Santa Ynez Valley Foundation
The Santa Ynez Valley Foundation is a public charity based in Solvang, California. Founded in 1991, it makes grants to nonprofit organizations and provides scholarships to students in the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos.
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation at a glance
In short: Santa Ynez Valley Foundation gave $246K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in California. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $246,100
- -2.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,381
- -8.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $11,500
- Total assets
- $4,868,219
- -3.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (3 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Santa Ynez Valley Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Eligible organizations may submit one grant application per calendar year, regardless of funding cycle. New applicants, organizations that have not received funding in the past five years, and organizations whose previous request was denied must submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and receive approval before applying; the Foundation advises allowing at least two weeks for LOI review. With an approved LOI, these applicants use the Long Form. Organizations funded within the past five years use the Short Form.
- Review Cycle
- The 2026 Health & Human Services application period runs September 1–30, 2026, with a deadline of September 30 at 11:59 p.m. The 2026 Food Security, Youth & Education, and Arts & Culture / Community Enhancement application periods are closed.
- Deadline
- The 2026 Health & Human Services application period runs September 1–30, 2026, with a deadline of September 30 at…
- Contact
Mailing address: 485 Alisal Road 272, Solvang, CA 93463
Phone: (805) 688-2991
Website: https://syvalleyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Santa Ynez Valley Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was SYV Senior Citizens Foundation ($40K). Together the top 10 received $203K.
Grant Size Distribution
62 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 62 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation states that its mission serves the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos. Its filing describes grants as supporting nonprofit organizations for use in the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. In filing year 2025, 100% of grant dollars went to California recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Santa Ynez Valley Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 15 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $18K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $16K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $52K (2019) to $256K (2021). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $246K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| SYV Senior Citizens Foundation Buellton, CA | Meals on Wheels and Lunch Program | $39,600 |
| Santa Ynez Valley Fruit & VEG Santa Ynez, CA | Food Program Support | $31,500 |
| Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Donor Designated Fund Grant | $25,000 |
| People Helping People Solvang, CA | Direct Services, Dental, Reading | $22,500 |
| SYV Senior Advisory Council Solvang, CA | Capital Campaign | $20,000 |
| Bethania Lutheran Church Solvang, CA | Food Program | $16,000 |
| Atterdag at Home Solvang, CA | Meals on Wheels and Transportation | $15,000 |
| SYV Cottage Hospital Fdn Solvang, CA | Donor Designated Fund Grant | $12,000 |
| Los Olivos Rotary Foundation Los Olivos, CA | Donor Designated Fund Grant | $11,000 |
| Cancer Foundation of Santa Ba Santa Barbara, CA | Donor Designated Fund Grant | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,868,219 | $376,130 | $548,508 | $246,100 | 16 | $197,338 |
| 2024 | $5,041,627 | $300,564 | $531,142 | $251,800 | 15 | $159,812 |
| 2023 | $5,271,554 | $771,088 | $413,022 | $105,500 | 7 | $90,313 |
| 2022 | $4,914,747 | $1,401,095 | $498,153 | $137,500 | 9 | $285,908 |
| 2021 | $4,010,968 | $544,949 | $500,351 | $256,200 | 15 | $121,190 |
| 2019 | $3,910,176 | $510,746 | $403,027 | $52,000 | 4 | $345,712 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s mission is to partner with the community to enhance quality of life in the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos. Its grant program supports nonprofit organizations through funding cycles focused on Food Security, Youth & Education, Health & Human Services, Arts & Culture, and Community Enhancement.
The Foundation also operates a college scholarship program. Its 2024 filing reports that 36 students from the communities it serves received scholarships during the year ending June 30, 2025.
In 2025, grantees included Atterdag at Home, whose stated mission is to provide in-home nursing care for the elderly.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation awarded 16 grants totaling $246,100. Grant amounts ranged from $5,500 to $39,600, with a median of $11,500. Larger awards included $39,600 to SYV Senior Citizens Foundation for Meals on Wheels and its lunch program; $31,500 to Santa Ynez Valley Fruit & Veg for food program support; $25,000 to UCSB Foundation as a donor-designated fund grant; and $22,500 to People Helping People for direct services, dental, and reading.
The Foundation’s filing says its board approves an annual budget based on 5% of the net asset balance at the end of the previous year. Grant requests must include a proposed budget. Recipients are asked to confirm receipt and provide written feedback on how funds were used and whether the grant objective was achieved.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Chris Urquidez as President, Jon Hooten as Vice President, Verva Enoch as Treasurer, and Debbie Jones as Secretary. Directors listed are Barbara Anderson, Michael Nicola, Michael Grenier, and Spencer K. Turnbull.
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation is led by Chris Urquidez, President since 2025 (on filings since 2021); none of the 8 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Chris Urquidez
President
Director → President, 2025
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Michael Grenier
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Barbara Anderson
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Michael Nicola
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Spencer K. Turnbull
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Debbie Jones
Secretary
Director → President, 2022
President → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Jon Hooten
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Verva Enoch
Treasurer
Treasurer → Treasurer & Secretary, 2024
Treasurer & Secretary → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Morgan Halme (2019–2024) — Vice President
- Former: Hayley Firestone (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Anne Christiansen (2024) — Secretary
- Former: Alfonso Gonzalez (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Anne Christensen (2019–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Tresha Sell (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Hayley Firestone Jessup (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Kristen Thomsen (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Kyle Abello (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Jessica Tade (2019) — Director
- Former: Richard Nagler (2019) — President
- Former: Richard W. Christensen (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Santa Ynez Valley Foundation
How much does Santa Ynez Valley Foundation give each year?
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation gave $246K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $252K across 15 grants.
What is Santa Ynez Valley Foundation's typical grant size?
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $11,500, and its average grant was $15,381, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Santa Ynez Valley Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Santa Ynez Valley Foundation give grants?
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Solvang, CA (6 grants), Santa Barbara, CA (4 grants), Buellton, CA (2 grants) and Santa Ynez, CA (2 grants).
Does Santa Ynez Valley Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Santa Ynez Valley Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Donor Designated Fund Grant" (5 grants).
Who are Santa Ynez Valley Foundation's largest grantees?
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include SYV Senior Citizens Foundation ($39,600), Santa Ynez Valley Fruit & VEG ($31,500) and Ucsb Foundation ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Santa Ynez Valley Foundation?
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation reported $4.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $376K.
What does Santa Ynez Valley Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to partner with the community to enhance quality of life in the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Santa Ynez Valley Foundation?
Eligible organizations may submit one grant application per calendar year, regardless of funding cycle. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Santa Ynez Valley Foundation's EIN?
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 33-0450151. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 11, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 24, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS December 8, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Santa Ynez Valley Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/santa-ynez-valley-foundation-morg_a9f47ec3947f40c4a274ab477ad47e7c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_330450151_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Santa Ynez Valley Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/santa-ynez-valley-foundation-morg_a9f47ec3947f40c4a274ab477ad47e7c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-23. 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 Santa Ynez Valley 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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