Women's Fund | March 2023 Newsletter

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In the March 2023 issue…

Grantee of the Month: SB ACT
Ballot Review Meeting Highlights Critical Needs
Membership Corner: New Member Reception Equals Learning and Fun; Welcome 18 New Members!

Grantee of the Month: SB ACT – Neighborhood Navigation Centers

Homelessness in Santa Barbara seems like a Sisyphean challenge, but this month’s featured grantee is taking a new approach to the challenge. The Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation (SB ACT) coordinates more than 25 local agencies, enabling a strong collaboration of services supporting our homeless neighbors.

You may have seen some of their work if you are downtown near Alameda Park, where they manage one of three Neighborhood Navigation Centers (NNCs). Unhoused individuals are introduced to multiple services in a single location, streamlining efforts to find housing and provide support services. Clients usually learn of the centers through word of mouth. Individuals come for a warm meal and then can head across the park to Showers of Blessing (a 2020 Women’s Fund grant recipient) for showers.

The $100,000 Women’s Fund grant awarded to SB ACT last year has enabled them to operate at three locations, not just Alameda Park, and helped them serve more than 300 unsheltered individuals. All locations are readily accessible and familiar to people living on the streets. They allow for convenient access to necessities such as food, health care, mental health support, hygiene facilities, and even pet care. Computers and internet access are available through the Santa Barbara Public Library’s mobile van (another 2020 Women’s Fund grant recipient), which is staffed by a community resource specialist who can assist them in filling out applications for housing and work.

There are on-site case managers who work one-on-one with clients to complete paperwork and otherwise access important services. The goal of these sites is to help individuals experiencing homelessness build trust with service providers and move towards housing. In 2022, the NNCs assisted 65 individuals to exit homelessness and move into shelters, transitional housing, and permanent housing.

One individual served by the Neighborhood Navigation Centers explained, “The NNCs have impacted my life wonderfully, (by) meeting people… getting to be friends with people, and being able to reach out and find what I need.” She is now living in permanent housing and attributes a large part of this achievement to the connections she made through the NNCs.

If you are interested in visiting one of the Neighborhood Navigation Center sites, please contact Eric Meyer, NNC Coordinator, at nnc@sbact.org. You can view the site locations and times at www.sbact.org/nnc.

Ballot Review Meeting Highlights Critical Needs

On March 8 and 9, about 500 Women’s Fund members attended our virtual two-part Ballot Review Meeting. This is a crucial step in deciding how we’ll distribute our record-breaking $925,000 grants pool.

In their opening comments, Research Co-Chairs Marita Hawryluk and Yonie Harris shared the process and trends that shaped our ballot. As Marita said, “I first want to take a moment and recognize our incredible research team, for without their work, there would be no ballot! The other essential component to this process is the generous financial support of each and every one of you -- our members.”

Yonie pointed out, “As always, the membership’s priorities, confirmed by the most recent membership survey, have been taken into consideration. The top six issues you identified are all addressed on the ballot: mental health, family support, education, housing, domestic violence, and food security.”

The end result:

We placed more than a dozen agencies on our ballot
We provided seven new agencies for your consideration
We accepted eight grant requests greater than or equal to $100,000
We included seven potential grants that can be spent over a two-year period

Most importantly, this year’s ballot helps us increase our impact:

More than a dozen proposals provide us with a wider breadth of funding opportunities for our members to consider
Larger grants enable us to keep up with inflationary needs and make a bigger impact within an organization
Two-year grants allow an organization time to build and sustain a relatively new program

After hearing the presentations in the Ballot Review Meeting, all of us have more information as we consider the proposals on the ballot – proposals that will help us change lives together.

Save the date! The nonprofits and projects selected by the vote will be announced at an in-person Celebration of Grants event on May 9 at the Marjorie Luke Theatre.

Membership Corner: New Member Reception Equals Learning and Fun

A lively group of approximately 90 women attended the recent Women’s Fund New Member reception, held at the Faulkner Gallery of the Santa Barbara Library last month.

Chair Jamie Dufek welcomed the group and outlined the structure of the organization.
Library Director Jessica Cadiente shared the impact of receiving a Woman’s Fund grant. The grant enabled the library to purchase a Library-on-the-Go van that ultimately created access for underserved communities during Covid lockdowns.
Research committee Co-chair Yonie Harris detailed the comprehensive and exhaustive due diligence undertaken to arrive at the ballot options.
Membership Chair Lauren Trujillo recalled her recruitment at a similar event and spoke to her increasing commitment as she became more involved in volunteering.
And everyone enjoyed delicious refreshments.

As always, we thank the cadre of delightful volunteers who make things happen at Women’s Fund events!

Wildflowers are blooming, and so is the Women’s Fund

Please welcome our 18 newest members: Ruth Ackerman, Wendy Arienzo, Lori Balance, Hannah Bengtson, Rachel Burbank, Christina Burton, Whitney Chiu, Patti Daley, Marianne Day, Alix Robinson, Barbara Rosenblum, Vanessa Royle, Julia Schechter, Jennifer Shmorhun, Kate Silsbury, Patricia Thornton, Cameron Thornton, and Barbara Wagner.

133 East De La Guerra Street, #15
Santa Barbara, CA 93101