2022 - 2023 Community Grant Guidelines

2022 – 2023 COMMUNITY GRANT GUIDELINES

The COVID-19 Pandemic and subsequent economic downturn highlighted the historical social and institutional disparities that exist in our community and the challenges many face accessing resources and services. Emerging data has shown low-wage essential workers struggle with high levels of stress and burnout, leading to greater risk for both mental and physical health problems. Access to healthy food, reducing healthcare costs, increasing behavioral health resources and affordable housing were cross-cutting themes across all of our population.

According to Feeding America[1], as of 2019 11.4% of children in Santa Barbara County faced food insecurity. Furthermore, while data is not complete for more recent years, estimates and projections of the impact of COVID-19 on child poverty and food insecurity suggest this rate has likely increased by around 30%, putting the county back by years in the progress we had made towards decreasing child food insecurity.

The Public Policy Institute of California & Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, California Poverty Measure (Sept. 2021) estimate that as of 2019, 19% of all children (ages 0-17) in CA live in poverty, this rate is even higher (23%) for children in Santa Barbara County. Estimates of the pandemic’s impact suggest this rate has only increased in the past two years.

The ability to afford nutrition-rich meals in our County depends on other household expenses. Most recent data (2019) suggests that 43.28% of people residing in Santa Barbara County live in cost-burdened housing3. Cost-burdened housing is defined as units whose occupants spend 30% or more of their household income on housing costs (rent, utilities, etc.) Those that live in cost-burdened housing may lack financial security and may have difficulty saving enough funds to cope with unplanned expenses; including financial burdens occurring during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“The cost of housing has reached unsustainable levels as home prices and rental rates skyrocket to levels only the wealthy can afford. Low-wage workers, women, and people of color have paid an exceptionally high price, bearing the brunt of extreme rent burdens, overcrowding, and longer and longer commutes alongside constant threats of eviction.” (Towards a Just and Equitable Central Coast, December 2021)

  • Health outcomes are shaped by the social, environmental and economic conditions in which people are born, grow, work and age. (Mental Health Foundation. Tackling Social Inequalities to Reduce Mental Health Problems: How Everyone Can Flourish Equally. Mental Health Foundation, 2020) A growing body of research shows integrated behavioral health, which blends care in one setting for medical conditions and related behavioral health factors, improves health and patient experience, while reducing unnecessary costs in time, money, and delays. The reasons for this are several and include that when patients with chronic health conditions are more likely to have related behavioral health concerns and often find it easier to improve chronic conditions when these concerns are also addressed. Moreover, health care professionals may appreciate having behavioral health partners available to help with problems the medical team doesn’t have enough time or training to address. Finally, providing integrated behavioral health care at the right times in the patient’s medical care can often offset the cost of providing behavioral health care. This “whole-person care,” is a rapidly emerging shift in the practice of high-quality health care and it is the reason that the Foundation has made the decision to blend its previously separate Health and Behavioral Health Care Cycles into one Cycle.

The Santa Barbara County nonprofit sector provides a critical safety net to our community’s most vulnerable populations, and the Foundation will continue to be intentional in supporting purposeful pathways to build stronger communities.

In order to address the different approaches required by each of these critical areas of human need, the Santa Barbara Foundation is offering three separate program areas of funding: Behavioral Health/Health Care, Food, and Shelter & Safety.

As it has been shown that multi-year general operating funding increases nonprofits’ ability to build their capacity and respond to community needs, in 2022 the Foundation is switching to a two-year grant cycle for its Community Grant Program Areas of Behavioral Health/Health Care, Food, and Shelter & Safety, with a RFQ process. Please review the application process to learn more.

Applicants will be required to select the area of funding that most closely represents the mission of the applying organization. Organizations are not eligible to apply for more than one program area.

[1]https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2017/child/california/county/santa-barbara

[2] Dignity Health Cottage Health Needs Assessment

[3] Dignity Health Community Health Needs Assessment

Grant Program Focus

Grants will be available to nonprofit organizations directly providing programs for the area in which they applied (Behavioral Health & Health Care, Food, Shelter & Safety).  Funding can be used for operating expenses and/or costs related to sustaining or expanding service delivery programs to meet demonstrated demand.

In summary, funded organizations will:

  • Be providing direct services to address the program area for which they applied (Behavioral Health/Health Care, Food, Shelter & Safety)
  • Be well-managed, financially viable, and operate effective programs that primarily serve the needs of poor and underserved communities
  • Have developed strategies for addressing identified organizational needs

Program Area Priorities

Behavioral Health/Health Care Program Area

As behavioral health and health care services continue to be integrated to promote better health outcomes, the Foundation is combining its Behavioral Health and Health Care Grant Cycle.

Priority will be given to organizations that:

  • demonstrate sustained and/or increased demand for behavioral health and/or health care services
  • are taking steps to sustain or expand organizational capacity to address demand for services
  • provide holistic approaches to serving clients, undertaken by the agency itself or in partnership with others
  • demonstrate cultural competence among volunteers, staff, and board members for the communities served
  • seek to dismantle language, cultural, and other barriers that prevent low-income and marginalized populations from accessing services
  • are developing strategies to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and access within their agency
  • are working in community-wide collaborative approaches to address behavioral health and/or health care issues

Contact Information

For questions regarding the Behavioral Health & Health Care program area and funding eligibility, please contact Rubayi Estes, Vice President of Programs at REstes@SBFoundation.org or (805) 880-9351.

