Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1367431
12 Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). In the face of an incredible challenge and tragedy, first and second responders to the Napa and Sonoma County fires have many stories of success in meeting immediate needs together. Community leaders have innovated and part- nered to resolve longer term needs. New public agencies and roles have been developed and investments made to connect those agencies to the community. Individuals, organizations, and communities have taken on relief and recovery roles outside of their usual personal and professional roles. The successes and challenges that each of these sectors have faced will be explored further in the respective findings sections of this report. The counties of Napa and Sonoma have worked incredibly hard and come a long way in terms of recovery and setting the stage for resilience in this "new normal" context. This report will explore further what has been achieved and will make recommendations for an even stronger collaborative plan for the next time. Methodology In late 2018, CPF decided to fund a multi-methods assessment of the cross-sector regional response to the 2017 wildfires in Napa and Sonoma Counties. CPF contracted with Charitable Ventures 7 , a regional incubator and evaluation services firm based in Southern California. The assessment team identified the following methods to conduct the assessment: • Document Review, including o Review of local community needs assessments and after-action reports o Disaster response best practice literature • Surveys of the local funder (philanthropic) and CBO grantees • Interviews, with funders, CBOs and public agencies The CPF formed and convened an Advisory Committee 8 , consisting of 7 leaders from local philanthropic organizations, the Providence, St. Joseph Health System, and CBOs, to guide the assessment. The Committee was invited to provide feedback at every phase of the research, which was conducted from April to early September 2019. The insight and experience of lead- ers from the private philanthropic sector, community based organizations, and county- level public agencies in Sonoma and Napa counties comprise the majority of the response findings summarized and analyzed herein. The lens for analysis considers three distinct phases of disaster recovery: relief, recovery, and resilience. A few words on what this report is and is not. This report is an effort of a prominent health system foundation to assess the cross-sector regional response to a major wildfire disaster in two counties in which it operates. It is an effort to assess the relationship between private philanthropy entities, CBOs, and county agencies, to build on previous learnings, and ide- ally, share new ones. While there are quantitative aspects, it is a predominantly qualitative research endeavor to unearth findings from different sectors, to see what has worked 7 Charitable Ventures is a regional nonprofit center for social change based in Orange County. Charitable Ventures is a fiscal sponsor of nearly fifty projects, to which it provides capacity building and incubation and it also provides fee-based consulting services in the areas of evaluation and planning, fund development, marketing and communications, and policy analysis to clients in the region. More information is available at: http://www.charitableventuresoc.org/ 8 See Appendix I for the list of advisory committee members.