Sony Group Corporation Pledges $5 Million for L.A. Wildfire Relief

Sony Group Corporation has pledged $5 million to support relief efforts related to the Los Angeles-area wildfires.

The sum will be allocated to organizations supporting first responders, community relief and rebuilding efforts, as well as employee assistance programs.

 “Los Angeles has been the home of our entertainment business for more than 35 years. Through our many thousands of employees, partners and friends based there, our roots run deep in this community,” said Sony Group Corporation chairman/CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and president/COO/CFO Hiroki Totoki in a statement. “We will continue to work with our local business leadership to determine how best Sony Group can support relief and recovery efforts in the days ahead. Our thoughts go out to those who are impacted by this devastating situation.” 

Sony joins other entertainment companies who have pledged money to the fire relief efforts. Also on Monday (Jan. 13), the Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund pledged $1 million, directed to organizations assisting the Los Angeles community, local first responders and individuals in the music industry affected by the disaster. Recipients of the pledge include the California Community Foundation, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, Project HOPE and MusiCares, among others.

Universal Music Group (UMG) will take the money it would have spent on its Grammy party, which it canceled Monday, and redirect it to aid wildfire relief efforts.

“Today we have cancelled all of our Grammy-related events, including the Artist Showcase and After-Grammy Party, and will redirect the resources that would have been used for those events to assist those affected by the wildfires,” UMG said in a statement.

Additionally, the Walt Disney Company has pledged $15 million to help rebuild L.A. Among the recipients will be the American Red Cross, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.