On September 29th more than 200 members and guests of the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara gathered at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort to hear from six of the seven nonprofits that the Women’s Fund collectively awarded $470,000 last Spring. 

At the event, each grantee gave a short update on the use of the funds and then participated in a lively panel discussion moderated by former grantee liaison Carla Whitacre. A couple of the participants shared stories about how funding from the Women’s Fund had benefited their organizations far beyond the direct benefit bestowed by…

Supporters of Doctors Without Walls - Santa Barbara Street Medicine (DWW) gathered at Gauthier Wear Art on July 21 for a “launch party” for its new mobile medical van. The van, made possible by a $65,000 grant from the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara, will enable the nonprofit to greatly expand the healthcare services it provides to homeless and low-income individuals.

It has come to our attention that there may be some confusion about qualifications for membership in the Women's Fund. So, let's set the record straight.

MYTH #1: You must be invited to join. False!

FACT #1: The Women’s Fund is open to every woman.

There are absolutely no restrictions.

MYTH #2: Membership in the Women’s Fund costs…

Click on this link to listen to the KCSB interview with LuAnn Miller, Executive Director of Isla Visa Youth Projects, a 2015-16 grantee. She spoke with Lisa Osborn about how IVYP plans to use our $75,000 grant.

Pictured above at the April Presentation of Grants reception are: Bettie Weiss, Charmaine Rogers, Kathy Nobis, Vicky Lorelli, Ellen Rauch, Shareen Khatapoush, Janet Booth, Marianne Wetzel (behind Janet), Kim Holmquist and Theresa Harris.  Other members are Christine Hoehner, Robin Riblet, Dana Hoffenberg, Eden Slone, Betsy Teeter and Karen MacDonald.

Group Captain Marianne Wetzel filled us in on her motivation to begin a new Women’s Fund Group. Marianne recently joined the Women’s Fund Membership Committee as the New Member Liaison. In that role, she will be contacting…

Late last month, Santa Barbara High School (SBHS) received a lumber delivery for its inaugural Tiny Homes program. Over the 2016-17 school year, Advanced Woodworking and Construction Technology students will build a 230-square-foot house, complete with a bathroom, kitchen appliances, solar panels, and a loft big enough for a queen-sized bed....Seed money for this debut, Chadwick said, came from a $50,000 grant from the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara, on top of lasting support from the TRADART Foundation for career development. “TRADART has really kept all our woodshops open…

At its 12th annual Presentation of Grants Reception at The Fess Parker on Monday, the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara awarded $470,000 to seven local nonprofit organizations.

An all-volunteer, collective donor group with 668 members, the Women’s Fund combines the donations of its members into significant grants focused on the critical needs of women, children and families in south Santa Barbara County.

Over an eight-month period, its research committee conducts in-depth research of programs at local nonprofit organizations and submits a ballot of organization…

A tradition began years ago establishing that, on April 5, California’s First 5 chapters would join together and visit their legislators in Sacramento. Tuesday is First 5 Advocacy Day, when the nonprofit focused on preparing children for kindergarten addresses its concerns to elected officials.

The message this year will be the same as the last: Santa Barbara County needs more quality child-care slots.

Since the majority of a child’s brain development occurs before they reach kindergarten, First 5 has been working to ensure more quality child-care options exist…

Pictured (left to right): Cynthia Owen, Cecia Hess, Joyce Tamborello, Bonnie Tanase Cairns, Kathryn Padgett,Robin Martinelli and Julie Franke.

Other members of the group include: Jorgia Bordovsky, Gray Felstiner, Dale Hromadka, Nina Hunt, Mary Maxwell, Fran Piacente, Carol Poundstone Olson and Carol Simon.

To get to know this group better, we asked Co-Captains Dale Hromadka and Julie Franke some questions:

Why did you join the Women’s Fund? The emphasis is on women and children and in addition, it is a wonderful way to learn more about…

“Changing Lives Together” was at the heart of the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara’s 2015 Site Visit program, held Thursday, October 29, at the First Presbyterian Church.  More than 200 Women’s Fund members and guests gathered to learn how $460,000 in recent Women’s Fund grants are changing lives for local women, children and families. 

“The Women’s Fund is a unique all-volunteer organization where women combine our charitable dollars to make large, impactful grants to local nonprofits,” said Women’s Fund Chair Nancy Harter.  “We’ve donated more than $5.1 million to…