COVID-19 Response Effort from Local Foundations

Source: Santa Barbara Foundation, United Way of Santa Barbara County, & Hutton Parker Foundation

The Santa Barbara Foundation, United Way of Santa Barbara County, and the Hutton Parker Foundation are leading a countywide funders’ collaborative with members of the Foundation Roundtable. This COVID-19 Joint Response Effort for Santa Barbara County announced today that they will provide over $1 million in assistance to individuals and families as well as organizations actively assisting members of the community affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The full extent of the impact this pandemic will have on our community remains to be seen; however, it is clear already that the needs of our community members and the organizations serving them will be substantial,” said Steve Ortiz, President & CEO, United Way of Santa Barbara County. “We are honored and grateful to work with such generous community members and with such dedicated organizations through this COVID-19 Joint Response Effort to quickly and efficiently meet the needs of our community.”

This COVID-19 Joint Response Effort will align and coordinate efforts, collect and share information, and distribute financial resources on a rolling basis for our most vulnerable populations. Together, they will mobilize funds to rapidly meet the needs of our community as they arise. Nonprofits can submit applications through the collaborative COVID-19 Nonprofit Grant Intake packet (preferred method) and/or to individual funders through their application processes.

COVID-19 Response Grants funding priorities include:

Individual financial need to help struggling community members secure and maintain basic needs, cover unexpected child care and education expenses, and recover from loss of wages due to business closures and social distancing measures.
Meeting increased service demand for organizations serving Santa Barbara County’s most vulnerable populations impacted by widespread shutdown of schools and child care facilities, and social distancing measures impacting places of employment.
Operational capacity and business continuity to provide unrestricted funding for organizations to carry out their missions and adjust business models to meet the needs of their staff and clients.

“It’s during times like these that philanthropy is called upon to lead in new and different ways,” said Jackie Carrera, Interim CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation. “By coming together as one, we can better serve our communities ensuring rapid and effective assistance for the most vulnerable and meet the varied COVID-19 response needs as they arise.”

“With leadership from the Santa Barbara Foundation and the United Way of Santa Barbara County, the local foundation community has joined forces and combined resources to respond to many of the nonprofit sector’s critical and immediate needs. It is imperative, at this time, for funders to be working in collaborative nature to not only address immediate needs, but to also plan for the future,” said Tom Parker, President of the Hutton Parker Foundation.

The public is encouraged to generously support the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort for Santa Barbara County. Donations can be made at the Santa Barbara Foundation at SBFoundation.org/covid-19responseeffort or at the United Way a tunitedwaysb.org/covid19.

For more resources about COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County, please go to publichealthsbc.org. For resources for individuals please go to unitedwaysb.org/covid19. For resources for nonprofits please go to SBFoundation.org/covid-19-sbc-np-resources.