her Malibu home. These grants supported businesses ranging from child care centers and bakeries to bookshops, dance studios, and salons in Altadena. Each award, up to $25,000, helped cover expenses including rent, payroll, equipment replacement, and reconstruction. Hilton described losing her own home while raising her children as “very emotional,” which inspired her to create assistance for other mothers and business owners affected by disasters.
Among past beneficiaries is Renata Ortega, owner of Orla Floral Studio, who operated her floral design company from a converted garage in Altadena. After the fires destroyed her home and studio, along with her floral inventory and event equipment, Ortega feared she could not sustain her business. “Nothing prepares you for that amount of loss,” she said. The grant enabled Ortega to secure a new studio space, purchase essential equipment such as a floral cooler, retain her staff, and resume operations. Ortega credits the grant with helping her business not only recover but thrive. “It directly went into getting us back into business, but actually back and better than ever,” she noted.
Hilton has supported her grantees personally as well, attending events in clothing from shops like Crop It Like It’s Hot and hiring food vendors such as Carmela Ice Cream and Hot Shrimp Mami. She says these experiences inspired her to scale her initiative nationally, emphasizing her lived experience as a woman, mother, and entrepreneur. Hilton, a great-grandchild of hotel magnate Conrad N. Hilton, reflected on the challenges she has faced being underestimated throughout her career, and her commitment to demonstrating her broader professional capabilities.
Statistics show that there are approximately 14.5 million women-owned businesses in the United States, representing 39% of all U.S. businesses, yet women—particularly minority women—receive significantly less venture capital and loan financing than men. Rebecca Grone, director of 11:11 Media Impact, noted that women are often undercapitalized and under-resourced, especially when balancing primary caregiving responsibilities, increasing the burden of post-disaster recovery.
The Back in Business Recovery Fund will operate similarly to Hilton’s Los Angeles program, providing unrestricted grants and collaborating with over 150 local women’s business centers nationwide. These partnerships allow the fund to quickly identify women impacted by disasters and connect them to a network of peers facing similar challenges. Amanda Brown Lierman, executive director of GoFundMe.org, highlighted that integrating local centers is “key to the success” of the fund, ensuring support reaches the right entrepreneurs efficiently.
While the grants go directly to business owners, the intended impact extends to entire communities. According to Grone, maintaining operational businesses preserves jobs, supports local tax revenues, and sustains the social fabric of neighborhoods. “You don’t want to come back if the community isn’t thriving, so as folks are rebuilding their homes, the things that are familiar and make a community feel like home are equally as crucial,” she said.
In conjunction with the fund, Hilton released a YouTube series titled “Back in Business,” showcasing the stories of Los Angeles business owners and encouraging wider philanthropic support. Additionally, several past grantees, including Ortega, will join Hilton to ring the New York Stock Exchange closing bell, marking International Women’s Day on March 8. Hilton described the event as one of her proudest moments, demonstrating “the power of women when they come together.”
Earlier we wrote that Seven Nations Boycott 2026 Winter Paralympics Opening Over Russian Flags
