Local Spokane Developer Launches Fund for Displaced Families

In an effort to support local relief efforts, Spokane hotelier and philanthropist Walt Worthy has pledged give $10,000 grants to each family whose home was destroyed by the Spokane Complex fires early last month. The former owner of the Davenport Hotels announced the establishment of the Karen Worthy Memorial Community Fund at Innovia Foundation in honor of his late wife last Thursday.

“Spokane gave us so much—more, I think, than we can ever give back,” Walt Worthy said, speaking at Balboa Elementary School, where Karen Worthy taught first grade for 20 years. “I’m proud and pleased that we have the opportunity to step up and do this. If she were here to see this, I know she’d be proud and pleased, too.”

“The grants are designed to move quickly and without strings attached,” the Innovia Foundation said.

Both homeowners and renters are eligible to receive the grants if their primary residence was declared lost in the Old Trails, Autumn Lane, or Fairview fires. One $10,000 grant will be awarded per residence, regardless of the number of occupants, according to the fund’s website.

Organizations helping connect the grants to local residents impacted are the Greenstone Foundation, Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group, and the Innovia Foundation.

Applications for the grants close on October 18, 2026.

To learn more or apply for the grant, visit the Karen Worthy Wildfire Grant website.