The Fund for Santa Barbara Continues Partnership with County of Santa Barbara for a Fourth Cycle of the Racial Equity Grant

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The Fund for Santa Barbara is pleased to announce their continued partnership with the County of Santa Barbara for a fourth cycle of the Racial Equity Grant of the County of Santa Barbara (formerly known as the Racial Equity Fund). The Racial Equity Grant of the County of Santa Barbara request for proposals is now open and accepting applications until January 13, 2025.

Funded and supported by the County of Santa Barbara, this funding program is dedicated to building capacity, expanding, and stabilizing historically marginalized organizations within the county. By investing in and strengthening groups that address anti-racism through systems change strategies, this program seeks to foster cultural and policy shifts necessary for advancing racial equity and counteract the legacy of slavery and the impacts of racism in Santa Barbara County.

This initiative came directly from the grassroots organizing by Black femme leaders in Santa Barbara County, who urged the County to invest in the Black community following the murder of George Floyd and in support of the ongoing racial justice movement. This program is funded and supported by the County of Santa Barbara and is administered in

collaboration with the Fund for Santa Barbara. Since the establishment of the grant program, the County has annually allocated funding to ensure its sustainability. The FUND commends the Board of Supervisors and the County of Santa Barbara for their continued support of this program and commitment and action to building a more just, equitable, and inclusive future.

2025 REG Announcement PR.docx

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a free virtual grant application workshop on Wednesday, November 13th at 6:00 pm. The workshop covers a variety of key topics including the eligibility guidelines and includes a complete walk-through of the application

process. Reserve your spot and share this opportunity with anyone who might be eligible and interested in applying for a Racial Equity Grant.

For more information on guidelines, to apply, and to register for the Grant Application Workshop, visit the Fund for Santa Barbara’s website. https://fundforsantabarbara.org/grantee-portal/

OBJECTIVES

This fund aims to provide organizational capacity assistance to:

1. Strengthen the ecosystem of diverse, anti-racism organizations in the community that share a common goal to address cultural and systemic effects of racism.
2. Increase active participation of historically marginalized communities to influence civic matters that impact our community at large.
3. Develop the pipeline to uplift historically marginalized leaders to positions of decision-making and influence.
4. Increase and sustain investment to strengthen organizations led by historically marginalized who have lacked access to capital.
5. Addressing and working to change systemic negative narratives about the legacy of slavery in the community
6. Establish and advance organizational capacity in organizations historically marginalized in the following areas:
   1. Leadership development
   2. Advocacy, policy change, legal analysis, and research

c. Strategic communications

4. Alliance and coalition building
5. Organizational development
6. Community engagement and organizing
7. Innovation and continuous learning
8. Develop organizational and programmatic objectives, conduct evaluations, and assess outcomes.

FUNDING GUIDELINES

• Actively support anti-discrimination based on race, sex/gender, age, religion, language spoken, or immigration status;
• Actively support communities marginalized by power structures to engage in dialogue and actions that seek to counter social injustice;
• Actively work to improve the rights of workers and their families whose living conditions have been marginalized;
• Promote the cultural life of underserved communities and support the activities of cultural workers;
• Promote self-determination and leadership development in low income and disenfranchised communities;
• Promote Global peace and organize locally for just policies;
• Work on building coalitions to enhance improving environmental justice and address climate change, especially organizing a constituency usually without access to decision-makers

• Engage in collaborative action and coalition-building to strengthen movement ecosystems;
• Work against community violence and actively support recovery and restorative justice activities and initiatives;
• Operate in a democratic manner, responsive to and directed by the constituency being served.

FUNDING PRIORITIES

• Guidelines: Does this project have the potential to create or advance social, economic, political, and/or environmental change? Please refer to FUND Guidelines
• Priorities: Are there elements of Community Organizing, Lobbying, Direct Action, Base-building, Coalition-Building, or Legal Strategy?***
• Access to Funding: Does this project lack access to funding? Would the project go forward without support from the Fund?
• Critical Timing/Need: Does the organization have the capacity to reach their social change goals? Are the key players familiar with other organizations in the same field to further the goal of movement building?
• Impact of Funds: How clear is the budget outline? How well does the budget support the project’s social change goals? Will funding help start-up the organization, stabilize the organization, and/or leverage other funding sources?
• Regional Equity: Will this project help the GMC achieve its objective of providing equity in funding throughout Santa Barbara County?

NOT FUNDED

• Political campaigns that support a candidate or a political party;
• Private (vs. public) interests;
• Direct labor organizing;
• Projects providing direct services without a social change component;
• Direct support to individuals;
• Building improvements;
• Capital ventures, i.e. machines, vehicles, etc.;
• Equipment, i.e. office equipment, tools, etc;
• Projects located outside of Santa Barbara County.

***REG funding cannot be used for lobbying, legal strategy or 501(c)4 work

Applicants must submit their applications by Monday, January 13th, 2025 at 11:59 pm. No Exceptions.

Questions should be directed to Tania M. Reyes, Grant Programs Manager, at 805-962-9164 x1105, grants@fundforsantabarbara.org.