The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara is a volunteer-led organization operating as a Field of Interest Fund of the Santa Barbara Foundation. This structure allows us to determine the best way to respond to our community’s most pressing needs in areas that interest us without taking on the expense of creating and managing a traditional nonprofit.

The Santa Barbara Foundation provides the Women’s Fund:

• A financial “umbrella” for administrative and financial support–for which we pay a 3% fee.
• Regular contributions to both our grants pool and our endowment.
• Expertise and financial support for our website and member database.
• Oversight in managing our Women's Fund Endowment.

The Women's Fund is managed by a Steering Committee consisting of volunteers who chair subcommittees that oversee all aspects of the organization. The Steering Committee develops, implements and manages all policies and strategies for the Women's Fund. And importantly, it emphasizes succession planning to encourage the early identification of new and emerging leaders and ensuring seasoned leaders overlap with new ones for smooth transitions each year.

The Steering Committee is led by an overall chair and includes the heads of the following subcommittees. Read more about our current leadership.