Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation is based in Santa Barbara, California. It manages, maintains, and renovates the Santa Barbara Bowl and supports music and performing arts events, cultural awareness, and arts education for local students.
Key facts about Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation
In short: Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation gave $408K across 38 grants in 2024 (avg $11K), mostly in California. 34% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990 filing.
- EIN
- 95-3618955
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990 filing, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $408,006
- Grants made (2024)
- 38
- Average grant
- $10,737
- Median grant
- $8,500
- New grantees (estimate)
- 34% first-time grantees (13 of 38, 2024)
- Total assets
- $54,201,427
- Primary geography
- California (99% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The website describes program-specific support and application requirements for the Spring Cycle. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990 filing, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990 filing · View filing
Total Assets
$54.2M
+5.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$408K
+27.9% YoY
Grant Count
38
+31.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$11K
-2.4% YoY
Is Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation open to new grantees?
34%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 13 of 38 grantees (34%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $9K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to enrich the community by fostering a passion for music through live performances and educational initiatives. Its filing also describes purposes that include managing and renovating the Bowl, providing music and performing arts events, promoting cultural and artistic awareness in Santa Barbara County, and presenting music and performing arts to local students.
The foundation’s outreach initiatives support K–12 performing arts education in Santa Barbara County. The website lists support for youth programs through grant cycles, band and instrument funds, flash grants, sponsorships, scholarships, and ticket subsidies.
Grantees’ own mission statements illustrate the kinds of organizations supported. The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara says it supports county students through information, advising, and scholarships for college, graduate, and vocational school. Children’s Creative Project describes providing school arts experiences to children not normally exposed to the arts. Infinite Music Foundation says it provides underserved Central Coast youth opportunities to experience music through education, appreciation, and performance.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 38 grants totaling $408,006. Grants ranged from $5,500 to $28,000, with a median grant of $8,500. The listed grants were primarily in California; the reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state were 99% in California and 1% in Pennsylvania.
Open Grants
8 open opportunities from Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated purposes include promoting cultural and artistic awareness in Santa Barbara County. Its outreach program and Spring Cycle focus on K–12 students and performing arts programs in Santa Barbara County. The 2024 filing reports that 99% of grant dollars went to California recipients and 1% to Pennsylvania recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 38 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
127 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION OF SANTA BARBARA Santa Barbara, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $28,000 |
| CHILDREN'S CREATIVE PROJECT Santa Barbara, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $27,300 |
| CARPINTERIA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Carpinteria, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $26,069 |
| THE TURNER FOUNDATION - SINCE 1958 Santa Barbara, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $20,255 |
| SANTA BARBARA EDUCATION FOUNDATION Santa Barbara, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $16,000 |
| INFINITE MUSIC FOUNDATION Morro Bay, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $14,722 |
| LOMPOC HIGH SCHOOL Lompoc, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $13,500 |
| RIGHETTI HIGH SCHOOL Santa Maria, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $13,490 |
| CABRILLO HIGH SCHOOL THEATER Lompoc, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $12,942 |
| LIGHT'S UP THEATER COMPANY Santa Barbara, CA | OUTREACH GRANT | $12,500 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants (total / count) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $54,201,427 | $9,455,185 | $7,525,194 | $408,006 / 38 |
| 2023 | $51,545,148 | $8,354,399 | $6,910,732 | $318,978 / 29 |
| 2022 | $49,384,542 | $6,951,038 | $6,463,064 | $281,333 / 23 |
The filing type is 990T.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $54,201,427 | $51,545,148 | $49,384,542 |
| Revenue | $9,455,185 | $8,354,399 | $6,951,038 |
| Expenses | $7,525,194 | $6,910,732 | $6,463,064 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $810,387 | $629,202 | $374,307 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Karen Kerns as chair, Angel Martinez as vice chair, Graham Lyons as secretary, and Nicola Parr as treasurer. Directors listed are Michael Allen, Laurie Bentson Kauth, Tyler Duncan, Andrew Firestone, Tom Garcia, and Mike Mendoza.
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation is led by Richard Boller, Executive Director & CEO since 2021 (on filings since 2020); 5 of 23 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Richard Boller
Executive Director & CEO
Executive Director → Executive Director & CEO, 2021
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$157K (2020) → $261K (2024)
Karen Kerns
Chair
Vice Chair → Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eric L. Shiflett
Program Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$113K (2020) → $156K (2024)
Andrew Firestone
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carola Nicholson
Director
Treasurer → Vice Chair, 2022
Vice Chair → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Parker
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laurie Bentson Kauth
Director
Director → Secretary, 2021
Secretary → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marianne Partridge
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Allen
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mike Mendoza
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia Stathis
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tyler Duncan
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ben Scott
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dawn Mitcham
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Derek Shue
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tom Garcia
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gregg Wilson
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Gardner
Business Manager
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$103K (2021) → $124K (2024)
Tucker Papac
Operations Manager
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$108K (2022) → $113K (2024)
Kori Soltz
Food & Beverage Manager
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$105K (2023) → $109K (2024)
Angel Martinez
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Graham Lyons
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicola Parr
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (10)
- Former: Charles T. Plough III (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Lori Kari (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: George Short (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Wendy Barels (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Brett Burkey (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Graham Farrar (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Jeff Jacobs (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Greg Faulkner (2020) — Director
- Former: Richard Kelty (2020) — Director
- Former: Sandy Stahl (2020) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
Contact
Mailing address: 1122 North Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Phone: (805) 962-7411
Website: https://sbbowl.com
Frequently asked questions about Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation
How much does Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation give each year?
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation gave $408K across 38 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990 filing. In 2023 it gave $319K across 29 grants.
What is Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation's typical grant size?
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $8,500, and its average grant was $10,737, across 38 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990 filing. Organizations receiving their first grant from Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation give grants?
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation gives mostly in California: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 filing went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (26 grants), Goleta, CA (3 grants), Lompoc, CA (2 grants) and Santa Maria, CA (2 grants).
Does Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 38 grants with a stated purpose on Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 filing were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Outreach Grant" (38 grants).
Who are Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation's largest grantees?
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara ($28,000), Children's Creative Project ($27,300) and Carpinteria Unified School District ($26,069), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990 filing. Together they received 20% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation?
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation reported $54.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990 filing. Its revenue that year was $9.5M.
What does Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to enrich the community by fostering a passion for music through live performances and educational initiatives. Its filing also describes purposes that include managing and renovating the Bowl, providing music and performing arts events, promoting cultural and artistic awareness in Santa Barbara County, and presenting music and performing arts to local students. The foundation’s outreach initiatives support K–12 performing arts education in Santa Barbara Count…
How do I apply for a grant from Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation?
The website describes program-specific support and application requirements for the Spring Cycle. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation's EIN?
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-3618955. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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