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SANTA YNEZ, CA – March 30, 2026 – To assist Santa Barbara County schools that are struggling to meet the classroom technology needs of their students, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated over $93,000 to 13 area schools that applied for grants through its foundation’s Technology in Schools Program for the 2025-26 school year.
The program encourages Santa Barbara County school administrators and faculty to apply for technology grant dollars to fund specific projects. These grants let schools purchase hardware, upgrade infrastructure, add high-tech resources and boost their curriculum.
The deadline to apply for the 2026-27 school year is April 30, and all applications must be submitted online at http://www.chumash.gov/foundation.
This year’s recipients are Ballard School District in Solvang, Leonora Fillmore Elementary School District in Lompoc, Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, Notre Dame School in Santa Barbara, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Santa Barbara, Jonata Middle School in Buellton, Dunn School in Los Olivos, Adelante Charter School in Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara High School, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, Santa Ynez Valley Charter School, Solvang School District, and Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy.
“Each year, we see how meaningful technology can transform a student’s education,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Through our Technology in Schools Program, we’re honored to support the educators and staff who champion this work and to help provide the tools that strengthen the future of education in Santa Barbara County.”
Ballard School District in Solvang was awarded $10,000 to purchase new Chromebook devices for third-through-sixth-grade classrooms.
“On behalf of Ballard School, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for your incredible $10,000 donation,” said Pam Rennick, superintendent/principal for Ballard School District. “This generous contribution will allow us to replace our outdated technology and ensure our students have the modern tools they need to thrive. We are truly honored by your support and your commitment to the success of our local youth.”
Leonora Fillmore Elementary School District in Lompoc was awarded $7,500 and will use the funds to create a Fillmore Community Resource Center, designed to bridge the digital divide for families, particularly those from low-income and English Learner (EL) backgrounds.
“We are deeply grateful to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for supporting Leonora Fillmore Elementary through the Technology in Schools Program,” said Jensine Garcia, community school program specialist for Leonora Fillmore Elementary School District. “This funding will help us strengthen our Community School Technology-Enhanced Parent Resource Center, expanding digital literacy, improving family-school communication, and increasing access to essential resources for our families.”
Cabrillo High School in Lompoc was awarded $10,500 and will use the funds to create the Chumash-Cabrillo Esports Lab, equipping the school with high-end gaming and technology tools to support student participation in CIF/NASEF PlayVS Esports competition and provide expanded access to digital learning resources.
“We are incredibly honored to receive the Technology in Schools grant from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians,” said Andrew Keim, Head Esports Coach for Cabrillo High School. “This funding is a game-changer for the Cabrillo High School Esports program, providing a vital incentive for our diverse student body – including student-athletes and neurodivergent learners – to maintain the academic standing needed to compete. For many of our students, Esports is the primary motivation that keeps them engaged and on the path toward graduation.”
Notre Dame School in Santa Barbara was awarded $14,139 to fund its Internet Infrastructure Project. The project will update the school’s current IT equipment, including access points, switches, an uninterruptible power supply, and small form-factor pluggables.
“Thanks to the generous support of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ Technology in Schools grant, we were able to upgrade the internet infrastructure across our entire campus.,” said Alex Gasca, principal for Notre Dame School. “This transformative investment ensures that every student has reliable one-to-one access to technology, expanding opportunities for learning, collaboration, and targeted online interventions that support student success.”
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Santa Barbara was awarded $5,000 to implement a 1-to-1 device program for grades one through eight. The funding also covers protective cases for the devices and keyboards for middle school students.
Jonata Middle School in Buellton was awarded $6,000 to replace its aging fleet of Chromebooks. This funding ensures students have consistent access to reliable technology by replacing older devices currently sidelined by battery issues, broken screens and hardware malfunctions.
Dunn School in Los Olivos was awarded $6,012 to purchase 35 Chromebooks to support a 1-to-1 device program for its middle school, which currently serves approximately 55 students in sixth-through-eighth grade.
Adelante Charter School in Santa Barbara was awarded $3,768 to replace outdated classroom televisions, originally purchased in 2011, with new models and Apple TV devices.
Santa Barbara High School Boys Basketball was awarded $4,996 to fund enhancing athlete performance and safety through GPS technology by purchasing PLAYERDATA GPS units. These state-of-the-art wearable devices are designed to collect real-time performance data, offering detailed insight into each athlete’s physical output during training and competition.
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District was awarded $7,620 to fund desktop computers for its four high schools. This grant provides 12 computers, with three per campus, to be housed in school wellness centers. These units will allow vulnerable students to access confidential spaces for telehealth services from qualified mental and medical health providers.
The Santa Ynez Valley Charter School was awarded $5,467 to purchase four 55-inch smartboards for its classrooms.
Solvang School District was awarded $6,029 to replace aging interactive whiteboards with new, modern models that support high-quality, technology-integrated instruction.
The Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy was awarded $6,015 to purchase 47 Chromebooks, providing students with the essential technology needed for academic success and spiritual growth.
In 2015, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians donated the proceeds from its annual charity golf tournament to four local schools in the form of technology grants. Inspired by the success of those grants, the tribe’s leadership created the Technology in Schools Program through its foundation to help fulfill the high-tech needs of classrooms in Santa Barbara County. Since its inception, the program has issued more than $640,000 in grants to area schools.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $30 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation as part of the tribe’s long-standing tradition of giving.
