Fashion Brands Help Children's Hospital LA Raise $1.25 Million in March

Ten years into its run, Children's Hospital Los Angeles' Make March Matter campaign has turned the retail calendar into a fundraising engine, and the 2026 edition delivered its biggest symbolic number yet: $1.25 million raised in a single month, a figure chosen to mirror the hospital's 125th anniversary.

The 11th annual campaign, founded in 2016 by CHLA's Dawn Wilcox, brought together more than 90 Southern California businesses this March, with fashion leading the charge. Anine Bing, Irene Neuwirth, Monday Swimwear, Jenni Kayne and Veronica Beard all activated in-store shopping events across Los Angeles, donating percentages of sales directly to pediatric care at the hospital. Veronica Beard hosted a dedicated shopping event, while the broader roster spanned dining, fitness and entertainment, including Eataly cooking classes and the Trojan Dance Marathon.

A tier called the 125th Anniversary Club recognized businesses that committed to raising $12,500 or more in honor of CHLA's milestone year. Irene Neuwirth was among the fashion names to earn that distinction, alongside Agent Nateur, Alfred, Eataly, the GUESS Foundation, Delta Air Lines and Porto's Bakery and Café, among others.

The mechanics are straightforward: shop a participating brand, eat at a participating restaurant, attend a participating event, and a cut of what you spend goes to the hospital's Children's Fund, which covers care for patients whose families cannot pay or whose insurance falls short. CHLA is the only top-10 children's hospital in the country that provides care regardless of a family's ability to pay, which gives the retail activation model an uncommon urgency.

With this year's total, the campaign has now raised more than $15 million across its decade-long history, with over 500 businesses having contributed since launch. For the LA fashion community, Make March Matter has become less of a charity add-on and more of a fixture, the kind of recurring commitment that builds reputational equity alongside actual dollars. The 2026 result suggests that pairing philanthropic intent with accessible, commerce-driven participation remains one of the more effective models the industry has found.