In the February issue:

• Women’s Fund Board Announces $1.375 Million Grants Pool!
• Grantee of the Month: Channel Island YMCA Youth and Family Services
• Membership Corner: New and Prospective Members Share the Magic of the Women’s Fund

At its most recent board meeting, the Women’s Fund Board of Directors   established a significant grants pool of $1.375 million to be awarded in 2026! Our grants will support the essential work local nonprofits do to address the needs of women, children, and families in south Santa Barbara County. Since 2004, we have awarded nearly $13 million to 163 local nonprofits. Congratulations—and a huge thank you—to all our members who have been changing lives together since 2004!

“This large grants pool not only reflects the remarkable generosity of our 1,450+ members but also their commitment to our community,” says Women’s Fund Board Chair Carolyn Jabs. “It demonstrates the power of collective giving. By combining our contributions, we magnify the impact of every member’s donation so we can give significant grants to nonprofits with projects that benefit vulnerable women, children, and families.”

Most of this year’s grants pool will fund our usual transformational grants of $50,000 or more. A portion will also be used to fund our new Small Grants Pilot program. Members told us, through surveys and focus groups, that we should find a way to support smaller nonprofits with good ideas. The Small Grants Pilot will offer grants of either $10,000 OR $25,000 and will target agencies with annual budgets of less than $500,000. Stay tuned for more information about this new initiative in the coming months.

What happens next?

Our volunteer Research Committee has carefully reviewed projects from local nonprofits to compile this year’s ballot. At the end of March, our 1,450+ members will cast their votes on that ballot. Mark your calendar with these important upcoming dates for voting and celebrating!  

• Monday, Feb. 16 - Ballot Information Package emailed to all Women's Fund members.
• Friday, Feb. 27, 5:00 p.m. – Deadline to submit questions in advance of the Ballot Review Meeting.
• Thursday, March 5, 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.– Virtual Ballot Review Meeting for members only.
• Friday, March 6 - Ballots emailed to all eligible voters (voting Group Captains and Individual Members) with a link to cast electronic votes.
• March 6 to March 28– Voting Window. Group Captains host group voting meetings to decide how to cast their group votes; Individual Members can attend ballot discussion groups before casting their own ballots.
• Saturday, March 28, 6:00 p.m. - Deadline for electronic voting by eligible voters.
• Tuesday, May 13, 5:00 p.m. – Celebration of Grants at the Lobero Theatre; attend and meet our 2025-26 grantees!

When people think of the YMCA, exercise and recreation may be the first things that come to mind. There’s another side to the local agency: the Channel Islands YMCA (CIYMCA, for short) provides extensive social services through its Youth and Family Services (YFS) division. Launched in 2001, the YFS division has become the area’s leading service provider for underserved youth and youth at risk of neglect, abuse, and homelessness through programs at the Haley Street Navigation Center and Noah’s Anchorage Youth Shelter in Santa Barbara, among others.

A Women’s Fund grant of $100,000 to the CIYMCA, its fourth in 10  years, helped YFS expand its services for “transitional-age youth” ages 18-21 who are aging out of the foster care program and need help to achieve their goals for education, employment, physical and mental health, financial literacy, and housing stability.

The lives of many at-risk youth who have come up through the foster care system run by the state are often shaped by trauma of one sort or another. About 10% of the approximately 500 children in foster care in Santa Barbara County age out each year. The challenges of becoming an adult exist for all young people, but for those coping with significant mental, physical, and educational hurdles without the support of a loving family, the problems become even more acute. Transitional-age programs are essential in helping young people address the mental and physical challenges that often accompany placements in foster care to improve their odds for successful adult lives.

For example, in the state of California, although the average high school graduation rate is 83%, for students in foster care, only 53% graduate on time. Without intervention, within four years of aging out of foster care, 25% will be homeless; 50% will be unemployed; and only 3% will earn a college degree. Twenty percent end up being incarcerated by the age of 21. Twenty-five percent become parents by the same age. Many of them become vulnerable to substance abuse issues, homelessness, and human trafficking.

Our grant underwrites partial salaries and benefits for a program director and resident assistant, along with furniture and equipment for a new residential facility, called the Lyons House, which was opened in late 2025 on the westside of Santa Barbara. Through a generous donation by a local philanthropist and the support of several local foundations, Lyons House helps nine residents at a time gain the support they need to launch into adulthood by providing free housing, food, clothing, computer and internet access, group outings, mental and physical health care, modest stipends, as well as education and employment counseling.

YFS hopes that within two months of entering Lyons House, 90% of residents are employed, enrolled in school, or participating in a workforce certificate program. Upon exiting Lyons House, YFS hopes that 80% of them have found permanent housing, as well as full-time employment, college enrollment, or workforce certification. Through extensive case management, YFS expects to help its residents transition into independent, productive adult living by the time they conclude their residency in the program.

Jennifer Heiner-Stiffler, Chief Operating Officer of CIYMCA and its YFS division says, “With its grant, the Women’s Fund has surely contributed to improving the life prospects for all at-risk, transitional age youth throughout Santa Barbara County.”

• Contributed by Margaret Crocco

Spirits were high on the evening of January 28 as Women’s Fund members, new members, and prospective members came together to kick-off another year of giving. We enjoyed refreshments, thoughtful comments from our leaders and past grantees, and each other’s company. Board Chair Carolyn Jabs started us off, drawing applause at the announcement that our 1,450+ members make the Women’s Fund the largest giving circle in the country by membership.

Up next, Santa Barbara Public Library Executive Director Brandon Beaudette highlighted the library’s role in the community. In 2020, a Women’s Fund grant helped fund the Library on the Go van which draws a crowd at events all over the community.

• In 2025, the van was present at every back-to-school night, staff issued over 500 new library cards, and the van continues to create a celebrity-like presence at Shoreline Park every Thursday morning. Beaudette remarked that the library is “government at its most efficient”, and that with every checkout comes “…learning, creativity, and community. And the best part—it’s free.”

Then we heard from Dr. Gabriella Garcia, Executive Director of Storyteller Children’s Center, who shared the organization’s deep gratitude for three Women’s Fund grants over the past 20 years – the lead gift for a capital campaign, a food program for low-income children, and support services for families of at-risk preschool children. Questions from the audience prompted Dr. Garcia to share:

• The cost of providing comprehensive services to at-risk children between six weeks and five years of age and their families is about $26,000 per child but no fees are charged.
• 100% of the children served live in families with earnings below the federal poverty line; and 130 children are currently on the waitlist for assistance.

Organizations like Santa Barbara Public Library and Storyteller Children’s Center remind us why the Women’s Fund is so necessary and impactful. Where we invest our resources, there fruit will grow – making a difference in the lives of women, children, and families in south Santa Barbara County. 

• Contributed by Hannah Robinson

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