2020 Annual Report

Your Love of Community Makes Our Work Possible

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 Your Impact in 2020

View Select Highlights from the Annual Report Below

 

A Message from Pamela Gann, Chair, Board of Trustees, and Jacqueline Carrera, President & CEO

Empathy. Throughout the year that was 2020, people could resonate with each other’s plight more than ever because it had also been theirs in one way or another. People stepped up to help, responding compassionately to those in need. Our communities experienced a heightened level of empathy that was palpable… Read more.

 

COVID-19 Relief

In response to the novel coronavirus, the SBF team launched the Community Disaster Relief Fund and worked tirelessly to connect resources, co-led & co-coordinated the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort, built a rapid response grant program, and led collaborations to help our community through these unprecedented challenges… Read More.

 

Nonprofit Support

SBF continued to support our most vulnerable and working families through our annual Behavioral Health, Health Care, Food, Shelter & Safety, and Child Care grant programs, laid the groundwork in our strategies for workforce development, while also deepening our commitment to our nonprofits with the Collaboration for Social Impact… Read More.

 

Santa Barbara Better Together

SBF branched out to provide small business grants for companies facing closures due to COVID-19. With collaborations between local municipalities, the County of Santa Barbara, and large businesses, we were able to provide much-needed relief totaling over $1 million in support… Read More.

 

2020 Census Complete County

In 2020, SBF and the County of Santa Barbara co-led the Census efforts along with numerous community partners. Despite significant challenges posed by COVID-19, the 2020 Census Complete Count Committee reported a 71.8% Self-Response Rate, a 3.3% increase from the 2010 Census, giving Santa Barbara County a ranking of 13 out of 58 counties in California. In addition, an increased response rate was reported in all hard-to-count areas. This increase in the Census count will bring additional funding to our region… Read More.

 

Community Education

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access education is essential to building an inclusive county. SBF’s work included sponsoring the historic virtual Race to Justice series by UCSB Arts & Lectures, Community Environmental Council’s Resilience Roundtable, and producing our own Coffee & Conversation series that brought community members together to discuss community challenges and potential solutions… Read More.

 

Scholarships for Youth

We believe that investing in our youth, from children 0-5 all the way to college-bound teenagers, is essential to building a better future for our county. Our goal is to provide our youngest residents with options to thrive and reach their potential. SBF remains committed to our long tradition of supporting local youth, and we continue to collaborate with the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara as one of the largest funders, providing $1.2 million in support in 2020 for Santa Barbara County scholars… Read More.

 

Thank You, Donors!

Our work cannot be achieved without you. Our accomplishments are your accomplishments, and as we celebrate what we have achieved together, we would also like to thank you for making this work possible.