CAROLYN JABS, CHAIR OF THE BOARD of directors of the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara, (womensfundsb.org) remembers clearly what first really grabbed her about the organization. She had arrived in Santa Barbara in 2013, and with an interest in local philanthropic opportunities, joined the group as an individual. But attending its annual celebration of grant recipients in 2015 was a revelation. “To hear how these grantees talked about the impact the grants would make was moving,” she says. “It blew my mind.” The energy in the room was palpable, and the ability to pool resources and collectively do something constructive especially resonated with her. “I had organizations I gave money to,” she adds, “but this was a chance to give with other women and give significant grants.”

That notion of women pooling money for the community’s benefit was key from the beginning. The Women’s Fund was begun in 2004 as a giving circle by a dozen local women who wanted a different approach to philanthropy—no galas, no silent auctions, no paddle raises. Perri Harcourt, one of the founders, remembers, “It started with conversations. We wanted to target women and children, and we wanted families to thrive and survive.”

They came up with three basic principles: the group would respond to critical community needs with meaningful gifts; the fund would be a catalyst for bringing women together for collective philanthropy; and it would help educate and inspire women to become leaders in philanthropy. The first year, 67 women took part, each donating $2,500 or more, some of which went toward two grants totaling $140,000. Some two decades later, the organization is one of the biggest—if not the biggest—giving circle in the country, with 1,450-plus members
and grants in 2026 that amounted to a whopping $1.375 million divided among 10 nonprofits.

More than the growth, more than the money, it’s the way the Women’s Fund operates that’s so remarkable. Initially, it relied on the Santa Barbara Foundation as a fiscal sponsor, but it has been a 501c3 since 2020. And except for a few operational contractors (for an accountant and database and website maintenance), this is a volunteer organization, with a grassroots, collective aspect to everything it does.

Identifying grantees is the work of volunteers who continually assess South Santa Barbara County’s critical needs for women, children, and families and then seek out local agencies with programs to address those. These nonprofits are then vetted for financial stability and compliance with regulations, questioned about what the money would accomplish, and asked about the how they’d sustain the program after the grant is over. The top groups go on a ballot that’s presented to the members in December.

There are still a lot of individuals who earn a vote for a contribution of at least $2,750, but, early on, the idea of membership changed. “We wanted to be inclusive versus exclusive,” says Harcourt, “and inspire local women to get involved and contribute.” Now more than 100 affinity groups—church members, walking groups, retirement home residents, sorority sisters, you name it—pool members’ smaller
donations to earn a vote. “Everyone gets to learn and voice an opinion,” she adds.

It’s important that each group meets at least once before the vote to exchange their collective intelligence. “They share insights on what the
community needs,” notes Jabs, “and about what is effective. [It’s also] a way we give women a place where they can grow more sophisticated about philanthropy in the company of other women.” That’s valuable knowledge today, when women control a third of the assets in the U.S.

New this year to the Women’s Fund is the Small Grants Pilot Project, which will offer $10,000 or $25,000—a total of $100,000—to smaller agencies, and for which members voted individually in October. Over the decades, 173 programs and 80 nonprofits—dealing with safe childcare, mental well-being, senior day care, reproductive health, and food security, among others—have received a total of $14,120,000.
Even groups on the ballot that do not receive funds benefit, since the research process puts them on the community’s radar and serves as a seal of approval.

“This is different from just writing a check,” says Jabs. “It’s a lot of women volunteering and collaborating to find out how to do work in the
community.”