The Santa Barbara Foundation, United Way of Santa Barbara County, and the Hutton Parker Foundation are leading a countywide funders’ collaborative with members of the Foundation Roundtable to fight coronavirus.

The COVID-19 Joint Response Effort for Santa Barbara County announced Wednesday that it will provide more than $2 million in assistance to individuals and families as well as organizations actively assisting members of the community affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The full extent of the impact this pandemic will have on our community remains to be seen; however, it is clear already that the needs of our community members and the organizations serving them will be substantial,” said Steve Ortiz, president /CEO, United Way of Santa Barbara County.

“We are honored and grateful to work with such generous community members and with such dedicated organizations through this COVID-19 Joint Response Effort to quickly and efficiently meet the needs of our community,” he said.

The COVID-19 Joint Response Effort will align and coordinate efforts, collect and share information, and distribute financial resources on a rolling basis for the community’s most vulnerable populations. Together, they will mobilize funds to rapidly meet the needs of the community as they arise.

Nonprofits can submit applications through the collaborative COVID-19 Nonprofit Grant Intake packet (preferred method) and/or to individual funders through their application processes.

COVID-19 Response Grants funding priorities include:

» Individual financial need to help struggling community members secure and maintain basic needs; cover unexpected childcare and education expenses; and recover from loss of wages due to business closures and social distancing measures.

» Meeting increased service demand for organizations serving Santa Barbara County’s most vulnerable populations impacted by widespread shutdown of schools and childcare facilities, and social-distancing measures impacting places of employment.

» Operational capacity and business continuity to provide unrestricted funding for organizations to carry out their missions and adjust business models to meet the needs
 of their staff and clients.

“It’s during times like these that philanthropy is called upon to lead in new and different ways,” said Jackie Carrera, interim CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation. “By coming together as one, we can better serve our communities ensuring rapid and effective assistance for the most vulnerable and meet the varied COVID-19 response needs as they arise.”

“With leadership from the Santa Barbara Foundation and the United Way of Santa Barbara County, the local foundation community has joined forces and combined resources to respond to many of the nonprofit sector’s critical and immediate needs,” said Tom Parker, President of the Hutton Parker Foundation.

“It is imperative, at this time, for funders to be working in collaborative nature to not only address immediate needs, but to also plan for the future,” he said.

The public is urged to support the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort for Santa Barbara County. Donations can be made at United Way at unitedwaysb.org/covid19 or at the Santa Barbara Foundation, SBFoundation.org/covid-19responseeffort.

For more resources about COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County, visit publichealthsbc.org. For resources for individuals, go to unitedwaysb.org/covid19. For resources for nonprofits, visit SBFoundation.org/covid-19-sbc-np-resources.

Foundation Roundtable members as of March 19, who have joined the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort:
The Ann Jackson Family Foundation
Audacious Foundation
Fund for Santa Barbara
The Henry E. & Lola Monroe Foundation
Hutton Parker Foundation
James S. Bower Foundation
Jane and Paul Orfalea
Mosher Foundation
The Muzzy Family
Santa Barbara Foundation
The Towbes Foundation
United Way of Santa Barbara County
Wood-Claeyssens Foundation
The Natalie Orfalea Foundation

To learn more about the Hutton Parker Foundation, visit huttonfoundation.org; Santa Barbara Foundation, visit SBFoundation.org; United Way of Santa Barbara County, visit unitedwaysb.org.