As reported by The Associated Press, the Back in Business Recovery Fund follows a programme she supported after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, when grants helped dozens of businesses deal with the immediate costs of rebuilding. Paris Hilton has launched a new initiative aimed at helping women business owners facing that situation across the US. When natural disasters destroy homes and neighbourhoods, small businesses can face a difficult recovery of their own. For women who depend on those businesses to support their families, losing a workplace can also mean losing a source of income and the livelihoods of employees.
She said she had worked to establish herself as more than the public image many people associated with her. Hilton, the great-granddaughter of hotel magnate Conrad N. Hilton, also spoke about being underestimated during her career.
Paris Hilton’s earlier wildfire fund helped businesses cover rent, wages and rebuilding costs
The new fund builds on a programme Hilton backed following the January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles.
Renata Ortega told The Associated Press, “Nothing prepares you for that amount of loss. The fires destroyed her Malibu home, where she had been raising her young children, and left many other residents facing the loss of their properties and livelihoods. Among those helped were owners of childcare centres, bakeries, bookshops, dance studios and beauty salons. Many of the businesses had been affected by the Eaton fire, which caused extensive destruction in Altadena. For Hilton, the experience of losing her own home brought the financial difficulties facing other mothers into sharper focus. For some owners, the grants helped meet costs that might otherwise have prevented them from reopening, while others were able to replace equipment or secure premises from which to continue trading. Renata Ortega, owner of Orla Floral Studio, was among the recipients. She had operated her floral design business from a converted garage beside her home in Altadena, where she lived with her husband and three dogs. The Eaton fire destroyed the property, including her studio and the equipment she had accumulated over several years. Hilton’s involvement with some of the Los Angeles recipients extended beyond the initial financial assistance. Reportedly, she became a customer of several businesses, wearing a catsuit from clothing retailer Crop It Like It’s Hot at the Coachella music festival and bringing local food vendors, including Carmela Ice Cream and Hot Shrimp Mami, to her events.
Women’s business centres will help identify grant recipients
The grants will be unrestricted, allowing recipients to decide how best to use the money for their businesses. The approach follows the Los Angeles programme, where owners were able to direct funding towards immediate operating costs, equipment and other needs.