The Fund for Santa Barbara is Pleased to Announce the 2025 Movement Building Grant Cycles Request for Proposals is Now Open Through March 28th!

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The FUND is committed to supporting grassroots community organizations at the forefront of combating inequities and dismantling systemic oppression. We prioritize funding groups and organizations leading movement-building efforts that harness community power to create transformative, systemic, and lasting social change.

We believe significant social change requires broad participation and democratic control of social, political, and economic institutions. Social conditions improve most when those who have been denied power and justice lead efforts to challenge and change the systems that have denied them access to equity and fairness.

The FUND defines social change as addressing the root causes, not symptoms, of social inequities—be they economic, environmental, political, or racial—to alleviate and dismantle the conditions that perpetuate and sustain them. We invite partners who align with our mission to advance movements for Economic, Environmental, Political, Racial, and Social Change to apply.

Single-Year Movement Building Grant

The Movement Building Grant supports groups and organizations leading systemic change efforts. We invite applications from organizations whose work aligns with our mission to advance Economic, Environmental, Political, Racial, and Social change within Santa Barbara County.

Applicants may request up to $10,000 in funding.

Multi-Year Movement Building Grant

The Multi-Year Movement Building Grant cycle will run concurrently with our Single-Year Movement Building Grant cycle and is available exclusively to pre-existing partners with a funding history of three or more funding cycles in recent history. To meet the current moment, The FUND is expanding our Grantmaking Portfolio.

Pre-existing partners may now apply for up to $20,000 per year for two years, pending staff screening for eligibility. Contact grants@fundforsantabarbara.org to determine your eligibility.

To be eligible for any of our grant programs, applicants must meet our Funding Guidelines and Priorities.

As our nation and the nonprofit sector face increasingly destabilizing times, The FUND acknowledges the urgent need for streamlined, flexible, and reliable support for frontline organizations. In response, The FUND is revising its Movement Building Grant programs and implementing the following provisions, reaffirming our commitment to our core values and remaining steadfast in supporting the organizations and partners we serve.

Single-Year and Multi-Year Provisions

1. Dedicated Support for Application Assistance: The FUND is offering free virtual grant application workshops to help applicants understand funding guidelines, priorities, and demystify the application process.

2. Updated Reporting Requirements: The FUND has streamlined reporting by prioritizing annual informal conversations over traditional documentation, focusing on long-term outcomes, mutual learning, and collaboration to reduce administrative burden. Grantees will be asked to participate in these informal conversations in lieu of submitting traditional grant reports.

3. Condensed Application: To allow our partners to focus their limited time on advancing progressive social change, The FUND has also considerably condensed the grant application to further streamline the process and improve access for applicants.

Multi-Year Only Provision

1. Leaning into Trust-Based Philanthropy: Effective immediately, pre-existing partner organizations that have previously been funded for three or more funding cycles will be able to submit a two-page maximum Letter of Intent (LOI) to prioritize addressing critical issues and advancing social change over lengthy application processes.

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of three free grant application workshops, taking place on March 5th, March 6th, andMarch 11th. These workshops will help grant seekers gain a deeper understanding of The FUND’s funding guidelines, and priorities, and provide valuable guidance on the application process. Spanish interpretation is available upon request by contacting grants@fundforsantabarbara.org. Reserve your spot and share this opportunity with anyone who might be eligible and interested in applying for a Movement Building Grant.

For more information on guidelines, to apply, and to register for the Grant Application Workshop, visit the Fund for Santa Barbara’s website.

https://fundforsantabarbara.org/grantee-portal

Applicants must submit their applications by Friday, March 28th, 2025 at 11:59 pm. No Exceptions.

Questions should be directed to Tania M. Reyes, Grant Programs Manager, at 805-962-9164 x1105, grants@fundforsantabarbara.org.