Tri-Counties Blood Bank Fund Grant Guidelines

In August 1997, Tri-Counties Blood Bank (TCBB), a nonprofit public benefit corporation, sold all of its assets to Haemonetics Corporation, a Massachusetts for-profit corporation. In accordance with the California Corporation Code, after payment of liabilities and expenses, the remaining TCBB funds were transferred to the Santa Barbara Foundation, the San Luis Obispo Community Health Foundation, and the Monterey Community Foundation.

In July 1998, the Santa Barbara Foundation (the Foundation) entered into an agreement with TCBB to establish the Tri-Counties Blood Bank Fund (the Fund). Valued at nearly $5 million, it is now part of the Foundation’s restricted funds. Through an annual grant award process, the Foundation will distribute the income generated from the Fund to qualified nonprofit organizations. The Fund is restricted to activities that support blood and blood-related products and services in accordance with the plan of disposition (the Plan).

The plan of disposition is divided into three distinct sections. These guidelines outline the selection and award of Indigent Care Grants, Education Grants, and Scholarships as prescribed by the Plan.

Eligibility Requirements

• The geographic service area for the Fund is Santa Barbara County.
• Qualified applicants may apply for an (1) Indigent Care Grant, (2) Education Grant, and/or (3) Scholarship. If you are applying in more than one category, separate applications are required for each.
• Organizations must demonstrate sound fiscal management (e.g., financial audits/reviews, board oversight) and financial sustainability (e.g., diversified funding, reserves).
• 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.
• Hospitals operated by the federal government (i.e., veterans administration hospitals) and facilities operated by the State of California (i.e., hospitals operated by the Department of Corrections) are not eligible to apply.

Criteria by Grant Type

These guidelines cover the implementation of (1) Indigent Care Grants, (2) Education Grants, and (3) Scholarships:

Section A:  Indigent Care Grants

Purpose: To reimburse “qualified hospitals” for “un-reimbursed costs” directly related to providing blood or blood products to “qualified patients” within Santa Barbara County.

Definitions for Section A

1. “Qualified hospitals” are hospitals with one or more licensed acute care facilities in the county that are organized as nonprofit public benefit corporations under the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Law, or as nonprofit corporations under the laws of another state, and that are described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The term “qualified hospitals” does not include hospitals operated by the federal government, such as veterans administration hospitals, and it does not include facilities operated by the State of California, such as hospitals operated by the Department of Corrections or the Department of Health Services. Please note: A qualified hospital may not request reimbursement for more than the purchase price of blood and blood products. Only direct costs are reimbursable and must be separated from indirect costs. Applications that “bundle” charges related to providing blood and blood products to qualified patients will NOT be accepted.
2. “Qualified patient” is a patient in a qualified hospital who is not covered by any form of private or government insurance whose income is 200% or less of the federal poverty line.
3. “Unreimbursed costs” are the qualified hospital’s direct cost of obtaining blood and blood products from a blood bank (i.e., the amount the qualified hospital actually pays to the blood bank for the blood or blood products), without regard to what the hospital charges its patients or their insurers for blood or blood products, and without regard to any expenses of the qualified hospital, including storage, handling, administrative fees, testing, etc.

Section B:  Education Grants and Scholarships

Purpose: Education grants are intended for:

• Advanced education in medical technology or nursing related to blood banking. This supports any relevant training that could improve blood banking or the ability of hospital staff to work with the National Blood Foundation. It covers the full range of continuing education options, including in-service training.
• Physician education on techniques and development of transfusion medicine. This covers the full range of enrichment and continuing education options including in-service training.
• Community education on blood and blood diseases. This covers continuing education of medical practitioners as well as broad-based education targeting the general population.  For example, community education might include the following: educating school-age children about blood and blood-borne diseases; conducting broad-based educational programs to reach the community-at-large in the event of a critical shortage of blood; the dissemination of new information to the community concerning a blood-borne disease.

Scholarships are intended for:

• Post-doctoral education in a non-medical discipline related to blood and blood banking. This program is only available to post-doctoral candidates enrolled at UCSB in departments such as, but not limited to, Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology; Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.
• Medical education in the specialties of hematology/oncology.

Important Notes for Section B:  Education Grants and Scholarships

The Foundation strongly encourages cooperation and joint partnerships among and between hospitals, clinics, the county medical society, professional associations, and Blood Systems, Inc. (the local blood bank) in the implementation of the above educational grants. Applications must reflect an understanding and analysis of the needs and interests of practitioners as well as current issues and emerging blood banking technologies in the field.

