Still Here for LA: Square and Cash App Commit $3M to Local Rebuilding Efforts
Two months ago, when cherished Los Angeles neighborhoods caught fire, Square and Cash App took swift action to assist our LA communities. We’ve continued to stay in close touch with sellers and micro-sellers in the LA area in the weeks since, offering direct relief and hearing firsthand how businesses stepped up to mobilize and offer support for their communities – and the challenges they now face as their needs shift from immediate relief to long-term rebuilding.
We know all too well that the need for community support lasts well beyond the immediate aftermath of a disaster like the LA wildfires. We want to see the Palisades, Altadena, and neighborhoods beyond return to their vibrant, local roots. Empowering local communities lies at the heart of our purpose, and we’re still here for LA.
Today, Square and Cash App are announcing a $3M direct commitment to LA sellers, to help these businesses and their communities rebuild long-term.
Our $3M will go directly to LA businesses through the following programs:
- Business rebuilding grants – We’re giving direct aid to Square sellers impacted by the fires, prioritizing the hardest-hit neighborhoods of LA. Eligible sellers will be invited to apply for grants of $3,000 to $6,000 to help rebuild their operations after fire damage or destruction.
- Free hardware to LA businesses – To help businesses get back up and selling quickly we’re offering all LA-area businesses free Square hardware, whether to replace Square hardware or another provider’s devices lost to fire.1
This significant investment back into our LA community builds on work that’s continued since the start of the year, with Square, Cash App, and Block leveraging our platforms and lending support to other initiatives.
Cash App has donated and provided relief to customers and micro-sellers in the LA community:
- We deployed targeted Offers with instant 50% discounts to save on necessities from food and retail merchants to Cash App customers near burn and evacuation zones.
- We distributed one-time, immediate relief grants of $599 to Cash App for Business micro-sellers in the Altadena area to use however they saw fit to support their businesses or communities.
- For every presale ticket for The Weeknd’s “After Hours Til Dawn” tour purchased using a Cash App Card, we donated $1 to LA wildfire relief.
Square has supported LA sellers’ relief efforts:
- We waived processing fees for the benefit concerts hosted at the Intuit Dome and Forum venues (which are Square sellers themselves), maximizing the amounts donated to fire relief.
- We sponsored WoonHeim, a wildfire benefit dinner hosted by Woon and Eric Wareheim that raised over $7,000 for local relief – a partnership that began during filming for our LA-based series, Running a Restaurant is No Joke.
- We leveraged our social channels to amplify other small business relief efforts, including Instagram Story shares and X and Threads retweets.
Block donated to several local LA charities: Our Big Kitchen LA, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and Red Cross Los Angeles.
Eligible applicants in the hardest-hit neighborhoods will be invited to apply first, and grants and hardware will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. We’ll expand the applicant pool as resources permit. While grant amounts will be taxable, we will top-up grant amounts to help support tax obligations. Businesses in need of hardware replacement can reach out to their Account Manager or to Square Support for direct assistance.
Additional terms for hardware replacement can be found here.
Two months ago, when cherished Los Angeles neighborhoods caught fire, Square and Cash App took swift action to assist our LA communities. We’ve continued to stay in close touch with sellers and micro-sellers in the LA area in the weeks since, offering direct relief and hearing firsthand how businesses stepped up to mobilize and offer support for their communities – and the challenges they now face as their needs shift from immediate relief to long-term rebuilding.
We know all too well that the need for community support lasts well beyond the immediate aftermath of a disaster like the LA wildfires. We want to see the Palisades, Altadena, and neighborhoods beyond return to their vibrant, local roots. Empowering local communities lies at the heart of our purpose, and we’re still here for LA.
Today, Square and Cash App are announcing a $3M direct commitment to LA sellers, to help these businesses and their communities rebuild long-term.
Our $3M will go directly to LA businesses through the following programs:
- Business rebuilding grants – We’re giving direct aid to Square sellers impacted by the fires, prioritizing the hardest-hit neighborhoods of LA. Eligible sellers will be invited to apply for grants of $3,000 to $6,000 to help rebuild their operations after fire damage or destruction.
- Free hardware to LA businesses – To help businesses get back up and selling quickly we’re offering all LA-area businesses free Square hardware, whether to replace Square hardware or another provider’s devices lost to fire.1
This significant investment back into our LA community builds on work that’s continued since the start of the year, with Square, Cash App, and Block leveraging our platforms and lending support to other initiatives.
Cash App has donated and provided relief to customers and micro-sellers in the LA community:
- We deployed targeted Offers with instant 50% discounts to save on necessities from food and retail merchants to Cash App customers near burn and evacuation zones.
- We distributed one-time, immediate relief grants of $599 to Cash App for Business micro-sellers in the Altadena area to use however they saw fit to support their businesses or communities.
- For every presale ticket for The Weeknd’s “After Hours Til Dawn” tour purchased using a Cash App Card, we donated $1 to LA wildfire relief.
Square has supported LA sellers’ relief efforts:
- We waived processing fees for the benefit concerts hosted at the Intuit Dome and Forum venues (which are Square sellers themselves), maximizing the amounts donated to fire relief.
- We sponsored WoonHeim, a wildfire benefit dinner hosted by Woon and Eric Wareheim that raised over $7,000 for local relief – a partnership that began during filming for our LA-based series, Running a Restaurant is No Joke.
- We leveraged our social channels to amplify other small business relief efforts, including Instagram Story shares and X and Threads retweets.
Block donated to several local LA charities: Our Big Kitchen LA, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and Red Cross Los Angeles.
Eligible applicants in the hardest-hit neighborhoods will be invited to apply first, and grants and hardware will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. We’ll expand the applicant pool as resources permit. While grant amounts will be taxable, we will top-up grant amounts to help support tax obligations. Businesses in need of hardware replacement can reach out to their Account Manager or to Square Support for direct assistance.
Additional terms for hardware replacement can be found here.