Community Grants - Shelter & Safety Grants

The Santa Barbara Foundation offers Community Grants for Shelter & Safety, providing up to $30,000 in unrestricted funding for two years. This program is designed to enhance nonprofit capacities in addressing community needs related to shelter and safety. Eligible organizations must be tax-exempt and operate within Santa Barbara County, focusing on serving vulnerable populations. The next application cycle will open in 2026, following a mid-cycle evaluation in the first grant year.

About Community Grants
Multi-year, general operating funding increases nonprofits’ ability to build their capacity and respond to community needs. We also recognize the need for longer-term funding in order to reduce the administrative burden on nonprofit organizations and allow for multi-year planning. Therefore, our Community Grant Program is a two-year grant cycle that offers unrestricted funding to be used for organizational operations or programs with the intention of increasing the efficacy of your work in the program area for which you are applying.
As these are two-year cycles, our Community Grants run only every other year and therefore will not be open for application again until 2026.
Grantees will be required to participate in a mid-cycle evaluation in the first year of the award, prior to the disbursement of the second year of funding. A final report is required at the close of the grant period, 25 months after the initial award.
Shelter & Safety Grants are available to support nonprofit organizations directly providing services in the areas of shelter and safety and housing loss prevention assistance. Grant Max Amount: $30,000 for up to two years.

Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements
Organizations must be providing direct services or serving as a coordinating body to address the program area for which they applied (Behavioral Health & Health Care, Food, Shelter & Safety)
Organizations must be well-managed, financially viable, and operate effective programs that primarily serve the needs of poor and underserved communities
Grants are only available to organizations serving within Santa Barbara County
Organizations must be certified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or use a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) tax status.  Organizations using a fiscal sponsor must review the Eligibility Criteria & FAQs for additional information and instructions.

Ineligibility

Grants are not intended for:

• services and programs that are not focused on the program area in which the organization has applied
• scholarships
• individuals