Raise a Glass and Some Funds

Charity and wine — what’s not to love? 

Grassini Family Vineyards’ charitable program Grassini Gives Back has been raising awareness and funds for area nonprofits over the last 15 years. This year’s recipient, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, will help the winery reach a $1 million milestone in charitable contributions. 

The path to $1 million is no small feat, explains Grassini Family Vineyards CEO Katie Grassini. “The first year, we didn’t really have a goal. We made $1,400 and thought that was the biggest thing that had ever happened,” she recalls, laughing. But as more locals learned of the winery (the El Paseo tasting room opened the same year they started their charitable arm), the more they were able to raise for nonprofits in the area. 

Over the past decade, Grassini Gives Back has worked with organizations such as Therapy Dogs of Santa Barbara, Feed the Valley, the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, Direct Relief, Storyteller, Food from the Heart, the Santa Barbara Foodbank, and many more. Throughout that time, Grassini Gives Back has evolved. When the world shut down in 2020, a one-day fundraiser seemed impossible. That year, they moved to a full month of support and brought in the option to donate online. 

This year, Grassini Gives Back is dedicating a full calendar year of support to Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. Wine club members and guests are encouraged to visit both the estate in Santa Ynez and its Santa Barbara tasting room, where proceeds from wine sales vary each month; in June, $10 will be donated for each bottle of sauvignon blanc and rosé purchased. Every month, $100 will be donated for new Wine Club memberships. 

It’s not just about raising money to support a fantastic organization — it’s about raising awareness. “Everyone that’s coming into our tasting room [or] coming to the estate is learning about this local nonprofit,” says Grassini. “And our goal with that is that even after this year is over, hopefully we’ve introduced enough folks [to Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation] that this will have a longer-term effect on the nonprofit.” 

The goal is to raise $50,000 in support of the nonprofit that supports families in a time of crisis. “As a local wine lover, I was familiar with the program,” says Julia George, Senior Development Director for Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. “I always look for partnerships and funding opportunities to support our mission. So, I reached out to the family and inquired about how we might apply to be a future recipient. And then, coincidentally, a collaborative partner of ours was the beneficiary nonprofit last year.” 

George is talking about Hearts Aligned, which leases a space from Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation’s Pediatric Cancer Support Center. Last year, Grassini Gives Back raised more than $95,000 for the nonprofit that supports families with critically ill children. 

The Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation has been working closely with families in the tri-county area for 24 years, supporting on average around 200 families in the course of a year. They offer wraparound services for families with children battling pediatric cancer, touching everything outside of a clinical setting from financial, emotional and educational support. 

The nonprofit aims to renovate their existing space on De la Vina, where they moved in May 2025. The hope is to establish a first-of-its-kind Pediatric Cancer Support Center in Santa Barbara, which will offer housing assistance for families just blocks from Cottage Hospital. 

Charity and wine isn’t an unusual combination in our area. “I think people in the hospitality and wine industry have realized that we’re not operating independently,” says Grassini, “that we can do more.” 

Just last month, Alma Rosa Winery celebrated its seventh annual “Peace of Mind: 10,000 Steps in the Right Direction,” which has raised more than $1.2 million for mental health nonprofits. Likewise, Cambria Wines, based in Los Olivos, has partnered with nonprofits such as Seatrees, American Farmland Trust, and Equality Now. 

So, it’s no surprise that Grassini Gives Back has been such a success. 

Celebrate an amazing nonprofit with some excellent wine and book a reservation at the tasting room or estate via grassinifamilyvineyards.com/visit-taste. To learn more about Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, visit teddybearcancerfoundation.org.