The Women’s Fund is powered by member volunteers. To learn more about our volunteer opportunities, visit the Volunteer page on our website. Select the "Volunteer Now" button for a Volunteer Interest Form. When you submit the form, a member of the Volunteer Engagement Team will contact you. You can also email the Volunteer Engagement Committee.
The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara members contribute annually, creating a pool of dollars that fund our grants each spring.
We make grants to nonprofit programs and capital projects impacting women, children, and families in southern Santa Barbara County.
Our volunteer Research Committee thoroughly evaluates proposals and creates a ballot of potential nonprofit projects eligible to receive a grant.
Our member contributors then vote on which projects will receive large, transformational grants. Our minimum grant amount is $50,000 and our largest grant to date was for $180,000. More than half of our grants have been $65,000 or more.
The Women’s Fund is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who are all Women’s Fund members.
We have no paid staff. All-volunteer committees manage the day-to-day operations of the organization, including communications, membership, and events. All Women’s Fund members are welcome to serve on any of our committees and/or help at our membership and educational events.
We hire contractors to handle bookkeeping and accounting, host our database, and website and provide technical support.
Yes, we are. A giving circle is a group of individuals who pool their money and decide, collectively, where to grant the money. The Women's Fund is part of the national trend of women's giving circles.