SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Women's Fund of Santa Barbara made a big announcement to help almost a dozen nonprofits in the community.

The organization awarded a record $1.25 million in grants to 11 local nonprofits.

The funding was made possible through the contributions of 1,426 local women members who pooled their charitable donations.

Over 500 Women’s Fund members, guests, sponsors, and community supporters gathered at the iconic Lobero Theatre to celebrate and learn about the funded projects.

From the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara:

Board Chair Carolyn…

Funding to Support Vital Programs for Women, Children, and Families in south Santa Barbara County

The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara is excited to announce a grants pool of $1,250,000. On May 20, at the Celebration of Grants at the Lobero Theatre, the money will be distributed to local nonprofits for programs addressing the critical needs of women, children, and families in south Santa Barbara County.

The record-breaking grants pool makes the Women’s Fund one of the largest collective giving circles in the country. Since its founding by 12 local women in 2004, the…

The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara is proud to announce the election of its 2025 Board of Directors, marking an exciting new chapter in the organization’s continuing commitment to support the local community. The 18-member board will be led by newly elected Chair Carolyn Jabs and Vice Chair Lauren Trujillo. Continuing in officer roles are Treasurer Kathy Dunlap and Secretary Sabina White.

Newly elected board members Katya Armistead and Margie Larkin join a dedicated team of continuing board members, which includes Roberta Collier, Sarah de Tagyos, Jamie Dufek, Yonie Harris, Nancy…

At a celebration luncheon held at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Hotel, the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara received a Community Dividends® Award of $5,000 from Montecito Bank and Trust. The award recognizes the Women’s Fund for community enrichment through service, excellence, and compassion. Shown here are Suzi Schomer, Sr. VP, Montecito Bank & Trust and Carolyn Jabs, Board Vice-Chair of the Women’s Fund.

Each year, on the Monday before Thanksgiving, Montecito Bank & Trust hosts the Community Dividends® event, a time to gather with hundreds of nonprofits to celebrate…

Fall is traditionally a season for gratitude. And, for many people in Santa Barbara, it doesn’t take long for gratitude to turn into generosity. In Hope Ranch, a growing number of women regard the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara as an important part of their giving portfolio.

Many of those women met recently for a reception in Hope Ranch at the home of Stina Hans, a long-time Women’s Fund member. “Women’s Fund matters to me because it gives women a way to become more informed philanthropists, by pooling their charitable dollars and deciding together where those dollars will have the…

The Unity Shoppe distributes food, clothing, and basic necessities to people impacted by temporary poverty, natural disasters, and health crises. At their center on Chapala Street they were seeing the the number of people seeking food rising, outstripping the capacity of the center’s freezers and refrigerators. With a $75,000 grant from the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara, they purchased a new industrial refrigerator, four freezers, five dollies, six carts, and a six-month supply of eggs and frozen chicken. They expanded storage for perishable food by replacing failing equipment with new,…

Rebecca Barretto is a teen who visits the Santa Barbara police activities league every week.

“Basically, like my second home I’ve made a lot of friendships here and I’ve gained a lot of new skills and so many opportunities and just to be more involved with my community," said Barretto.

Barretto’s dream is to become an architect.

“Very excited ever since I was 5 years old I knew I wanted to be an architect. I used to rearrange my doll houses and I made my dad build me like a six story house for my dolls," said Barretto.

Now she’s collaborating with architect…

Grant recipients: Doctors Without Walls Executive Director Maggie Sanchez, CADA Executive Director Scott Whiteley, Casa Pacifica CEO Shawna Morris, Dignity Moves COO Freya Estreller, LEAP Executive Director Lori Goodman, City Net President/Executive Director Brad Fieldhouse, Unity Shoppe Board Chair Susan Rodriguez, SB Police Activities League Executive Director Judie Lugo, SB ACT Executive Director/Co-Founder Rich Sander, and PathPoint CEO Harry Bruell | Credit: Gail Arnold

On May 7 at the Lobero Theatre, the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara announced the…

The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara has awarded $200,000 to the Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation (SB ACT) to support the new downtown Daytime Navigation & Workforce Development Center for people experiencing homelessness.

The grant was awarded at the Women’s Fund 20th Anniversary Celebration, May 7 at the Lobero Theatre.
The center, at 621 Chapala St., is a partnership between the city of Santa Barbara and SB ACT. Center services will include housing navigation, healthcare, behavioral health services, and basic needs, five days per week.

The center…

In a remarkable demonstration of collective giving, the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara made history by awarding an unprecedented $1.125 million in grants to local nonprofits.

This groundbreaking achievement unfolded on May 7 at the iconic Lobero Theatre, where members and guests gathered to hear the announcement of 10 transformative grants.

The Celebration of Grants event not only marked a momentous year for the Women’s Fund, commemorating its 20th anniversary, but also marked a legacy of granting $11.6 million to local nonprofits since its inception in 2004.

This year'…