 

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Food Program Area

Priority will be given to organizations that:

  • demonstrate sustained and/or increased demand for programs that provide food security
  • are taking steps to sustain or expand organizational capacity to address demand for services
  • provide holistic approaches to serving clients, undertaken by the agency itself or in partnership with others
  • demonstrate cultural competence among volunteers, staff, and board members for the communities served
  • seek to dismantle language, cultural, and other barriers that prevent low-income and marginalized populations from accessing services
  • are developing strategies to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and access within their agency
  • are working in community-wide collaborative approaches to address food insecurity

Contact Information

For questions regarding the Food program areas and funding eligibility please contact Deanna Vallejo, Community Engagement Program Officer, at DVallejo@SBFoundation.org or (805) 880-9385.

Apply Now

Shelter and Safety Program Area

Priority will be given to organizations that:

  • are providing emergency shelter or housing loss prevention assistance
  • demonstrate sustained and/or increased demand for shelter & safety or housing loss prevention services
  • are taking steps to sustain or expand organizational capacity to address demand for services
  • provide holistic approaches to serving clients, undertaken by the agency itself or in partnership with others
  • demonstrate cultural competence among volunteers, staff, and board members for the communities served
  • seek to dismantle language, cultural, and other barriers that prevent low-income and marginalized populations from accessing services
  • are developing strategies to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and access within their agency
  • are working in community-wide collaborative approaches to address shelter, safety, and housing loss prevention issues
  • are prioritizing the following vulnerable populations:
  • Families with children
  • Seniors
  • People living in cars
  • People with disabilities
  • Individuals fleeing domestic violence/sex trafficking
  • Youth who are homeless

Contact Information

For questions regarding Shelter & Safety program areas and funding eligibility please contact Deanna Vallejo, Community Engagement Program Officer, at DVallejo@SBFoundation.org or (805) 880-9385

Apply Now

Additional Grant Information

Funding Amounts and Duration

The maximum award for the multi-year community grants is $30,000 per year for up to two years. The grant review panel may reduce or increase award amounts at its discretion and based on funding availability. Grantees will be required to complete an annual report. Year two awards are contingent on the submittal and approval of year one reports.

Grant Limitations

Grants are not intended for:

  • services and programs that are not directly providing:
    • services for the program area for which you applied (Behavioral Health/Health Care, Food, Shelter & Safety); or
    • acting as a community-wide coordinating entity
  • scholarships
  • individuals

Please visit the Eligibility Criteria & FAQs for a complete list of what the Foundation does not fund.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Grants are available to organizations serving all regions of Santa Barbara County.
  • Organizations must be certified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or use a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) tax status. Applications that do not contain a valid EIN (tax ID) number will not be considered. Organizations using a fiscal sponsor must review the Eligibility Criteria & FAQs for additional information and instructions.

 

Important Dates

March 1, 2022 RFQ Period Opens
March 30, 2022 RFQ Deadline
April 20, 2022 Notification of Eligibility to Apply via SmartSimple
May 11, 2022 Grant Application Deadline
August 2022 Grant Awards Announced

Capacity Building/Professional Development Cohorts

As part of the RFQ process, applicants will be given the option to select from a number of capacity-building/professional development cohorts. The Santa Barbara Foundation encourages participation in optional cohorts at no costs outside of staff time. Cohort topics are selected from the findings of the annual state of the sector report and demonstrated needs. If a grantee opts to participate in a cohort and is selected for one, the grantee will be asked to dedicate up to 30 hours (5-10 hours for workshops and up to 20 hours for individual coaching/consulting) over a ten-month period.

The first cohort(s) will meet September 2022 – June 2023.

The second cohort(s) TBD.

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Santa Barbara Foundation solicits feedback and continuously improves our grantmaking process in the hopes of making it more accessible, approachable, and transparent for the many non-profits that the foundation serves. To this end, we have revised our application questions, to assure that questions and we have changed our grantee reporting to make it interactive and an opportunity to learn from other grantees as well Foundation staff. We also invite organizations not successful in any of our grant programs to connect with us to review their applications. Now, in this continued effort to support our non-profit partners, the Foundation will be offering muti-year funding. Having heard how unrestricted funding has assisted our partners, we see muti-year grantmaking assisting in the following ways:

  • The increased ability to plan for the future,
  • Increased stability,
  • The opportunity to better focus on your work and not on the cycles of fundraising,
  • It encourages stronger, trust-based relationships between our grantees and ourselves
  • It creates space for innovation and risk-taking, and
  • Lastly, it provides the capacity to invest in staff—and, ultimately, increase the impact that our partners can have on society.

The RFQ period opens on March 1st. Please come back to this page to check for instructions and application platform updates.

For technical assistance please contact nmunday@sbfoundation.org.

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