Opening the Doors to Change

Colette Schabram, Executive Director of the Pacific Pride Foundation, had thousands of moments when she felt like she was truly making a positive difference for the LBGTQ+ community in Santa Barbara County. None, however, quite stood out like listening to the story of a man who walked into their office with a black eye looking for help.

“Someone had called this man a round of hateful slurs and when he stood up for himself, he said he was hit in the face, causing bruises and a concussion,” said Schabram. “He recalled how safe he felt in our building, despite how frightening the incident was. Working with the police to help him reminded me how much Pacific Pride Foundation can do for the community and how important it is for us to have our new, more accessible building to be there for those who need it most.”

The Pacific Pride Foundation recently completed a strategic planning process that allowed it to reflect on its mission and refine how it can better serve the community as societal attitudes toward the LBGTQ+ population change. One of the biggest outcomes from this process was that the Pacific Pride Foundation should move from their industrial office building on Haley Street to a more accessible location that has the feel of a community center.

“After speaking with a variety of community stakeholders, we identified that those we serve want an open, dynamic space that is welcoming to the community and that they could walk in and feel proud of,” said Schabram. “That is what we are about – we want to be a space where people can be who they are, and where people in the community, regardless of how they identify, feel safe to come for information.”

“That is what we are about - we want to be a space where people can be who they are, and where people in the community, regardless of how they identify, feel safe to come for information.” Colette Schabram

The Hutton Parker Foundation offered the Pacific Pride Foundation an opportunity to lease a street-level office space at 608 Anacapa Street as part of a program that leases buildings to nonprofits at a subsidized rate. The Pacific Pride Foundation worked with architects to restructure the former restaurant space for its program-related needs, such as private rooms for HIV testing and a large community room. In November 2017, it moved into the new building and, with the help of a Capital Improvement Grant and an Express Grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation, was able to furnish the new building according to its strategic plan.

“We so appreciate the support from the Santa Barbara Foundation that helped us purchase furniture and technology for our new office,” said Schabram. “This support will help us continue to advocate and educate on behalf of a thriving and diverse LGBTQ+ community by allowing us to invite folks from all over the community to use our office and by providing us with new opportunities for our 2018 programming and trainings.”

For more information about the Santa Barbara Foundation’s grant opportunities, please contact Guille Gil-Reynoso at ggilreynoso@sbfoundation.org.