On October 13, 2012, the Women's Fund received the Santa Barbara Education Foundation's 2012 HOPE Award, given annually to honor those who are champions of public education in our community.

The Friends of the Santa Barbara Public Library received $65,000 from the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara to expand the number of Early Literacy touch-screen computer stations available in the library system 19 to two. The new educational computers for young children will be installed in the Goleta, Eastside, Montecito, Carpinteria and Central libraries this year. 

The Early Literacy computers from AWE (Advanced Workstations in Education) have child-friendly menus, about 30 English and 30 Spanish learning games, touch-screens and colorful keyboards. Eleven Early Literacy stations will…

Philanthropist Betty Elings Wells surprises the group with a $250,000 matching grant pledge for the next giving cycle.

The power of collective giving was out in full force Monday when more than 300 members of the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara gathered for the Eighth Annual Presentation of Funds Luncheon, doling out $520,000 to support the work of eight local nonprofits. The new grants bring the total contributions by the Women’s Fund to the community to $3.6 million.