Together with our community of donors, the Santa Barbara Foundation forges purposeful pathways to build stronger communities. In the wake of the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn, our neighbors continue to need our help. Far too many families face the threat of eviction as housing prices skyrocket, our youth are reporting levels of depression and anxiety like we’ve never seen, and parents find themselves unable to work due to lack of available child care. Our work addressing basic needs such as these through strategic grantmaking, building collaborations for impact, and strengthening nonprofits has never been more crucial.
But there is more work to do, and we need your help.
We hope you will consider the Santa Barbara Foundation as your philanthropic partner and make a gift to our Community Engagement Fund today. Your support enables us to continue our initiatives and will allow us to remain flexible and strategic as we strive to meet the most pressing needs of our community.
Inclusive CollaborationSBF leads efforts to bring people and resources together to work for large-scale, sustainable improvements across our county. We do this by facilitating dialogue across a broad range of stakeholders, from business leaders, government representatives, leaders of nonprofit organizations, residents, and funders who want to create a positive change. You can see this in our work with the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network, Community Caregiving Initiative, and workforce support, among other notable projects. We find every opportunity to develop and maintain strategic partnerships to leverage our collective strengths and maximize the power of our donors’ dollars. As seen in our support for the State of the Nonprofit Sector Report, we are a research institution that learns extensively about the needs of our community and advocate for funding to transform innovative ideas into reality. Learn more about SBF’s work in inclusive collaboration.
Engaged PhilanthropyAs a community foundation, SBF is grateful to donors who trust us to steward their charitable assets. Our team of expert philanthropic advisors assists donors in navigating the logistics of giving and works with them to create a customized plan that aligns with their passions and charitable giving goals. We expand financial capital and build scalable solutions by engaging, forward-thinking individuals and institutions to contribute to a shared vision for our county. We build relationships with our donors and fundholders and provide opportunities to steward their charitable accounts with us, serving as an entry point for philanthropy in our region and easing giving for good. Learn more about SBF’s work engaging philanthropy.
Strategic GrantmakingWith over 2,000 nonprofits in Santa Barbara County, even the most diligent donor would find it daunting to try to learn about each organization and vet their work. When you partner with the Santa Barbara Foundation, donors can be assured that we award grants through a rigorous process of research, due diligence, and evaluation for our Community Grant Opportunities. We identify and prioritize critical needs for strategic grantmaking requiring special focus and additional organizational resources. Once funded, we monitor and evaluate these initiatives for impact and are committed to working with these service providers to maximize their effectiveness. In 2021 alone, the Foundation provided over 2,700 grants, in partnership with our generous donors, in Santa Barbara County. Learn more about SBF’s work in strategic grantmaking.
Strengthening NonprofitsSBF is committed to ensuring that our nonprofit leaders and their organizations have the tools, skills, and resources to fulfill their mission. We believe that a healthy, high-achieving, creative social sector enables our county to achieve its potential. The Santa Barbara Foundation makes nonprofits stronger and more resilient by providing capacity-building workshops, leadership development, and technical assistance programs through the Santa Barbara County Collaboration for Social Impact. We engage with practitioners to develop successful approaches for improved outcomes in the community. We connect them with funders and other nonprofits to make their efforts more powerful. Since this can be a demanding line of work, we recognize and reward the hard work and excellence of those working in the social sector. Learn more about SBF’s work in strengthening nonprofits.
Our work cannot be achieved without you. Gifts to the Community Engagement Fund allow us to remain flexible and relevant as we strive to meet the most pressing needs of our community. With your support, we can continue to invest in organizations that are doing vitally important work and continue to build partnerships and coalitions to increase our collective impact.
As Santa Barbara County’s community foundation since 1928, we are the trusted philanthropic partner you can count on to maximize the impact of your gift and make a difference. The community is our heart, and we need community members, like you, to join us in our efforts to make Santa Barbara County better for generations to come. Make a gift today.
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