After hosting 22,000 community members back to Alameda Park for the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival in April, the first time since 2019, Community Environmental Council (CEC) announces the success of its 50th Anniversary Protect Our Climate Campaign.

More than $16.97 million was pledged to immediately tackle the urgent threat of climate change on the Central Coast, exceeding the $15 million goal.

Inspired by the organization’s reputation for developing and scaling innovative local solutions to complex problems, some 300 donors pledged $16.97 million to tackle climate change in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

Of that amount, roughly $10.25 million is dedicated to funding the current growth of CEC’s climate programs and the build-out of an innovative Environmental Hub for the community in downtown Santa Barbara.

The Environmental Hub is a 10,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility designed to be an epicenter for community activism, education, entrepreneurship, media, and art.

The Environmental Hub’s grand opening community celebration will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6, as a part of downtown Santa Barbara’s 1st Thursday Art Walk.

The remaining pledges — about $6.75 million — will be fulfilled in coming decades through long-term legacy gifts, ensuring the future sustainability of the organization. The unexpectedly strong support shown by donors making legacy commitments in their estate plans led to the campaign surpassing its goal.

“We are incredibly inspired by our community, which understands the pivotal moment we are in and sees CEC as a beacon of hope for protecting the Central Coast,” CEC said. “By investing the funds as we’ve raised them, we’ve been able to double down on some incredibly bold goals—doubling our staff, expanding and deepening programming, and broadening our geographic reach.”

“Central Coast donors made it clear that they are deeply concerned about climate change and resonated with CEC’s message of hopeful action. CEC thinks big and thinks long-term, and the organization demonstrates results over and over again,” said Jon Clark, president, James S. Bower Foundation and co-chair of the campaign steering committee.

The CEC thanks those who made $1 million-plus campaign contributions: James S. Bower Foundation, Patricia & Paul Bragg Foundation, Karen and John Jostes, and the Zegar Family Foundation.

CEC also recognizes investors who made donations in excess of $250,000: Sheila and Tom Cullen, Katie Davis, Hutton Parker Foundation, Jean Kaplan, Dorothy Largay and Wayne Rosing, Natalie Orfalea Foundation, Paul Relis and Fanny Pearce, Sea Forward Fund, Judy Stapelmann, Michel Saint-Sulpice, Suzanne and John Steed, and Yardi Systems.

In addition, the campaign, which began in 2021, kick-started CEC’s five-year effort to accelerate regional climate solutions through climate justice, regional and state policy, climate resilience, climate-smart agriculture, and a new Climate Stewards certification program.

CEC thanks the volunteers who led its fundraising efforts, including the campaign steering committee chaired by Jon Clark, president; James S. Bower Foundation; and Merryl and Chuck Zegar of the Zegar Family Foundation.

Committee members included Dennis Allen, Mary Becker, Leslie Bhutani, Emily Engel, Laura Francis, Carolyn Fitzgerald, Karl Hutterer, David Jackson, Pat McElroy, Maryanne Mott, Charles Newman, Matt Riley, Lisa Murphy Rivas, and Ken Saxon.