Funding Amounts and Duration

Grant amounts vary by funding category request, as follows:

• Indigent Care and Education Grants: $5,000-$35,000
• Scholarships: $20,000-$70,000

Please note that based on funding availability, award amounts could be less than requested.

The grant period is up to one year from the award date. A final report is required and due within 13 months of the grant award, preferably no later than 30 days following the project completion.

Grant Limitations

Grants are not intended for:

• General Operating support
• Services and programs that do not support blood-related products or services
• Fundraising events or Sponsorships

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

Application Questions for Section A: Indigent Care Grants

Indigent Care Grant Questions

1. Describe how the funding request was calculated. The amount requested must be based on prior-year statistics and documented unreimbursed costs associated with blood and blood products.
2. How many qualified patients are represented by this request? Briefly describe the process used to verify that patients meet the Fund’s definition of a qualified patient.  (“Qualified Patient” is a patient in a qualified hospital who is not covered by any form of private or government insurance whose income is 200% or less of the federal poverty line. The patient must have no private or public health coverage and be ineligible for coverage under Medicare, Medi-Cal, the County Adult Indigent Care Program, or any other existing public insurance program.) 
3. Please provide the following:

• • Total unreimbursed cost of blood and blood products represented by this request.
  • Percentage that blood and blood products represent of the hospital’s total costs.
  • Percentage that blood and blood products represent of the hospital’s unreimbursed costs.

Scanned copies of the invoices from the county blood bank for the qualified patient(s) under your care for whom you seek reimbursement. In order to ensure patient confidentiality, please eliminate any information that would identify the patient(s).

Application Questions for Section B: Education Grants and Scholarships

Education Grants and Scholarship Questions

1. Describe the educational, training, outreach, or scholarship opportunity for which funding is requested. Explain how the proposed activity will support one or more of the following:

• Education related to blood diseases, blood products, blood banking, transfusion medicine, hematology, oncology, or blood-related research;
• Improvements in blood banking practices, technology, or services;
• Community awareness and understanding of blood-related diseases or conditions;
• Workforce development in blood-related fields.

2. Describe the need being addressed and how that need was identified.

3. Describe the target population or intended beneficiaries. If applicable, identify the provider of the training, educational activity, or scholarship program.

4. What are the project’s goals and desired outcomes? Please provide a timeline of key milestones and activities for the grant period.

• Clearly identify what success looks like at the end of the grant period.

5. If applicable, identify any collaborating partners (e.g., hospitals, clinics, county medical society, professional associations, Blood Systems, Inc. etc.) and describe their roles. How does this collaboration strengthen the program?

• For scholarship applicants: If you do not have formal collaborating partners in this sense, describe your academic affiliation (e.g., department, advisor, or mentor) and how this relationship   supports the scholarship recipients course of study or research.

6. How does this activity strengthen existing training/education opportunities, improve blood banking technology, or improve blood banking practice in the service area?

• If this is an ongoing education project or scholarship program, describe past accomplishments and current results to date.

7. How will you evaluate the impact of these funds? Please explain:

• How will data be collected and analyzed – this can include specific tools, documents, databases, budgets/financials, etc.?
• How will you use these findings to inform decisions or improvements?

 

Application Process

Applications must be submitted through our SmartSimple grant application, which require an updated organizational profile in addition to the application particulars, depending on the Grant Type. Refer to our website for more information: https://sbfoundation.org/nonprofits/how-to-apply/

Important Dates

Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.	In-Person Office Hours: SBF Santa Barbara Office
Wednesday, August 19, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.	Virtual Office Hours
August 28, 2026	Application Deadline
Mid-September 2026	Funds Awarded
October 2027	Final Report Due

 

Contact Information

Questions regarding the Tri-Counties Blood Bank Fund, please contact De Vallejo, Senior Program Officer, at (805) 880-9385 or dvallejo@sbfoundation.org.

For technical assistance, please contact Hazel Naftzger, Data and Evaluation Coordinator at (805) 880-9377 or  hnaftzger@SBFoundation.org.

 

TCBB Assessment Tools

Indigent Care Grants Verification Checklist:

Eligibility: 

☐ Applicant is a qualified nonprofit hospital.

☐ Hospital operates one or more licensed acute care facilities in Santa Barbara County.

☐ Applicant is not a federal or state-operated hospital.

Qualified Patients:

☐ Request represents qualified patients as defined in guidelines.

☐ Number of qualified patients provided included in the application.

