We invite you to explore our reports and County Connections newsletters below to learn about important issues in our community, and to discover how we partner with others to make Santa Barbara County a better place for us all. Thank you for joining the Foundation in our work to lead, inspire and amplify philanthropy throughout our county and beyond.
As the Santa Barbara Foundation approaches its 100th anniversary in 2028, we have undertaken a year-long strategic planning process to address the most critical issues facing our county in pursuit of our vision of a thriving community for all. Click to read the full report.
Analyzing philanthropic solutions to Santa Barbara County’s housing crisis. This report was created to develop a shared, cross-sector understanding of our housing affordability challenges and offer actionable opportunities in philanthropy to join other sectors in increasing housing affordability, supply, and stability in the region. Click to read the full report.
The State of Nonprofits in Santa Barbara County report was created by the Collaboration for Social Impact with our partners The Center for Evaluation & Assessment at UCSB. Click to read the full report.
Resilience determines outcomes when we face difficulties, and collaboration is key to resilience. No one can tackle obstacles alone. That’s why we partner with individuals, families, and nonprofits, as well as partners in education, business, and government to support and develop timely responses to complex issues. In this report, you will find details of how we accomplish our goals of leadership in action, strategic grantmaking, philanthropic partnership, and supporting the social sector.
The Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) has a long-standing commitment to improving the quality of life in Santa Barbara County for all who live, work, play, and visit here. SBF’s 2021 Annual Report provides examples of how the Foundation works on behalf of Santa Barbara County and asks our community members to engage with us to enhance the lives of all who live in our region. Explore the full report here.
This report provides the most up-to-date and holistic picture of Santa Barbara County’s nonprofit sector. After a turbulent and unpredictable global pandemic that shook the sector, the data reveal key insights to guide funders, practitioners, and government agencies in collaborating toward reopening and rebuilding. Additionally, these data serve as an important baseline for future research on the nonprofit sector in Santa Barbara County. Learn more about the state of nonprofits in Santa Barbara County.
In order to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and the future of employment, SBF contributed nearly $27,000 toward a countywide COVID-19 Workforce Impact Report that was conducted in collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board. The results of this study have been recently published and will be used to inform county partners in workforce development.
Although COVID-19 has created many challenges for working families, local nonprofits and educational institutions have come together to develop collaborative solutions to these issues facing our workforce. For example, SBF partnered with Allan Hancock College (AHC) to support Community Education during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping AHC connect to students, families, and our Spanish-speaking community in a safe and responsible manner during the height of an unprecedented public health crisis. Learn more.
While Santa Barbara County continues to recover and rebuild from the ongoing pandemic, we believe it is important to acknowledge the incredible impact of our collective work. Read our COVID-19 Impact Report to explore response-focused data and learn how SBF has showed up – alongside our community – throughout the pandemic. Learn about our impact in 2020-2021.
You are a part of a tradition of building lasting change through the Santa Barbara Foundation. Just as we today feel the impact of the generosity of philanthropists of the past, your support has an indelible impact on our region today and creates positive outcomes that will continue to bear fruit many years into the future. Through your support, we build partnerships and strategically invest in initiatives that secure a safety net for our working families, support our most vulnerable populations, strengthen our social sector, and improve the lives of all who call Santa Barbara County home. Learn how you can create lasting change.
Fall is upon us – the harvest is here, and the nights are getting colder. As the seasons change and the season of giving draws nearer, we at the Santa Barbara Foundation are reflecting on the importance of nourishment and safety for our communities. As we work to uplift our most vulnerable, we think of organizations like Via Majella and Route One who help people thrive every day. These groups are on the ground, providing opportunities for sustenance and warmth to those that need it most. Read the full newsletter here.
Our kids are the future, and we are dedicated to supporting quality & affordable early education and child care in Santa Barbara County. While its back to school for grade-school children, many families with toddlers and infants are still in need of child care support services. Research shows that providing high-quality educational experiences for children before they turn five yields significant long-term benefits – they are better prepared for kindergarten, are more likely to graduate from high school, and often become higher earners in the workforce. Unfortunately, many families in Santa Barbara County struggle to afford the cost of these early childhood education programs. Learn how SBF is working with local nonprofits to tackle these issues.
The Santa Barbara Foundation has a long-standing commitment to improving the quality of life in Santa Barbara County for all who live, work, play, and visit here. In 2020, our communities needed us more than ever, so we partnered with you – the individuals, families, community organizations, nonprofits, businesses, and government of Santa Barbara County – to address our county’s greatest needs. Explore the full report here.
As spring transitions to summer, we approach the close of the academic school year. For students and their families, this is a time to celebrate the year’s accomplishments, participate in graduations, and plan for the future. We would like to applaud our youth, parents, and teachers, for their incredible dedication and resilience. Despite the challenges of virtual learning, social distancing, and an ever-changing curriculum, they have persevered!
We hope you enjoy this month’s County Connections, which highlights just a few of the ways we are supporting Santa Barbara County students and the nonprofits that serve them. Click here to view.
Spring in our county is an amazing time, poppies and lupine are starting to bloom, and the mild weather is perfect for enjoying outdoor activities, whether along the coast or in the Los Padres forest. Spring is also when we celebrate one of our community’s most beloved holidays, Earth Day, which got its start right here in Santa Barbara 51 years ago. As such, it seems like wonderful timing to announce the launch of a new grant cycle in support of the environment, conservation, and public trails… Read More.
Together, with our incredible donors and community partners, we have done so much to make Santa Barbara County a better place to live. With your help, we have already invested $20 million in Santa Barbara County nonprofits in 2020 to improve our communities. We’ve lead the way during a global pandemic, while uplifting working families and our most vulnerable.
Together, we can do even more to strengthen our social sector and make this county a more equitable and inclusive place for all. Explore our new County Connections Report to learn more.
Since COVID-19 began affecting our county in mid-March, our communities have faced incredible challenges. For our most vulnerable community members, the COVID-19 crisis has been devastating.
The Santa Barbara Foundation along with the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort is working to provide support to our neighbors and the nonprofits that serve them during this extremely difficult time. This edition of our County Connections Report explores the COVID-19 crisis in Santa Barbara County, how our social sector has stepped up to support those in need, and a few ways YOU can help our communities.
For 92 years, Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) donors have entrusted us, the region’s largest community foundation, to invest their charitable dollars with empathy and an eye toward significant and measurable impact. In 2019, SBF continued this work in a big way – in partnership with our donors, we invested $31 million in Santa Barbara County nonprofit organizations to support working families, vulnerable populations, and all who dream of a stronger future. Explore the full report here.
Click here to view our 2018 Report of Grants & Gifts!
Our 2018 Report of Grants & Gifts is now online. We are sharing important information while saving paper at the same time.
We hope you enjoy reading this Report and learning about our work for Santa Barbara County!
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