Santa Barbara Foundation: Grants for Santa Barbara
/OVERVIEW: This community funder supports nonprofits in Santa Barbara County, California across a broad range of community needs.
IP TAKE: While the Santa Barbara Foundation appears to be transparent and equitable, it gets poor reviews for being “risk averse,” “bureaucratic” and “difficult to work with.” It does however, support organizations of all sizes across many areas of community interests and needs, and its grant prioritize organizations working with the counties most vulnerable people. Opportunities are well organized on one page, with links to detailed guidelines and contact information for program directors and others who can help with the application process. Reach out with questions and ideas at any time.
PROFILE: The Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) was established by Max Fleischmann in 1928 to serve the communities of Santa Barbara County. Its mission is to “to mobilize collective wisdom and philanthropic capital to build empathetic, inclusive and resilient communities.” This foundation oversees donor-advised funds and community grantmaking programs naming focus areas of health and mental health, basic needs, housing, childcare and economic opportunity. Since the COVID-19 crisis, SBF’s giving has focused on the county’s most vulnerable people.
Grants for Early Childhood Education, K-12 Education, Work and Opportunity
SFB’s Child Care Focus Area runs two grantmaking programs to increase the availability of quality childcare for working families throughout Santa Barbara County.
The William and Lottie Daniels Fund Child Care Grant program provides support to licensed, nonprofit “year-round child care facilities” serving children between the ages of zero and five and/or children in grades TK-6. Funding enables facilities to award “scholarships” for childcare to working parents who are county residents and who “contribute some portion of the tuition costs.” Quality is a top priority for this program, which requires that organizational grantees offer “age-appropriate” curricula and show evidence of of progress toward established best practices, parent engagement and relevant accreditation.
Grants of up to $50,000 are awarded to child care providers that meet the program’s eligibility requirements. Applications are typically due in early May, and are accepted via the foundation’s application portal. Questions about the program may be directed to the community engagement coordinator, Jamie Perez, at (805) 880-9395 or JPerez@SBFoundation.org.
SFB also awards child care capacity building grants of up to $15,000 to nonprofits providing care to young children up to the age of five. The specific focus of these grants appears to change from year to year, with a recent round of grants focusing on “professional development, family engagement, and strategies that promote equitable access to quality child care.” Applications for this program are generally due mid September, and questions may be directed to Petra Amaro via email at pgomez@sbfoundation.org.
Grants for Public Health and Mental Health
Health and mental health of the county’s most vulnerable people are main priorities for SBF’s grantmaking programs. Currently four programs serve these interests.
The Behavioral Health/Health Care Grant Program is part of SBF’s community grantmaking initiative. Grants for health and mental health offer multi-year general operating support to organizations that provide direct services or coordinate direct services to people in Santa Barbara County. This grantmaking program prioritizes organizations that “demonstrate sustained and/or increased demand for behavioral health and/or health care services” and those that clearly demonstrate “holistic approaches to serving clients” and “cultural competence among volunteers, staff, and board members for the communities served.” See additional information about eligibility and criteria here, and direct questions to Jenny Kearns, Director of Grantmaking at jkearns@sbfoundation.org or (805) 880-9363. Grants are usually accepted from late February through mid-March.
A separate grantmaking program supports organizations that provide mental health services to youth. The Recruit, Retain, Rest and Recuperation Fund (4R) makes one-year grants of up to $10,000 to “mental health providers delivering direct behavioral healthcare to children, youth and their families and caregivers.” This program focuses on recruiting and retaining mental health professionals and providing mental health support to providers experiencing “secondary trauma related to their work in the Santa Barbara County community.” Additional guidelines are provided on the program page, and questions may be directed to Jenny Kearns at jkearns@sbfoundation.org or (805) 880-9363. Applications are accepted from late February through mid-March.
The Tri-Counties Blood Bank Fund was established in 1997 upon the sale of the Tri-Counties Blood Bank to the Haemonetics Corporation. The fund issues an annual RFP and awards grants to “support blood and blood-related products and services.” Grant categories include Indigent Care Grants, Education Grants and Scholarships, with education grants and scholarships supporting nursing education or other medical education related to blood and related technologies. Detailed guidelines are provided on the program page. This program accepts applications via the foundation’s application portal with a due date that usually falls in early September. Questions about the program may be directed to Deanna Vallejo at (805) 963-1873 or dvallejo@sbfoundation.org.
