The FireAid benefit concerts held on Thursday (January 30) drew 50 million viewers, and with donations still pouring in, the campaign's leaders say they expect to raise more than $100 million.
The money will be used for immediate and long-term recovery needs as Southern California picks up the pieces from the devastating wildfires that tore through the region last month.
The total funds raised include ticket sales for the two concerts, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and donations from the public, including "generous private gifts" from the Azoff family, the Eagles, Andrew Hauptman and Ellen Bronfman Hauptman, and U2.
Meanwhile, the Recording Academy and MusiCares also raised more than $24 million for fireaid relief activities over the Grammy weekend.
"The committee has been listening daily to affected communities, assessing local resource gaps to ensure aid reaches those most in need."
FireAid
The campaign has set up a Grants Advisory Committee, headed up by the Annenberg Foundation, to determine how the funds are to be disbursed. The organizers said the aim is to achieve "maximum impact" for the donated money.
"The committee has been listening daily to affected communities, assessing local resource gaps to ensure aid reaches those most in need, and researching the handling of other fire disasters, such as those in Maui and Northern California," organizers said in a statement on Wednesday (February 5).
The first tranche of grants is expected to be awarded in mid-February.
Donations are still being accepted, and those wishing to pledge money to the cause can visit FireAidLA.org.
The last of the major fires in the L.A. area - the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire - were brought under control on Saturday (February 1), after burning for nearly a month.
A total of 17 wildfires burned through the greater Los Angeles area and San Diego County over three weeks in January, taking 29 lives, forcing more than 200,000 people to evacuate, and destroying or damaging 18,000 homes or other buildings.