Paris Hilton just announced a national grant fund for women-owned small businesses rebuilding after natural disasters.
The Back in Business Recovery Fund is a collaboration between Hilton’s social impact organization, 11:11 Media Impact, and GoFundMe’s nonprofit arm and aims to raise and deploy over $1 million to women entrepreneurs.
Hilton will back the fundraiser as the lead investor, contributing $350,000 through 11:11 Media Impact, and GoFundMe.org will also contribute an additional $100,000, all with the goal of providing direct, flexible “recovery capital” to women who own small businesses and have been impacted by future disasters.
This isn’t the first time Hilton has done this.
Hilton and 2025 LA Wildfire grant recipients in front of their food truck. Photo courtesy of 11:11 Media Impact
In fact, the Back in Business Recovery Fund is built on a proven model, which Hilton and her impact partners coordinated after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
During this time, over $1 million in cash grants was distributed to 50 women-owned small businesses.
These grants addressed essential recovery needs, like rent, payroll, equipment replacement, and rebuilding costs that women entrepreneurs faced. Hundreds of applicants also received free mentorship and technical assistance through the Pasadena Women’s Business Center.
Of all of the businesses assisted through this program, 92% of them are back in operation a year later.
It’s shown that direct capital really does make a difference — and that Hilton and her partners can scale the plan nationwide.
“When the wildfires devastated Los Angeles, being able to support the women in my community inspired me to think bigger,” Hilton said in a statement.
“Their strength and determination reminded me why women-owned businesses matter so much. They are the heart of our communities and oftentimes have the hardest time recovering.”
The Back in Business Recovery Fund has also been highlighted through Hilton’s storytelling initiatives, which spotlight businesses that were supported in L.A. and will continue to do so each time grants are issued in response to a disaster. Hilton shares them with the hashtag #SlivingForSmallBiz.
The series, which is available to watch on YouTube, follows founders across industries as they share their recovery journeys. From an early childhood education center to food trucks, florists, and an artisan card company, the series shows a tangible impact of the grant funding.
“The Back in Business Recovery Fund is about giving women entrepreneurs the resources they need when an unexpected disaster strikes,” Hilton said.
“When women are funded, they outperform, so I am proud to help women-owned small businesses across the country rebuild, thrive, and continue leading in their communities.”
The newest Back in Business grant fundraiser was launched the morning of March 9, with over $480,000 already raised between 11:11 Media Impact, GoFundMe, and other charitable partners.
According to a press release, the money that is raised through this fund will be deployed through “rapid-response partnerships with local women’s business centers” following federally or state-declared disasters.
Hilton and a 2025 LA wildfire grant recipient in a children’s gymnasium. Photo courtesy of 11:11 Media Impact
The goal is to help stabilize communities and help business owners rebuild in times of strife, all while retaining employees and continuing to support their local economies.
“When women entrepreneurs lose their businesses to disaster, they risk losing their livelihoods, their independence, and years of hard work,” Amanda Brown Lierman, GoFundMe.org executive director, said in a statement.
“Through our partnership with 11:11 Media Impact and the Pasadena Women’s Business Center, we were able to quickly deliver meaningful grants to women devastated by the LA wildfires so they could reopen their doors and rebuild. The model we built proved both effective and scalable, and we are committed to expanding it to support women entrepreneurs facing future disasters.”
To celebrate Back in Business — and spotlight women-led economic recovery nationwide, Hilton will be in New York City to ring the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell on March 9, alongside Gloria Steinem, Ursula Burns, Amanda Nguyen, and women-owned small businesses that were supported after the 2025 wildfires.
“As an entrepreneur, I know how much it takes to build something from the ground up. Real recovery doesn’t happen in a news cycle. It happens day by day, brick by brick, heart to heart,” Hilton said in a trailer for the Back in Business series.
“That’s why I’m committed to this journey with you for the long haul.”
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Header image courtesy of 11:11 Media Impact