☐ Eligibility determination process appears reasonable.

Financial Documentation: 

☐ Amount requested provided.

☐ Cost calculation methodology provided.

☐ Request is based on prior-year unreimbursed costs.

☐ Percentage of total hospital costs attributed to blood products provided.

☐ Percentage of unreimbursed costs attributed to blood products provided.

☐ Request appears limited to direct blood and blood product costs.

Supporting Documentation:

☐ Blood bank invoices attached.

☐ Patient-identifying information removed.

☐ Documentation supports request amount.

 

Education Grants & Scholarships — Scoring Rubric

Tri-Counties Blood Bank Fund  |  Scale: 4 (Highest) to 1 (Lowest)  |  5 Criteria  |  Maximum Score: 20 Points  |  All criteria weighted equally

Criteria	4 — Exceptional	3 — Strong	2 — Developing	1 — Insufficient
Alignment with Program Priorities Q1, Q2, Q6	Clearly supports one or more grant type with compelling evidence; need is well-identified and substantiated; activity demonstrably strengthens existing training, technology, or practice in the service area. For ongoing education projects/scholarships, a strong track record of past accomplishments is shown.	Reasonably supports a grant type with adequate evidence; need is identified with general supporting detail; some evidence of strengthening existing service-area efforts. Reasonable track record shown if ongoing.	Connection to a grant type is unclear or thin; need is asserted but weakly substantiated; limited link to strengthening service-area efforts. Track record for an ongoing activity is vague.	Does not clearly align with any grant type; need is unsubstantiated; no meaningful track record provided for an ongoing activity.
2. Strategic Vision & Goals Q4	Clear, specific, measurable goals with a well-defined timeline and milestones for the one-year grant period; a clear picture of what success looks like at grant end.	Solid goals and timeline; most milestones present, though some may lack full specificity.	General goals; timeline is vague or incomplete; milestones are unclear.	Goals are vague or absent; no clear timeline or milestones provided.
3. Collaboration & Partnership Q5	Clearly identifies relevant collaborators/ partnerships or an academic affiliation, with well-defined roles that meaningfully strengthen the proposed activity — or, where not applicable, a clear explanation of why.	Collaborators/partnerships or academic affiliation identified with reasonably defined roles that support the activity.	Collaborators/partnerships or affiliation mentioned, but roles or relevance are unclear.	No collaborators/partnerships or affiliation identified, and no explanation given where one would be expected.
4. Community & Practice Benefit Drawn from Q1 & Q3	Clearly demonstrates meaningful benefit to the identified target population, practitioners, or community, with specific detail on how they’ll be reached or served.	Demonstrates a reasonable benefit to the target population, with some detail on reach.	Benefit is modest or indirect; limited detail on how the target population is reached.	Little to no demonstrated benefit or reach to the stated target population.
5. Measurement, Evaluation & Learning Q7	Detailed, feasible plan with specific data collection tools/methods identified (e.g., pre/post assessments, tracking systems, budgets/financials); clear plan for using findings to inform decisions or improvements.	Solid plan with defined methods and tools; some detail on how findings will be used.	Basic plan with general data collection idea; limited detail on how findings inform decisions.	Plan is vague or absent, with no clear data collection method or use of findings.

Criterion 1 — Grant-Type Scoring Notes

Reviewers should apply the guidance below when scoring Criterion 1, based on the grant type indicated in the application.

Education Grants:

Assess whether the activity clearly falls into one of the three defined focus areas (advanced medical technology/nursing education, physician education in transfusion medicine, or community education on blood diseases), and whether it reflects an understanding of practitioner or community needs and awareness of current/emerging blood banking issues.

Scholarships:

Assess whether the course of study or candidate’s field clearly falls under one of the two defined purposes (post-doctoral, non-medical study in a related discipline, or medical education in hematology/oncology), and whether the applicant articulates a clear connection to advancing blood banking knowledge or practice.

Scoring Guide

Score Range	Priority Level	Description
18–20	Priority for Funding	Exceptional applications strongly meeting all criteria; compelling evidence of merit, strategy, and benefit.
14–17	High Consideration for Funding	Strong applications meeting most criteria well, with minor gaps.
9–13	Consider for Funding	Solid applications addressing program priorities but lacking some depth in strategy or evidence.
5–8	Low Priority; May Fund if Resources Allow	Significant gaps in one or more criteria or unclear alignment with priorities.
0–4	Does Not Meet Criteria for Funding	Insufficient alignment with program goals or eligibility requirements.