What does The Fund for Santa Barbara do?

The Fund for Santa Barbara is a nonprofit community foundation established in 1980, focused on promoting progressive change in Santa Barbara County, California. It aims to strengthen movements for economic, environmental, political, racial, and social justice. The organization operates with an activist-led grantmaking model, where community leaders and activists decide on grants, ensuring that those affected by injustice lead the efforts to create change. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, the Fund has distributed over $5 million in grants to more than 1,000 projects since its inception. It provides capacity-building assistance to over 200 projects annually, supporting grassroots nonprofits and community groups. The Fund also serves as a resource hub and convenes discussions around progressive philanthropy, emphasizing the importance of equitable power and resource distribution. Bilingual services are available in English and Spanish.