2010 News Releases
February 8, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jennifer Guess, 886-9078, jennifer@jenniferguesspr.com
Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara Awards
$365,000 to Five Local Nonprofits
Santa Barbara, CA – On Monday, February 8, 2010, the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara awarded grants totaling $365,000 to five local nonprofit agencies at their 6th Annual Presentation of Funds Luncheon. Over the past six years the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara has awarded grants totaling $2,515,000 – to 33 nonprofits in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria.
The nonprofits receiving 2009-2010 Women's Fund awards:
Casa Esperanza Homeless Center ($90,000) – for case management and volunteer training staff to provide homeless individuals and families with services that lead to stable housing and employment.
Catholic Charities of Santa Barbara ($85,000) – for installation of solar panels on the agency’s food pantry, lowering energy costs and thus increasing their Foodbank budget to feed low-income families.
Domestic Violence Solutions ($75,000) – for a volunteer coordinator, salary support and program costs to help victims of domestic violence living in the DVS Santa Barbara shelter and in Second Stage housing achieve stability and self-sufficiency.
Sarah House ($40,000) – to sustain staff levels and expand holistic end-of-life residential care for low-income and homeless individuals and those with HIV/AIDs.
St. Vincent's of Santa Barbara ($75,000) – for case management staff to provide low-income and homeless mothers and their children the PATHS (Program of Affordable Transitional Housing and Services) to independence and self-sufficiency.
“We’re thrilled to award these grants to so many worthy agencies working to improve our community in the areas of human services, housing and shelter, and education,” said Rachael Steidl, Women’s Fund Co-Chair. “In today’s economy, charitable support is even more critical for the survival of local programs serving our community and its most vulnerable citizens. We feel privileged to help these agencies continue and expand their excellent work.”
During a time of economic instability, the Women's Fund is pleased that member donations have remained constant over the past year, and that membership has grown from 67 women in 2004 to more than 400 at the end of 2009. The Santa Barbara Foundation has been a partner and fiscal home for the Women's Fund since 2004.
The grants were announced at the Women's Fund annual luncheon at El Paseo Restaurant, which was generously underwritten by Women's Fund member, Meredith Scott and her husband John, and Women's Fund member Kathryn Calise.
"I joined the Women's Fund because it addresses community needs in a very innovative and collaborative way,” said Women's Fund member Katya Armistead. “We share information about worthwhile programs that are doing good work and then pool our funds so we are able to make more of a difference together than we could as individuals.”
The Women's Fund of Santa Barbara is a collective group of volunteer donors focused on the needs of women, children and families in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria. Committed to “Changing Lives Together,” Women's Fund members pool their charitable donations, research critical community needs and then determine by vote which agencies will receive the funds collected during the year.
For additional information about the Women's Fund visit www.womensfundsb.org.
2009 News Releases
October 7, 2009 – For immediate release
For information contact: Sarah de Tagyos, sdetagyos@cox.net, 898-0152
WOMEN’S FUND OF SANTA BARBARA visits nonprofits who received $725,000 in grants last February
More than 100 women witnessed the power of collective philanthropy today as they toured local nonprofit agencies who were recipients of $725,000 in Women’s Fund grants on February 9.
The 5th annual Women’s Fund site visit included tours of PathPoint at El Carrillo, Casa Serena and Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics in the morning followed by lunch and a tour of the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara in Goleta. Also on the program were progress reports from the other six 2008-09 grant recipients: Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy, Future Leaders of America, Breast Cancer Resource Center, AllForOne Youth and Mentoring, the Parent Project and CORE at Santa Barbara Junior High.
The annual site visit is a mid-year progress report that allows Women’s Fund members to observe first hand how the grants they awarded earlier in the year are making a difference in Santa Barbara. The ten agencies were the most recent of the 28 local nonprofits who have received nearly $2.2 million in grants since the Women’s Fund began in 2004.
