Small Capacity Building Grant Program

The Santa Barbara Foundation’s Small Capacity Building Grant Program is designed to strengthen the organizational capacity and effectiveness of nonprofit organizations serving communities within Santa Barbara County. The foundation operates on the belief that a nonprofit's effectiveness is significantly enhanced by thoughtful strategic planning, sound operations, strong leadership, and compelling communication. To support this, the foundation offers grants up to $6,000 intended for capacity-building projects that may also include small capital expenditures. Grants are reviewed over a six-to-eight-week period, and applicants are limited to one submission per calendar year. This program provides four annual submission opportunities with set deadlines on February 11, May 13, July 15, and September 9 for the year 2025. The grant period extends up to one year from the award date, and recipients must submit a final report within 13 months of receiving the grant. Preferred submission of the final report is within 30 days of project completion, and failure to submit may lead to ineligibility for future funding. Funding is available for a range of capacity-building activities. These include organizational development such as strategic or succession planning, program evaluation, emergency planning, staff or volunteer training, collaborative learning, small equipment purchases essential for local service delivery, and specific projects like pilot program design or strategic communications planning. However, the grants explicitly exclude support for general operations, staff salaries, existing programs, events, fundraising, endowments, and reimbursement for past expenses, among other restrictions. Eligible applicants must be certified 501(c)(3) organizations or use a fiscal sponsor with such status. Public entities such as schools and libraries can apply through an affiliated nonprofit. All applicants must be actively serving Santa Barbara County communities, and organizations based outside the county must demonstrate familiarity with local issues and engage with community stakeholders. Fiscal sponsors may submit one application for their organization and one for another group they sponsor per calendar year. Applications must be submitted online via the SmartSimple grants management system. New users must register and complete a detailed organization profile, which may take up to 24 hours to activate. Submissions are only accepted digitally, and the application process includes character limits on answers, automatic error validation, and email confirmations upon successful submission. For assistance or to verify project alignment with grant guidelines, applicants are encouraged to contact Maria Caudillo, Community Engagement Coordinator, via email at mcaudillo@SBFoundation.org. Applicants are also advised to provide thorough budgets and supporting documentation such as consultant proposals, MOUs, or equipment quotes to strengthen their applications. The foundation's main office is located at 1111 Chapala Street, Suite 200, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, and can be reached at (805) 963-1873.