For the first time, the Women’s Fund will be providing small grants to small non-profit agencies in south Santa Barbara County. Eligible non-profit agencies are those that align with our mission of addressing the needs of women, children, and families, and that focus on at least one of our nine identified community needs.
Since 2004, our traditional grants of $50,000 or more have had a major impact on Santa Barbara’s larger community agencies. Yet smaller, often newer agencies also serve important community needs, and the Women’s Fund small grants – $10,000 OR $25,000 – will help support the mission of these agencies.
In surveys conducted last year, our members expressed a desire to offer more flexible grants, and our research team, as well as community input, pointed to a need to support smaller agencies. The Women’s Fund board voted to proceed, created a
South County 501(c)3 agencies that
In the fall, every Women’s Fund member who contributed in 2025 will be invited to vote on the agencies she would like to receive a small grant. There will be no group voting for small grants, and the voting will be limited to 2025 contributors, because their donations built the $100,000 small grants pool. In early November, we will announce the grantees of the Small Grants Pilot Program, and funds will be distributed in November.
The grants will be awarded for a period of one year, after which the grantees will report on how the funds were used and how the agency and community benefitted from the grant.
Women’s Fund members can continue to be proud that our pooled resources help improve the lives of people in our community.