Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara
Creating Opportunity, Transforming Lives...One Scholarship at a Time
Mission
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara inspires, encourages, and supports Santa Barbara County students to and through college, graduate, and vocational school by providing information, advising, and scholarships.
Notes from the nonprofit
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara remains an indispensable resource for students and families throughout Santa Barbara County. As we mark our 62nd anniversary, we are confident that our increasingly important work on behalf of our community will endure for many decades to come.
Ruling year
1964
President & CEO
Barbara Robertson
Main address
P.O. Box 3620
Santa Barbara, CA 93130-3620 USA
Formerly known as
Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation
EIN
23-7087774
NTEE code
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid, Awards (B82)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2023, 2022 and 2021.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The case for pursuing postsecondary education could not be clearer. College graduates are generally healthier, more financially secure, and more actively engaged in their communities than their counterparts possessing only a high school diploma. According to government data, graduates from four-year colleges earn 60 percent more annually and live on average almost a decade longer than do high school graduates. And yet, college is prohibitively expensive – and growing more so – for millions of American families. Tuition at public four-year institutions has increased approximately 40 percent over the last 10 years, and the average student debt load is approaching $30,000 per borrower. Low-income families are especially vulnerable to financial pressures, as evidenced in elevated dropout rates and lower college participation generally. The Scholarship Foundation believes that all students deserve the opportunity to pursue higher education regardless of their financial circumstances.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Scholarship awards
The Scholarship Foundation grants financial assistance to deserving students from throughout Santa Barbara County. Many grants are awarded to students who demonstrate financial need. Others are awarded based on donor-designated criteria, such as academic achievement, artistic or athletic ability, college or major, or belonging to a particular ethnic or heritage group.
Financial aid advising
The Scholarship Foundation provides information about the four sources of student financial aid to students and parents through presentations and workshops at schools and community sites. Staff also provide personal financial aid advising and assistance with completing the FAFSA and other financial aid documents at our offices in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. These services are offered free of charge.
Early college awareness for middle school students
There is mounting evidence that students form their opinions about college access as early as middle school. Scholarship Foundation staff work with community partners to introduce young people, especially those whose parents did not receive a postsecondary education, to college options and the concepts of financial aid and scholarships. The goal is to encourage middle school students to see higher education as a viable and valuable option.
College retention and completion programs
Scholarship Foundation program advisors work closely with students who attend community college in Santa Barbara County to help them persist to degree completion. Students at Santa Barbara City College and Allan Hancock College are helped with their transition from high school to college and are offered information sessions on such topics as student life, campus resources, and academic advising. The goal is to strengthen students' college connections and help them achieve their educational goals.
Where we work
Awards
Four-star rating 2021
Charity Navigator
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of students who receive scholarship funds and/or tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Scholarship awards
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Total dollar amount of scholarship awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Scholarship awards
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara envisions a future where all graduates of Santa Barbara County high schools who want to pursue and complete postsecondary education are able to do so. We are committed to helping local students attend and complete college, graduate, and vocational school by providing information, advising, and scholarships.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Scholarship Foundation's primary strategy is to provide scholarships for Santa Barbara County students. In 2023, we awarded $7.2 million to 1,864 students. Our secondary strategy is to provide information, guidance, and encouragement through our Student Advising Program. Four full-time Program Advisors provide one-on-one financial aid counseling, group workshops, and presentations for students and families. Participants are educated on the sources of financial aid – including our program – and are offered bilingual assistance with complex federal and state financial aid forms, as well as institutional and private scholarship applications. The Student Advising Program is provided free of charge to any student in the county. Our scholarship recipients leveraged an additional $47.5 million in financial aid through our advisory services in 2022-2023.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara is the nation's largest community-based provider of college scholarships, having cumulatively awarded in excess of $150million to some 62,000 Santa Barbara County students since its founding in 1962. To deliver our programs, we work with 20 high schools and five continuation high schools in Santa Barbara County, as well as the local colleges and universities. A founding member of Cal-SOAP (California Student Opportunity and Access Program), the Scholarship Foundation collaborates with 65 community youth-based organizations. These organizations include such agencies as the United Way, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Girls, Inc., among others. The Scholarship Foundation's broad and deep partner network combined with our 62-year track record makes us uniquely qualified to help local students attend and complete postsecondary education.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As previously noted, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara is the nation's largest community-based provider of college scholarships, having cumulatively awarded in excess of $150 million to some 62,000 Santa Barbara County students since its founding in 1962. Our scholarship recipients leveraged an additional $47.5 million in financial aid through our advisory services in 2022-2023. Our Board of Directors is in the process of adopting a five-year strategic plan that will build on our legacy of helping local students attend and complete postsecondary education.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara
Board of directorsas of 08/06/2024
Ms. Danna McGrew
Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, LLP
Term: 2023 - 2025
Kathy O'Leary
Carrie Randolph
Danna McGrew
Matthew Rowe
Kelly Knight
Sarah Chrisman
David Duron
Pamela Gann
Janet Garufis
Alan Griffin
Nancy Ransohoff
Mary Dwyer
Charlie Huiner
Marty Plourd
Aimee Miller
George Thurlow
Jen Brown
Anna Burnbaum
Julia Colella Carver
Tim Figueroa
Yolanda Garcia
Emilio Handall
Guille Gil-Reynoso
Tessa Kaganoff
Emil Nazaretyan
Donna Weidl
Michael Young
Phil Franklin
Tracey Solomon
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/06/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
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- Letter of Determination
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