Community Disaster Relief

The loss and damage caused by the many fires burning simultaneously in Los Angeles County continue to grow.

For our Santa Barbara County neighbors interested in supporting relief efforts, we will continue to add resources about reputable organizations from both Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County delivering vital aid.

• Click Here to Donate to California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund (Los Angeles Fires)
• Click Here to Donate to Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Canyon Fire Relief Fund
• Click Here to Learn More about Philanthropy California
• Click Here to Learn More about Pasadena Humane
• Click Here to Learn More about the Red Cross
• Click Here to Learn More about Direct Relief

Community Disaster Relief Fund

With both natural and human-caused disasters occurring more frequently and with greater severity, the need for financial resources to support nonprofit and government response and recovery efforts is growing rapidly. The Community Disaster Relief Fund at the Santa Barbara Foundation is built to address this need and is activated in the aftermath of an emergency to support nonprofit organizations in short-term and long-term recovery. SBF collaborates with the Santa Barbara County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (SBC VOAD) to support disaster response efforts with the nonprofit community.

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Community Disaster Relief Fund In Action

Apache Fire: July 2024

On Tuesday, July 23, the Apache Fire ignited from sparks cast into the flammable roadside brush by a truck driving south on Hwy 33 dragging towing chains. That night Apache Canyon residents were evacuated as the fire rapidly expanded and threatened homes and farming infrastructure. Two days later as the fire continued to move through the high levels of fuel load, Quail Springs residents watched the smoke plumes and rising flames 2 miles away and coming toward their canyon over the southern ridges. Mandatory evacuations went into place for Quail Springs/Burges Canyon on Thursday, July 25. 

In response, the Programs team approved a Community Disaster Relief Fund grant in the amount of $9,000.00 for Quail Springs. The funds were to provide financial support to cover the costs of evacuating the site with the animals, replacing lost livestock, and repairing water lines in the Quail Springs community. 

Winter Storms: 2024 

In January and February 2024, Santa Barbara County experienced extreme weather events that prompted evacuation warnings/orders and caused flooding and damage in various areas of our county. A state of emergency was declared for Santa Barbara County by both County officials as well as Governor Newsom. In response, 805 UndocuFund activated their application for support and approximately 100 applications were received from undocumented residents of Santa Barbara County households. Eligibility criteria included damage to personal property, flooded vehicles and compromised food supplies. 805 UndocuFund determined that 53 of the Santa Barbara County applicants met their eligibility requirements through affirmed damage to personal property. The League of California Community Foundation provided SBF with $55,000 including a 10% administrative fee ($5,000) to provide disaster relief assistance to the 805 UndocuFund.