The marquee program, Give Where You Live (GWYL), was founded in 2012 by Michael Towbes and The Towbes Group. During his lifetime, Michael Towbes, was a pioneer as an entrepreneur and philanthropist throughout Santa Barbara County.
Towbes believed that businesses and business owners each have an obligation to give back to the communities that are a vital part of their success. That sentiment is shared by the company’s current CEO Robert Skinner, and is promoted through the company’s core values and commitment to Creating Communities Where People Thrive.
The idea behind GWYL was to create a program that would allow the owners of the apartment communities managed by The Towbes Group to help local nonprofit partners, whose work is fundamental to the fabric of broader community.
In the past, GWYL recipients were selected by senior leaders from The Towbes Group’s residential property management team.
To that end, under the terms of the GWYL program, each property owner committed to provide a donation of $25 for every new lease during the calendar year. The donations are then paid out quarterly.
From its inception in 2012, through the end of 2018, the owners of properties managed by The Towbes Group donated more than $185,000 to nonprofits in the Santa Barbara Tri-County region.
After Towbes’ passing, The Towbes Group wanted to find a way to amplify the impact of this important program as well as find an enduring way to honor its founder.
In 2019, The Towbes Group re-imaged GWYL and introduced a matching donation from The Towbes Group, creating a collaborative initiative between The Towbes Group and the owners of the properties it manages.
This year, the 2023 GWYL recipients – CommUnify SM, Guardian Scholars SB, and Future Leaders of America Ventura will receive donations totaling $16,425 from the participating apartment community owners.
On Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28, which is recognized locally as Michael Towbes Day, the 2023 GWYL recipients will also receive matching contributions from The Towbes Group totaling $16,175, based on its pledge to match annual contributions from each property owner dollar-for-dollar up to a maximum of $2,000 per property.
Going forward, GWYL recipients will be selected through a process in which all The Towbes Group’s employees help select three GWYL nonprofit partners – one from each region in which The Towbes Group currently operates – Santa Maria and Lompoc, Santa Barbara and Goleta, and Ventura County.
GWYL recipients will hold that designation-for a two-year term. The Towbes Group also has announced the 2024/25 GWYL recipients: Santa Maria Boys & Girls Club (North Santa Barbara County), Mental Wellness (South Santa Barbara County), and Step up Ventura (Ventura County).
With increased donations from The Towbes Group of up to $26,000 annually and the new selection process, the Towbes Group’s reimagined GWYL program will reach a broader number of nonprofits.