La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation
The La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation is a private foundation based in Santa Barbara, California. It makes grants through three independent funds, each with its own focus, geography, and process: the Carpinteria Fund, the Health Equity & Access Fund, and the Frontier Fund.
La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation at a glance
In short: La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation gave $2.5M across 46 grants in 2024 (avg $55K), mostly in California. 17% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,520,739
- -6.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 46
- -11.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $54,799
- +5.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $36,178,366
- +19.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (8 of 46, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 5609, Santa Barbara, CA 93150-5625
Phone: (805) 969-9292
Website: https://lcsf.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Family Service Agency ($367K). Together the top 10 received $1.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
223 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 161 grants of 223 (72%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated grantmaking serves the Santa Barbara County community, with highest priority given to organizations and programs in Carpinteria. All 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in California. The website describes the Carpinteria Fund’s geography as Carpinteria and Santa Barbara County.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 46 itemized grants.
Cities
Is La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 8 of 46 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $30K; repeat grants $60K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 80% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 41% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $298K (2020) to $7.2M (2022). In 2024 it made 46 grants totaling $2.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Family Service Agency Santa Barbara, CA | Child Welfare | $366,839 |
| Carpinteria Children's Project Carpinteria, CA | Education Programs | $290,000 |
| Land Trust of Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara, CA | Preserve Natural Resource and Agricultural Land | $240,000 |
| Santa Barbara Education Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Education Program | $133,400 |
| Carpinteria Education Foundation Carpinteria, CA | Education Programs | $126,500 |
| Santa Barbara Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Improve Quality of Life in Santa Barbara County | $125,000 |
| Independent Living Rescue Center Santa Barbara, CA | Assisted Living Facility | $108,000 |
| Carpinteria Community Theatre Inc Carpinteria, CA | Performing Arts | $100,000 |
| Foodbank of Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | Providing Food to the Hungry | $70,000 |
| Girls Inc of Carpinteria Carpinteria, CA | Education and Advocacy Programs for Girls | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $36,178,366 | $8,613,023 | $2,848,021 | $2,520,739 | 46 | $2,530,580 | $605,009 | $2,503,247 |
| 2023 | $30,396,602 | $9,701,719 | $2,960,535 | $2,693,500 | 52 | $2,699,500 | $533,983 | $1,709,729 |
| 2022 | $23,655,418 | $9,034,857 | $7,454,093 | $7,161,000 | 19 | $7,162,250 | $3,287,736 | $1,156,096 |
| 2021 | $22,074,654 | $16,958,360 | $4,550,638 | $4,242,000 | 59 | — | $10,946,379 | $1,032,148 |
| 2020 | $9,666,932 | $6,046,697 | $394,036 | $298,000 | 47 | — | $5,025,926 | $498,785 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.5M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated purpose is to fund organizations and programs addressing education and well-being for low-income children and youth, people affected by disabilities, disadvantage and homelessness, the arts, and open space preservation. Its website describes the Carpinteria Fund as supporting organizations that make Carpinteria thrive; the Health Equity & Access Fund as supporting programs and services that improve quality of life for people with physical or cognitive disabilities; and the Frontier Fund as supporting science, technology, and innovation.
Examples of grantees include Carpinteria Children’s Project, whose mission is to connect families to early education, quality care, resources, and support services for children. The Santa Barbara Education Foundation says it supports programs that enrich students’ academic, artistic, and personal development in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. The Carpinteria Education Foundation says its mission is to support the Carpinteria Unified School District. Other 2024 recipients included health organizations: Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics describes its mission as providing comprehensive, affordable health care regardless of ability to pay, while VNA Health says it provides home health and hospice services in Santa Barbara and the surrounding area.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 46 grants totaling $2,520,739. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $366,839, with a median of $30,000. Among the largest awards were $366,839 to Family Service Agency for child welfare; $290,000 to Carpinteria Children’s Project for education programs; $240,000 to Land Trust of Santa Barbara County to preserve natural resource and agricultural land; and $133,400 to Santa Barbara Education Foundation for an education program. Other large grants included $126,500 to Carpinteria Education Foundation for education programs, $125,000 to Santa Barbara Foundation to improve quality of life in Santa Barbara County, and $108,000 to Independent Living Resource Center for an assisted living facility.
The foundation’s website lists the Health Equity & Access Fund’s letter-of-inquiry process as open and the Carpinteria Fund’s grant cycle as closed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Whitney Kopf as president and executive director; L Duca as chair of the board; S Duca and M Duca as directors; A Honikman as secretary; and K Shea as treasurer and CFO.
La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation is led by Whitney Kopf, President & Executive Director on every filing since 2023; none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Whitney Kopf
President & Executive Director
On filings since 2023
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
L. Duca
Chair of Board
Director → Chair of Board, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
M. Duca
Director
President, Treasurer & Director → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
S. Duca
Director
Vice President → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
A. Honikman
Secretary
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
K. Shea
Treasurer & CFO
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: C. M. Cooney (2020–2022) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation
How much does La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation give each year?
La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation gave $2.5M across 46 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.7M across 52 grants.
What is La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation's typical grant size?
La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $30,000, and its average grant was $54,799, across 46 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation that year got $30K on average.
Where does La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation give grants?
La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (32 grants), Carpinteria, CA (10 grants) and Goleta, CA (3 grants).
Does La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 7% of La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 46) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Education Programs" (7 grants) and "Education Program" (5 grants).
Who are La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation's largest grantees?
La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Family Service Agency ($366,839), Carpinteria Children's Project ($290,000) and Land Trust of Santa Barbara County ($240,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation?
La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation reported $36.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated purpose is to fund organizations and programs addressing education and well-being for low-income children and youth, people affected by disabilities, disadvantage and homelessness, the arts, and open space preservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation's EIN?
La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0416683. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/la-centra-sumerlin-foundation-morg_594d12b00df94ae1af6c426bcc6873ff
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770416683_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/la-centra-sumerlin-foundation-morg_594d12b00df94ae1af6c426bcc6873ff},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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