Weingart Foundation Gives Hillside House a Big Boost

On December 21, the Weingart Foundation pledged a two-year grant of $150,000 to Hillside House in core support for operating expenses. The Foundation has donated $75,000 to help the non-profit meet its fundraising needs for 2010 with an additional $75,000 pledged as a matching grant for 2011 to encourage Hillside House in its fundraising efforts.

Hillside House is a 59-bed residential facility in Santa Barbara that has been providing a home, therapeutic care and life-enrichment programs for people with developmental disabilities for over 65 years. Hillside House’s mission is “to provide a home that supports our residents’ efforts to maximize their physical, cognitive, social and emotional abilities so that they can attain their highest level of independence in an environment where people are treated with dignity and respect.”

Of the grant, Curtis Lauber, Director of Development at Hillside House, says, “We are so grateful to learn of the Weingart Foundation’s major gift. The grant comes at a time when individual donations have been down for the past two years and foundation support has become more competitive than ever. We were facing a major shortfall in our fundraising goal for 2010 until we learned of the Weingart Foundation’s generous grant. Now we will not have to face cutting vital programs or services to our residents.”

Lauber says the matching gift next year will help the non-profit to reach out to donors and expand community support for the work they do, helping people with disabilities to develop their abilities, express their potentials and live full lives. “It motivates us to express our needs as clearly as we can, to communicate to our community how much we need support to take care of those among us who live with extraordinary challenges and extraordinary gifts.”

While Medi-Cal rates have been virtually frozen for three years, the costs of providing the kind of medically-intensive and individualized care that Hillside House offers continue to increase. Lauber says reports show that non-profits around the country have been hit hard by the recession while those being served by those non-profits are more in need than ever. “People have to reach out to each other in times of need,” he says. “We hope our community will respond.”

For additional information on the Weingart Foundation’s grant to Hillside House, please contact Curtis Lauber, Director of Development at (805) 687-0788 ext. 15 or visit our website.