“This is part of our research – our due-diligence – in understanding community needs and the impact our grants are having on the South Coast,” said Fleurette Barsom-Janigian, Co-Chair of the Women’s Fund Oversight Committee.
The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara is a collective group of volunteer donors focused on the needs of women, children and families in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria. Committed to “Changing Lives Together,” Women’s Fund members pool their charitable donations, research critical community needs and then determine by vote which agencies will receive the funds collected during the year.
The 2008-09 grants were funded by donations from 375-plus Women’s Fund members and a $353,000 grant from the Orfalea Fund. The Orfalea Fund has been a generous collaborator since 2006, and the Santa Barbara Foundation has been a partner and fiscal home for the Women’s Fund since 2004.
For additional information about the Women’s Fund: www.womensfundsb.org .
WOMEN'S FUND OF SANTA BARBARA
Awards $725,000 to Ten Local Nonprofits
2/9/2009
On Monday, February 9, 2009, the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara awarded grants totaling $725,000 to ten local nonprofit agencies at their 5th Annual Presentation of Funds Luncheon. Over the past five years the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara has awarded grants totaling nearly $2.2 million to programs serving women, children and families in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria.
The nonprofits receiving 2008 Women's Fund awards:
- AllforOne Youth and Mentoring ($65,000) for a program director to help high-risk youth make healthy choices and avoid gang involvement.
- Breast Cancer Resource Center ($30,000) for a new computer system to aid in providing peer support and information to cancer patients and their families.
- Casa Serena ($75,000) for a resident scholarship fund to help women (with their children) complete a safe path to recovery from alcoholism.CORE at Santa Barbara Junior High ($70,000) for an individualized intervention program designed to explore productive choices for at-risk 7th and 8th graders.
- Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy ($150,000) toward a new building to expand the hands-on science and engineering program for high school students entering college or the work force.
- Future Leaders of America ($65,000) for a Latino youth leadership and education program designed to create college-educated, civic-minded role models who give back to their communities.
- The Parent Project ($35,000) for parent-adolescent communications training to help strengthen relationships between elementary/junior high students and their families.
- PathPoint ($75,000) for a rehabilitation specialist providing eviction prevention, crisis prevention, and recovery stabilization services for mentally ill adults impacted by government budget cuts.
- Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics ($80,000) to upgrade a computer health tracking system designed to increase prevention exams and tests for women, avoiding emergency room visits for routine illnesses for women and their families.
- United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara ($80,000) to expand after-school programs for at-risk teens in areas vulnerable to gangs in Goleta, Carpinteria and the Westside of Santa Barbara.
"We're thrilled to award these grants to so many worthy agencies working in the areas of education, health care and violence prevention," said Jo Gifford, Chair of the Women's Fund Oversight Committee. "In today's economy, charitable support is even more critical for the survival of local programs serving our community and its most vulnerable citizens. We feel privileged to help these agencies continue and expand their excellent work."
The 2008 grants were funded by donations from 375-plus Women's Fund members and a $353,000 grant from the Orfalea Fund. The Orfalea Fund has been a generous collaborator since 2006, and the Santa Barbara Foundation has been a partner and fiscal home for the Women's Fund since 2004.
The grants were announced at the Women's Fund annual luncheon at El Paseo Restaurant, which was generously underwritten for the fifth year by Women's Fund member Meredith Scott and her husband John and this year by Women's Fund member Kathryn Calise.
The Women's Fund of Santa Barbara is a collective group of volunteer donors focused on the needs of women, children and families in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria. Committed to "Changing Lives Together," Women's Fund members pool their charitable donations, research critical community needs and then determine by vote which agencies will receive the funds collected during the year.
"I joined the Women's Fund because I believe it addresses community needs in a most innovative and sensible way," said Women's Fund member Carolyn Novick. "I'm happy to play a role, appreciate that each member has a vote and know that together we are helping to build a legacy of service to our community."
For additional information about the Women's Fund: www.womensfundsb.org