Through the Give Together Grants Program, SBF makes grants to support Senior Programs of Santa Barbara. This program does not name specific areas of focus but broadly gives to “programs and projects directed to the welfare of senior citizens in the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria.” Grants range from $2,00 to $15,000, and applications are accepted from mid-October through mid-December through the foundation’s application portal. Questions may be directed to the foundation’s director of donor relations, Jessica Sanchez via email at jsanchez@sbfoundation.org or telephone at (805) 963-1873.
Grants for Sustainable Food Systems, Housing, Homelessness and Community Development
A significant portion of SBF’s grantmaking and engagement focuses on providing basic needs to Santa Barbara County’s most vulnerable people. Grant programs address local initiatives for hunger and housing.
The Food Grant Program is part of the foundation’s larger Community Grant Program. Grants support programs that “provide food security” and prioritize holistic approaches, cultural competence, collaboration and organizations that serve seniors. Guidelines are available at the program page, and additional information about eligibility is available here. Grants are awarded in amounts of up to $30,000 for one or two years. The Community Grant Program opens its RFQ period in late February and applications are due in early May.
The Shelter and Safety Grant Program is also part of the foundation’s Community Grant Program. These grants provide “support nonprofit organizations directly providing services in the areas of shelter and safety and housing loss prevention assistance.” Areas of interest for this program include emergency housing, housing loss prevention programs, vulnerable populations and homeless youth. The program also prioritizes organizations that demonstrate cultural competence, collaborative approaches and “strategies to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and access within their agency.” Grants of up to up to $30,000 are awarded for one or two years. The Community Grant Program opens its RFQ period in late February and applications are due in early May.
Grant for the Environment
Environmental giving stems from SBF’s Give Together Grants Program’s Conservation, Environment, and Public Trails focus area. The program’s priorities include conservation, preservation and restoration of local land and water ecosystems, as well as “early stage investigations,” pilot projects and/or expansion of existing conservation projects. In terms of public trails, the program supports “planning for new trails, new trail construction, trail restoration, trail head facilities, lease of heavy equipment, purchase of hand tools to construct/renovate trails, water trail facilities, and educational programs.” The maximum grant amount for this program is $25,000, and applications are accepted via the application portal with a due date in mid-August. See additional eligibility information here, and direct questions about this funding to the program’s director, Jennie Kearns, at JKearns@SBFoundation.org or (805) 880-9363.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts gives broadly to Santa Barbara County organizations that provide “quality performing art opportunities” to local communities. Grants of up to $15,000 are available for general operating, program, expansion support, as well as collaborative projects, pilot projects and programs that “seek to produce, present and preserve exceptional works from a variety of artistic traditions, and ensure opportunities for participation that reflect the demographic diversity of Santa Barbara County.” This program runs two annual grantmaking cycles with due dates that fall in mid-March and mid-October. Apply via the application portal and direct questions about the process to program director Jessica Sanchez at at Jsanchez@sbfoundation.org.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities
Two of SBH’s grantmaking programs are not organized around thematic areas but serve Santa Barbara County nonprofits broadly for specific purposes.
The Small Capacity Building Grant Program “awards grants with a short review period aimed at strengthening the organizational capacity and effectiveness of Santa Barbara County nonprofits.” This initiative prioritizes organizations that “are equipped with thoughtful strategy, strong leadership, sound operations and compelling communication.” Grants of up to $6,000 are available and may support organizational or capacity development, professional development, “[s]mall capital items and equipment” and “defined projects” related to an organization’s development or expansion. This program runs five annual grantmaking cycles with due dates in February, April, June, August and October and accepts applications via the foundation’s application portal. See detailed guidelines on the program page and information about eligibility here. Questions may be directed to Maria Caudillo via email at mcaudillo@SBFoundation.org.
The foundation’s Milton Brown Express Grants program is overseen by the Give Together Grants Program and provides grants of up to $1,000 to organizations in Santa Barbara County experiencing pressing, time-sensitive needs, including “small projects, short-term opportunities and sponsorships.” Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, and decisions are made in about eight weeks. Apply for these grants via the foundation’s application portal and direct questions about the program to Jessica Sanchez at (805) 963-1873.
Important Grant Details
SBF’s grants range from $1,000 to $50,000 with grant limits set by individual programs and funds.
Grantmaking is mainly limited to Santa Barbara County, but this funder supports organizations of all sizes within the county.
This funder prioritizes the county’s most vulnerable people and the organizations that serve them.
All grantmaking opportunities are listed here, and SBF provides links to detailed guidelines, eligibility and application information. Contact information for each program director is also available for each program.
For information about past grantees, see the foundation’s news or financial reports pages.
Submit general inquiries to SBF via its contact page.
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