Women's Fund | June 2024 Stay Connected Newsletter

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In the May 2024 issue…

Grantee of the Month: L.E.A.P.
Membership Corner: Boost the Impact of Your Contribution
Reflecting on 20 Years of Changing Lives
Make A Difference as a Volunteer!
Expert Panel Discussion: How Can We Solve the Problems of Homelessness?

Grantee of the Month: LEAP

Across the country, childcare presents a challenge for many families. Good options are few, and costs can run high. In Santa Barbara County, finding affordable, quality child care for low-income families can be difficult, especially given the high cost of living in the area.

Happily, a state-subsidized childcare program called LEAP (Learn. Engage. Advocate. Partner.), has been serving children and families of the Goleta Valley area for more than fifty years. In the last few years, expenses at the Children’s Center in Isla Vista have risen dramatically but state reimbursement rates have not kept pace. A Women’s Fund grant of $120,000 will provide gap funding while LEAP awaits an anticipated increase in California’s reimbursement rates. The grant ensures that LEAP will be able to maintain its program’s emphasis on “a sense of belonging, of safety, and of joy,” as its director, Lori Goodman, says, without sacrifice or interruption.

LEAP was founded in 1971 as the Isla Vista Youth Projects. Today, it serves families in Isla Vista, Goleta, and Santa Barbara. Ninety-five percent of its families are eligible to receive childcare at no cost. LEAP’s curriculum is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, play-based, and bilingual. For older children, the curriculum focuses on fostering foundational reading and math skills aimed at school readiness. LEAP also provides its children with nutritious, culturally appropriate meals that are prepared daily at the center.

LEAP’s programs address the needs of both its children and its families. Goodman explained the Center’s holistic orientation in this way: “As a place-based organization, we are deeply connected to the people we serve and responsive to their needs. This is why we started a diaper bank in 2021, and since then have provided almost 200,000 diapers. It’s why we created a tenants’ rights webinar in April with more than 100 people in attendance. It’s why we began hosting bi-monthly Family Fiestas at our Children’s Center so that we can engage with our extended families.”

State-subsidized childcare providers across California anticipate a temporary reimbursement rate adjustment in 2024-25 and a permanent rate adjustment in 2025-26. LEAP will then be able to balance its budget and maintain its high-quality services. In the interim, the Women’s Fund grant will address the budget shortfall.

WATCH a KSBY-TV story here: LEAP Childcare receives critical funding grant from the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara

According to Goodman, “Thanks to the Women’s Fund, we are able to positively, strategically, and meaningfully make our community better.” In providing grants aimed at the critical needs of women, children, and families -- powerful levers of positive social change -- the Women’s Fund focuses its resources and energies on changing lives together.

Women’s Fund members are invited to join Goodman for a Breakfast with Babies tour at the Children’s Center. Enjoy coffee and pastries, and discover how LEAP is making a difference for children and families. Space is limited. Contact Kara Shoemaker at karas@leapcentralcoast.org to sign up for the next tour.

Membership Corner: Boost the Impact of Your Contribution

Want a simple way to boost the impact of your membership contribution? Like many other not-for-profit organizations, the Women’s Fund will give members who pay by credit card the option to add 3% to their donation to cover the processing fee charged by their merchant bank. We currently pay more than $16,000 a year in fees for credit card transactions.

By opting to cover the small transaction fee, you can help keep our overhead costs to a minimum. That means more of our donations go to work in the community, supporting local organizations that serve women, families, and children.

Many of us (75% of membership contributions are credit card transactions) appreciate the security, efficiency, and convenience of using credit cards to cover our annual contribution. So do the women who administer our financial operations – this new option helps make it more cost-effective as well.

Starting this summer, you will see the option on the website page under Payment Options, where you provide your credit card information. If you check the box, the additional amount and tax-deductible total will appear on the next screen. This is completely optional and a private choice; it will not change the amount your group receives nor the amount of your contribution as an individual member. You will receive a tax acknowledgment for the total amount contributed. If you have any questions, contact us at membership@womensfundsb.org.

Reflecting on 20 Years of Changing Lives

Members and past grantees share their thoughts and memories about the Women’s Fund through the years.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to make a small contribution that, together with other women's contributions, makes such a difference in our community. I appreciate all the good work that goes into researching and organizing the wealth of information about the worthy nonprofits that benefit from our collective giving. The Women's Fund makes giving interesting and easy - thank you!

- Shereen Khatapoush, Group Member - Angels Among Us

“We are grateful for the invaluable support of the Women’s Fund, which enabled us to enhance our programming and extend no-cost comprehensive mental health assistance to children in our community during their most vulnerable moments. We look forward to an ongoing partnership with the volunteers and philanthropists that represent the Women’s Fund, an exceptional organization that is a gift to our community!”

- Barry R. Schoer, President/CEO, Sanctuary Centers of Santa Barbara

Make A Difference as a Volunteer!

Volunteers are the magic ingredient that makes the Women’s Fund work. It’s a great way to put your time and talents to good use and to meet other women who share an interest in local philanthropy. We’re growing and need you more than ever, so please consider joining our volunteer team.

Here are some of our highest-priority opportunities:

RESEARCH COMMITTEE: Recording Secretary - Downloads Zoom recordings of Research Committee meetings and creates written minutes that capture the salient points; participates in preparing and editing the Ballot Information Package.
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: Sponsorship Team Members – Helps identify, recruit, and steward the business sponsors who support our annual educational and operating expenses.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: Newsletter Contributions Manager – Coordinates with Membership Committee members to create compelling content for the Membership Corner of the newsletter, including writing articles, brainstorming content ideas, and interviewing WFSB members who may be featured.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE: Social Media Manager – Helps create posting plan and calendar, and posts regularly to Women’s Fund social accounts – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Our Volunteer Engagement Committee works with members of all ages, ethnicities, skills, and lifestyles to help you find an enjoyable role based on your time availability and interest. We look forward to hearing from you!

Visit our website to learn more or contact us at volunteer@womensfundsb.org.

Expert Panel Discussion: How Do We Solve the Problems of Homelessness?

Women’s Fund members are invited to attend a panel discussion tackling some of the intractable problems of homelessness. As you likely know, the topic is one of our key areas of focus and Women’s Fund grantees are on the panel.

Speakers include Kyle Knight, Interim Deputy Director, Human Rights Watch; Jack Lorenz, Regional Advancement Director, DignityMoves; and Sylvia Barnard, Executive Director, Good Samaritan. Actor Duane Henry will be guest moderator.

The event is Thursday, July 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Register here -- the location will be provided with your confirmation.

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