At the 2010 annual Mistletoe Ball, the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara was honored for its $85,000 grant to Catholic Charities of Santa Barbara for installation of solar panels on the agency's food pantry, lowering energy costs and thus increasing their Foodbank budget to feed low-income families.

During a time of economic uncertainty and lower trends in charitable giving, one longtime Santa Barbara philanthropist is leading the way and demonstrating her belief in the power of collective giving, through the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara.

Betty Elings Wells, a member of the Women’s Fund since 2005, has committed $250,000 in a 2-for-1 match for every dollar the Women’s Fund raises above $350,000 by December 1. As of May 1, Women’s Fund members and…

Philanthropy pool unites 400 women and makes a $2.5 million difference in the nonprofit community.

“Low-key, yet high-impact” is an apt description for both the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara and its founder, Carol Palladini. Formed in 2004 around the idea that rather than spending their energy planning elaborate fundraisers, women could work together and pool their donations to help meet the community’s most critical needs, the group has already given more than $2.5 million to 33 nonprofit agencies in the Santa Barbara area.

The six-year-old Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara awarded a hefty total of $365,000 in grants to five local nonprofit agencies, focusing this year on organizations that provide shelter. In a ceremony at the El Paseo Restaurant on Monday, February 8, Casa Esperanza Homeless Shelter was awarded the largest grant, at $90,000; followed by Catholic Charities ($85,000); Domestic Violence Solutions ($75,000), St. Vincent’s of Santa Barbara ($75,000) and Sarah House, a hospice residence for low-income individuals ($40,000). Founding board chair Carol Palladini expressed gratitude to the Women’s Fund’…