Women’s Fund Gives $365K

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’s 400-plus members for donations that continue to roll in despite this time of economic crisis.

A partner to the Santa Barbara Foundation, the Women’s Fund describes itself, in its literature, as a community group of volunteer donors that respond to the critical community needs of women, children, and families in the Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria areas. Women’s Fund members research critical community needs and determine by vote which agencies will receive the funds collected during the year. The members aim to not only help the community, but also, through collective philanthropy, to serve as a means of bringing women together and inspiring them to become leaders in compassion; demonstrating the impact of collective giving.

Since 2004, the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara reports that it has given more than $2.5 million to 33 nonprofit agencies that benefit thousands of women, children, and families within the greater Santa Barbara area. The Women’s Fund is interested in making and big impact and so it gives large gifts. Click here for more information about The Women’s Fund.