Application and Submittal Procedures

Please read and review the Community Grant Programs Application & Submittal Procedures for the Community Grant Programs Online Application.

Application and Submittal Procedures for Initiatives, Give Together Grant Programs, and the Community Grant Programs
Access the SmartSimple Platform
Click here for a detailed video of this process.
  1. Visit the Santa Barbara Foundations online platform
  2. On the Santa Barbara Foundation SmartSimple platform landing page, on the bottom right please click on “Register.”
    You will be asked to choose from 3 different entities:

    • Nonprofit
    • Fiscally Sponsored Entity
    • For Profit
  3. After identifying which entity fits your organization you will be asked to provide some general information about yourself and your organization (If your organization is not found please use the “click here to add a new organization” link in the instruction box to add manually).
  4. The initial staff contact is the first authorized representative to register and associate their profile account on behalf of an organization. This individual will also be responsible for providing accurate information in the organization profile and updating this information annually. They will also receive email notifications from the platform. Additional organizational contacts can also register and access applications on behalf of an organization already in the system. These additional users will follow the same registration process as the initial organization contact. The system will conduct a duplicate check and associate the user with the existing organization.
  5. You will receive a welcome email confirming that your registration is active. Please click the link included in the email to create a password. After creating your password, you can now access the platform to establish your Organization Profile.
  6. On the top righthand corner you will see the initial of your first name that you registered under. Please click there and a drop-down menu will open. Please select “Organization Profile.” You will be directed to a page with four separate tabs, General, Organization Information, Capacity Building, and Board Information. You will need to answer all mandatory fields in order to access the available grant applications on the platform.

PLEASE NOTE: Once an organization is registered and a profile has been created for a fiscally sponsored organization, please allow up to 24 hours (one business day) for approval to access available applications in the platform.

    1. Save a draft often  as you are completing an application. You may also save your work and log out at any time.
    2. To access the partially completed RFQ or grant application again, you will log into the profile you created and access the draft you saved.

Submitting your Application

Once you have completed your Organization Profile, please return to the “Home” page. There you will see “Funding Opportunities.” Please locate the appropriate grant opportunity and fill in all mandatory fields. Please adhere to the following instructions to ensure a successful submittal:

    1. The available applications will be accepted only through the online platform. Paper applications will not be accepted.
    2. To submit the completed grant application simply hit the “Submit” option at the bottom of the page.
    3. You will receive an automatic email when your grant application has been received. Please retain this receipt for your files.

APPLY NOW THROUGH SBF ONLINE PLATFORM

Application and Submittal Procedures for Senior Programs of Santa Barbara and Milton Brown Express Grant Programs

Downloading the PDF Application Form:

Visit our Grant Opportunities page to view the application and guidelines. Before starting your application, or completing any forms, please download and save the file to your desktop using Adobe Reader. Edits made to the form in the browser will not be saved. When the application is saved to your computer you may work on the application over an extended period of time, saving as you go.

If you experience technical difficulties downloading the application, please try the following:

      1. Click on this link: http://get.adobe.com/reader.
      2. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader (click on Install Now).
      3. Restart your computer.

The applications are intentionally formatted to limit the amount of text and expanding the text boxes will result in unreadable content. For the larger grant programs, organizations that move forward to the interview/site visit stage are invited to submit additional materials at that time. Thank you for your understanding.

Supplemental Documents for Fiscal Sponsor

A 501(c)(3) organization that agrees to serve as a fiscal sponsor on a grant request must provide additional forms as part of the grant application.

      1. A copy of the letter of agreement entered into with the sponsored organization is required.
      2. Additional forms must be completed by the fiscal sponsor as part of the application including a board roster and organizational financial summary.

When using Mac or a PC

Our grant applications are in Adobe Reader format, a universal and free program. After you have downloaded the most recent version of Adobe Reader (found on our website with the application), use the “File Save As” feature to save the application to your local computer. If you are using a Mac product, please ensure you have downloaded Adobe Reader to your computer as Mac Preview is not compatible with Adobe Reader fillable forms.

Submitting your Application

Once you have completed your application and are ready for submission, please adhere to the following instructions to ensure a successful submittal:

    1. Applications are accepted electronically via email.
    2. Attach your completed application along with any additional required documents in an email using the Attach File feature.
    3. Submission of unsolicited materials is discouraged as they will not be considered in the review process.
    4. Include the name of your organization and the name of the grant program or initiative you are applying to in the email subject line. (Example of an Invest in Youth grant submission: My Nonprofit Invest in Youth Grant Application).
    5. Attach and email the completed application to seniorprograms@sbfoundation.org. 

NOTE: You will receive an automatic response email when your grant application has been received. This will guarantee that your application has been submitted successfully. Please retain this receipt for your files.

DEADLINES: All applications must be received by 11:59 PM on the deadline date noted for each grant program on the Grant Opportunities page.

Paper applications are not accepted. If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application or submission, please contact our Community Engagement Team at (805) 963-1873 or CommunityEngagement@SBFoundation.org.