Nancy Stearns Scholarship Recipient’s Tell Their Stories Nancy Stearns was an inspiring docent and dear friend of NatureTrack’s founder Sue Eisaguirre for many years. Nancy’s husband Brett Stearns created a $5,000 scholarship in her name for students who reside and attend high school in the North County of Santa Barbara. Brett noted, “This money is to help [...more...]
What happens when the people driving a nonprofit organization providing community support get burned out and need support themselves? Leading From Within is what happens. Leading From Within is an organization that doesn’t work for [...more...]
Giving List Matching Challenges
Youth Development
On Ellwood Mesa, a second grader watched dolphins crest the waves and whispered, “Pinch me so I know I’m not […more…]
Santa Barbara is hardly a winter wonderland where people gather on a frozen lake to frolic on ice skates during […more…]
The I Madonnari Street Painting Festival, much-beloved mainstay of Memorial Day weekend for many decades, is more than two months […more…]
Homelessness
What does street medicine look like in real life? It looks like compassionate care delivered directly to our unsheltered neighbors […more…]
A month ago, New Beginnings’ innovative annual benefit event filled Center Stage Theater four times with two different theatrical pieces […more…]
Villa Majella is SB County’s only maternity home, providing safe shelter, 24/7 support, transportation, warm meals, and access to vital services. […more…]
Health & Wellness
Despite Santa Barbara’s seemingly vibrant, prosperous community, some of its youngest residents face invisible barriers to health and wellness that […more…]
Cottage Health is entering a new era of innovation while staying true to its mission of providing exceptional, compassionate care. […more…]
A dam was just 23 when he suffered a stroke that nearly took his life. He spent two weeks in […more…]
For the Environment
We’re thrilled to share that in exactly two weeks—on Thursday, March 5th at 9 AM PST / 12 PM EST—our […more…]
The NatureTrack Foundation is proud to announce Ellery Pierce as the recipient of the 2025 NatureTrack Nancy Stearns Scholarship, awarded […more…]
Join the Community Environmental Council on Saturday, September 27 for a celebration of resilience to honor our collective strength as […more…]
For the Children
In the face of a devastating diagnosis that would break most spirits, 13-year-old Ava Decker chose to fight not just […more…]
In a classroom at Santa Barbara High School, a student named Arturo sat slumped in his chair, disengaged from another […more…]
Thirty-seven years after its founding in the parking lot at Transition House – where the goal was simply to create […more…]
For the Arts
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art has a long-standing tradition of uniting people of all ages through a diverse range […more…]
At age 17, Grace Fisher was a budding musician, a creative spirit on the cusp of adulthood. Her world was […more…]
Set Sail for an Evening of Smooth Tunes and Celebration As part of its 25th anniversary celebration year, the Santa […more…]
For the Animals
Plenty of local folks probably aren’t aware of CIMWI, let alone what the acronym stands for – Channel Islands Marine […more…]
Return to Freedom’s Founder Neda DeMayo has had horse sense since her earliest memories. “Horse was my first word,” DeMayo […more…]
The Search Dog Foundation believes that they can help every dog that enters theiur program be successful in whatever type […more…]
Emergency Services
Direct Relief has debuted a new public service announcement featuring Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian, and long-time supporter Jane Lynch. In […more…]
Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue (SBCSAR) was ready when an experienced paraglider had an issue with equipment and was […more…]
Wilma Melville founded the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation in 1996, a year after witnessing the dearth of rescue dogs […more…]
Education
Olive Crest’s Hope Refuge Campus in Santa Barbara County provides a safe place for young survivors of sex trafficking to […more…]
The Central City East neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles goes by another moniker – one familiar to the public and […more…]
The first five years of a child’s life lay the foundation for how they’ll do in school and beyond – […more…]
Community Resilience
State Street has long been the beating heart of Santa Barbara. Like many downtown corridors across America, it has faced […more…]
In an era where technology dominates our daily lives, you might wonder if public libraries still matter. According to Lauren […more…]
On May 20, 2025, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors officially proclaimed the month of May as Search and Rescue Month, honoring the […more…]
Advocacy
When disasters strike the Central Coast, not everyone has equal access to help. For those in the 805 community who […more…]
Join Hillside for a Disability Independence Day Festival at Hillside! This fun-filled and family-friendly event is a great way to […more…]
In perhaps one of the most challenging times for undocumented immigrants in American history, the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa […more…]