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(SANTA BARBARA, CA) — The Santa Barbara Foundation has completed the administration of the Francis and Marianna Masin Human Services Fund, fulfilling the couple’s vision of providing sustained support to organizations serving Santa Barbara County residents facing hardship.
National Estate Planning Awareness Week (October 20-26) highlights and encourages forethought like that demonstrated by the Masins to ensure the continuation of financial and charitable goals after one’s passing.
Established through the Masin 1995 Trust, the fund was designed to provide charitable distributions over a 10-year period to four organizations addressing essential community needs: Transition House, Storyteller, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and Casa Esperanza, whose shelter services subsequently continued under PATH.
The fund’s final distributions include $923,584 to each of the designated charitable purposes, with the former Casa Esperanza allocation supporting shelter operations and improvements at the City of Santa Barbara’s Casa Cacique.
Francis and Marianna Masin’s commitment to helping others was deeply personal. Both physicians and medical researchers, they came to the United States after being liberated from a prison camp at the end of World War II. Their experiences helped shape a lifelong dedication to serving people experiencing poverty and hardship.
The couple supported local organizations during their lifetimes and established their charitable trust to ensure that support would continue for years after their passing. “Francis and Marianna Masin understood that thoughtful planning could extend the impact of their generosity far beyond their lifetimes,” said Jackie Carrera, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation. “Their legacy is a powerful example of how charitable estate planning can turn deeply held values into lasting community benefit. We are honored to have played a role in fulfilling their wishes and ensuring their generosity continues to make a difference for people in need across Santa Barbara County.”
In 2023, the Santa Barbara Foundation was entrusted with responsibility for administering the remaining assets of the Masin Trust following the death of its previous trustee. The Foundation established a donor-designated fund to continue distributions according to the couple’s wishes through the conclusion of the fund’s intended term.
The enduring impact of the Masins’ philanthropy is especially meaningful to the organizations they supported for decades.
Transition House, which has served families experiencing homelessness since 1984, first received support from the Masins in 1986. The couple maintained a close relationship with the organization, visiting regularly to better understand the challenges facing the families it served.
“This gift is enormous and it will radically change the lives of so many families in the future,” said Kathleen Baushke, Transition House executive director. “I know that their legacy has been realized and I am so happy for them … Thank you to the Santa Barbara Foundation for being good stewards of their dreams.”
One of the distributions required particular attention to the Masins’ original charitable purpose.
Casa Esperanza, a designated beneficiary of the trust, had previously transitioned to operation by PATH. When PATH ceased operations at the shelter on Cacique Street in December 2025, the City of Santa Barbara acquired the property and Mercy House assumed responsibility for shelter operations.
To preserve the Masins’ intention of supporting services for people experiencing homelessness, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees authorized directing the final $923,584 distribution associated with Casa Esperanza to the City of Santa Barbara and Mercy House.
The funding will support ongoing shelter operations, resident services and critical facility repairs and improvements at Casa Cacique, which provides 100 year-round beds and supportive services to individuals experiencing homelessness.
The decision ensures the Masins’ generosity continues to serve the same need, at the same place, despite changes in the organizations responsible for delivering those services.
The completion of the Masin Human Services Fund reflects a central role of community foundations like the Santa Barbara Foundation: helping donors translate their charitable values into enduring community impact, while honoring their intentions as organizations and community needs evolve.
About Santa Barbara Foundation
Founded in 1928, the Santa Barbara Foundation actively connects donors, nonprofits, government, businesses and the people of Santa Barbara County to take on the most challenging needs facing our region’s communities. Recognizing that its work depends on the strength of the social sector, the Foundation is committed to the health and vitality of local nonprofits. Knowing that together we can do more, the Foundation mobilizes charitable giving and connects their expertise to that of donors, nonprofits and residents to create meaningful impact on the communities of our county. SBFoundation.org.
