WE STAND WITH SANTA
BARBARA COUNTY
Santa Barbara Foundation 2018 – 2023 Strategic Priorities
WHY? We were prompted to do a Strategic Plan out of a sense of responsibility to our founders, to our 90-year legacy, to our donors, to our nonprofit partners, and most of all, to the people and communities of Santa Barbara County. We knew going in that we do good work – everyday – on behalf of this region, but we felt a duty to be the best that we can be, which includes understanding how we can have the greatest impact on solving our county’s most vital problems. During our discovery phase many questions were asked of all our constituencies. We reviewed data and reports from a myriad of sources. We synthesized, we processed, we debated, we balanced, but never did we waver from our goal to create a community foundation for the times. The resulting plan believes that the Santa Barbara Foundation can be most valuable to the communities it serves as it invigorates the fundamental principles of empathy, inclusivity and resilience. Strategies are focused on maintaining a safety net for our most vulnerable residents while persistently and creatively finding solutions to those problems that impede our working families – who are always the backbone of every community – from fulfilling their potential as fully engaged members of a vibrant society.
President & CEO Santa Barbara Foundation
Chair of the Board of Trustees Santa Barbara Foundation
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OUR MISSION
At the heart of every organization is a set of values and guiding principles. For the Santa Barbara Foundation, these are best captured in our new mission statement:
MOBILIZE defines action, community-building and movement-building.
To mobilize collective wisdom and philanthropic capital to build empathetic, inclusive and resilient communities 3
COLLECTIVE WISDOM refers to the foundation’s role as a
convener and partner, working with multiple constituencies to address our communities’ most pressing needs.
PHILANTHROPIC CAPITAL includes all of the tools and resources that are necessary to facilitate community change, from traditional investments and grants to mission-related and program-related investments.
EMPATHETIC, INCLUSIVE AND RESILIENT emphasizes our commitment to engage in communities and invest in significant and measurable impact. Empathy captures the ability to relate to another person’s feelings and even act on it. Inclusive communities respect all residents and give them full access to resources and promote equal treatment and opportunity.
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The Santa Barbara Foundation is first and foremost a public charity that exists because of our committed and passionate donors. We take very seriously our obligation to earn the public’s trust and serve all of the unique and diverse communities throughout Santa Barbara County. To fully embody the new mission statement of the foundation and ensure that empathy, inclusivity and resilience are embraced in all that we are and all that we do, the following principles have been adopted as the guiding framework by how we engage both internally and externally to the organization. »» We are accountable in ALL that we do. »» We strive to learn continuously from our communities and each other. »» We seek and support innovation for our communities to thrive. »» We cultivate an environment of knowledge, understanding and well-being. »» We are a respectful community.
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PRIORITIES FOR IMPACT Our communities throughout Santa Barbara County are as diverse in geography and demographics as they are in assets and needs. Thus, it is important that as an organization we have a better and deeper understanding of the residents we serve. The foundation embraces the fact that our level of engagement will vary depending on the needs that are identified, stakeholders that are engaged, and the innovative solutions that are necessary. We are committed to being creative, flexible and adaptable in standing with the nonprofit sector and community partners to address the complex issues that are confronting our county now and into the future. Over the next five years, our strategic priorities include a reinvigorated commitment to supporting our most vulnerable populations throughout Santa Barbara County by addressing basic human needs. We will also invest in components of broader systems change by supporting those individuals and families that are living paycheck to paycheck and are susceptible to becoming our most vulnerable residents with just one life event – an illness, car accident, change in relationship or employment.
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OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS We believe that an essential measure of the empathy of a community – as well as an important determinant of its resilience – is how it treats its most vulnerable residents. The foundation is committed to strengthening and augmenting the safety net throughout the county while helping to build a more purposeful pathway for everyone to have a fair opportunity to succeed. 7
Why?
Priorities
11.3% of adults in Santa Barbara County are uninsured
Improving the delivery of quality healthcare
[Community Health Needs Assessment Report, Cottage Health, 2016]
44,960 people (10% of the population) in Santa Barbara County are food insecure [Santa Barbara County Food Action Plan, 2016]
Suicide is the second leading cause of all injury deaths in Santa Barbara County of which 90% are due to an underlying mental illness [Santa Barbara County: Data Notebook for California Behavioral Health Boards And Commissions, 2016]
1,489 individuals are chronically homeless in Santa Barbara County (an increase of 2% from 2015 to 2017) [Homelessness In Santa Barbara County, Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness, 2017]
Addressing food insecurity among our most vulnerable populations Building capacity for mental health services Strengthening homelessness programs and resources 8
WORKING FAMILIES We believe that the best collective future for Santa Barbara County is inextricably linked to the existence and growth of equitable opportunities for our working families. This means not having to struggle to acquire those things – like food, housing, child care, transportation, education, culture and community service – that allow them to both fulfill their individual potential 9
and contribute to the vibrancy of their communities.
Why?
Priorities
The average cost of enrolling infants in early care and education centers in Santa Barbara County is $1,171 a month.
Increasing affordable and accessible quality child care opportunities
[Early Care and Education Needed Now! Santa Barbara County Child Care Planning Council Needs Assessment, 2017]
Service jobs are growing at a more rapid pace in Santa Barbara County than other higher wage earning and more stable professions [Economic and Workforce Research, Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board, 2018]
In California, the bottom 25% of income earners are spending 67% of their income on housing [Santa Barbara County: Data Notebook for California Behavioral Health Boards And Commissions, 2016]
Building job skills through effective workforce development Creating more workforce housing for a growing region
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SUPPORT FOR THE NONPROFIT SECTOR We believe that the help and guidance of a healthy, highachieving, innovative and creative nonprofit sector enables Santa Barbara County to fulfill its potential of being a set of 11
communities that are empathetic, inclusive and resilient.
Why?
Priorities
The nonprofit sector is the 4th largest industry in California employing over 1 million individuals
Building the capacity of the nonprofit sector to increase their resilience and help deliver results
Santa Barbara County is 1 of 4 counties statewide that averages 6 times the nonprofit revenue than other counties
Strengthening alliances and collaborations between business, nonprofit and government organizations
Nationally, half of nonprofits have less than one month of operating reserves and less than six months of cash
Increasing the awareness and role that funders can play in the ability of the sector to respond to challenges
All Data: [Causes Count: The Economic Power of California’s Nonprofit Sector, CalNonprofits, 2014]
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BROADENING OUR PARTNERSHIPS AND INVESTMENTS We believe that as a community foundation we have a special responsibility to build regional philanthropic capital. We are committed to broadening our strategic partnerships with other sectors and increasing investments in the community. 13
North County Headquarters 2625 South Miller Street, Suite 101 Santa Maria, CA 93455-1777 (805) 346-6123 South County Headquarters 1111 Chapala Street, Suite 200 Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3100 (805) 963-1873
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