Putting Empathy Into Action:
A Kinder Approach to Building a Resilient Community
A Conversation between Jackie Carrera, President & CEO of The Santa Barbara Foundation and
Monica Lenches and Claudia Rucker
One of the many things that make Santa Barbara such a special place to live and thrive is the sheer number of local non-profits dedicated to creating a kinder, more equitable and resilient community. During COVID I was particularly moved by the passion and dedication of The Santa Barbara Foundation to engage and bring together our community to address the overwhelming needs of our community. They did this by promoting education and awareness about the problems and needs that were surfacing and encouraging a collaborative approach to problem-solving. The more I learned about The SB Foundation, the more impressed I was by the respectful and compassionate way in which they approached everything they did. It is my honor to introduce to you their dedicated President & CEO, Jackie Carrera.
ML/CR: Tell us about the history of The Santa Barbara Foundation.
JC: The Santa Barbara Foundation is a community foundation that was founded 95 years ago to serve Santa Barbara County with the challenges it was facing and to leverage the pooled resources of local philanthropists for the greater good. The beginning of The Foundation can be traced to one man’s passion for philanthropy and his wish to supply free band concerts for the general public. That man was Max C. Fleischmann, whose father founded the Fleischman Yeast Company. Max was an industrialist, adventurer, and humanitarian who adopted Santa Barbara as his home in the 1920’s. He and his friends and business associates joined him in establishing the foundation in 1928. Within a few years, the Santa Barbara Foundation’s activities would expand to embrace a full spectrum of charitable giving with donors contributing stock, real estate and other complex gifts for the benefit of Santa Barbara County.
Unlike a private foundation that advances the philanthropic goals of a group, family or individuals, community foundations build long-term resources to support our community now and in the future. The Santa Barbara Foundation is a central resource for Santa Barbara County, from Carpinteria to Santa Maria, helping donors achieve their philanthropic goals through smart, effective, and impactful giving and creating pathways of opportunity so that all in our community can thrive.
ML/CR: What are your organization’s vision and values?
JC: The Santa Barbara Foundation envisions a county with a high level of community well-being where all have the opportunity to thrive, and our mission is to mobilize collective wisdom and philanthropic capital to build empathetic, inclusive and resilient communities. Our values include:
1) We are accountable in all that we do.
2) We engage the community, and each other, to strive to learn continuously.
3) We are innovative in how we seek solutions and support our communities to thrive.
4) We cultivate an environment of inclusion, belonging, knowledge, understanding and well-being.
5) We are a respectful community.
ML/CR: Can you give us some examples of how your organization lives those values on a daily basis?
JC: The relationship that The Santa Barbara Foundation has with our donors is central to our work and is based on trust and accountability. Honoring and protecting donor intent is at the heart of everything we do. No matter how compelling the case for funding a community need, if it doesn’t reflect the donor’s intent, we would not use their dollars to fund it.
Equally as important is the relationship we have with the nonprofit sector. The Santa Barbara Foundation meets our mission by partnering and funding nonprofit agencies. We practice trust-based philanthropy, meaning that there is mutual accountability between us.
One of many examples of how we cultivate an environment of inclusion, belonging, knowledge, understanding and well-being is in our current digital equity initiative. Let’s face it: without adequate access to the internet, community members won’t be able to thrive in our contemporary world. We rely on connectivity in all areas of life: work, learning, maintaining our health, creativity, participating in society, and even shopping! We are pleased to have been asked to lead the countywide Digital Equity Coalition in alignment with the Santa Barbara County Broadband Strategic Initiative to close the digital divide with California’s Broadband for All goals. So, we’re accountable not only to those we serve, but we’ll also meet state goals for digital access.
ML/CR: What are some of the key issues and needs that The Foundation is committed to addressing/supporting?
JC: Our strategic priorities include support for our low-income neighbors with basic needs such as health care and behavioral health, food, shelter, and safety. We also focus on efforts that strengthen our county’s workforce and that make high-quality childcare affordable and accessible to families.
Through collaboration with our nonprofit partners, we work to strengthen the social sector so they can continue to do their best work and continue to meet the needs in our community.
We also provide grants to support performing arts in Santa Barbara County, conserve and ensure access to our beautiful natural environment, provide educational scholarships to local students, and provide disaster relief, from fires and storms to the COVID-19 pandemic.
ML/CR: In what ways do you engage with our community and how can the community engage with you?
JC: The Santa Barbara Foundation is SB County’s hub for philanthropy. If you are interested in exploring how you can make an impact in your community, please reach out to us. Our expert staff assist individuals, families, and businesses in developing their philanthropic plans. Plans can range from making annual gifts to your favorite nonprofits to creating legacy gifts that will protect and enhance our community long into the future.
We work closely with attorneys, wealth managers, accountants, and other advisors whose clients are interested in charitable giving or creating a charitable legacy. So, if you are a professional advisor, we welcome your partnership.
Finally, if you are interested in learning about giving opportunities, specific project needs, general issue areas, or the nonprofit sector at large, please reach out to us. We are here as your partner in philanthropy and look forward to supporting your giving goals and legacy vision.
To learn more about The Santa Barbara Foundation, visit: www.sbfoundation.org.