2026
Food Community Grant Program Food Security is the Foundation of a Thriving Community Nothing underlies a healthy, stable community quite like food. Yet despite being a food-producing county, 37% of Santa Barbara County adults experience food insecurity, with consequences that ripple across health, education, and economic opportunity. As funding cuts deepen the crisis, the Santa Barbara Foundation is committed to helping nonprofits stay stable and effective in serving our community.
Structural Challenges Federal food assistance is shrinking New restrictions have eliminated eligibility for many community members, and expanded work requirements will put thousands more at risk.
Photo: Veronica Slavin
Demand is outpacing supply As food assistance shrinks, residents will turn to nonprofits — who are also operating with fewer resources — for help.
Services aren’t reaching everyone
Innovation needs flexibility to grow
Food insecurity is concentrated in North County, rural inland areas, and dense urban cores, and the communities that need help don’t always receive it.
Nonprofits are meeting growing needs with bold new approaches. Sustained investment and capacity building are essential to turn promising models into lasting community impact.
Our Approach The Santa Barbara Foundation’s Food Community Grant Committee carefully vets dozens of applications and provides two-year, unrestricted operating grants to nonprofits addressing food insecurity across the county. By reducing administrative burden and enabling longer-term planning, multi-year funding frees our partners to focus on what matters most. Photo: Foodbank of Santa Barbara County