Emergency Grants
to Students Helped During a Critical Time
During the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the magnitude of the unemployment wave became clear, the SBCC Foundation launched the COVID-19 Student Emergency Grant Fund. Between March 30 and April 24, the SBCC Foundation awarded over $2 million to more than 2,300 SBCC students. These grants helped students stay safe, healthy, housed, and fed, and access the critical resources needed to transition to remote learning. Most importantly, all of this was done in the earliest days of the crisis before other assistance became available. Of the students who received emergency grants:
• 100% reported COVID-related job loss.
• 100% cited difficulty meeting their basic needs, including:
• 53% who asked for rent or housing assistance.
• 40% who asked for help paying for food/groceries.
• 8% who asked for help with necessary prescriptions and COVID-related medical bills.
• 69% reported insufficient access to Wi-Fi, a requirement to continue their now-online courses.
• 52% requested help to continue their education in the Spring 2020 semester, including financial assistance with tuition, books, and/or supplies.
Thank you to everyone who helped support our students during this challenging time! If you’d like to contribute to the COVID-19 Emergency Grant Fund, you may do so on our donation page.
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Spring Forward! Gala
(Fall edition, at home) – October 1st at 4:00 p.m.
Like so many of our community partners, we at the SBCC Foundation had to postpone our annual fundraising event. Although we weren't able to get together with you in person back in May, the second annual Spring Forward! Gala has been reinvented and will now be held virtually on Thursday, October 1 at 4:00 p.m. The event is free, but you must register in advance.
Please visit the Spring Forward! Gala page on our website for more information. Details about how to join will be posted soon.
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for their commitment to our work and rolling with the changes!
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Over $1 Million in Scholarships Awarded to SBCC Students
The SBCC Foundation has awarded over $1 million in scholarships to 742 SBCC students for the 2020-2021 academic year.
The President’s Scholarship and the Towbes/Luria STEM Achievement Scholarship were among those awarded. The two scholarships, each a $10,000 multi-year award, are the top prizes available through the Foundation.
Kinesiology major Kristine Sanchez received the President’s Scholarship, which is funded through the estates of Janet and Eugene Aiches and by the Luria Foundation. The award recognizes an “outstanding” student who has demonstrated service to others, academic and personal achievement, leadership, resilience in the face of hardship, and potential for future success
Engineering major Alison Day is the first-ever recipient of the Towbes/Luria STEM Achievement Scholarship. The brand-new scholarship, supported by Carrie Towbes and Kandy Luria-Budgor (through the Luria Foundation), recognizes a standout student in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) discipline. This fall, Kristine and Alison will be transferring to CSU Fullerton and Stanford University, respectively, to continue their studies.
Another bright spot in scholarship news is the Thatcher Foundation’s generous increased support of its Nursing Program Award, which covers the full cost of attendance (fees, books, uniforms, tuition) for 10 students transferring from the Vocational Nursing Program to the Associates Degree in Nursing Program. Completion of the program was recently extended from two semesters to three, with the Thatcher Foundation now stepping in to cover the cost of the entire three semesters.
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More than 4,000 Students Have Participated in the SBCC Promise
As the Fall 2020 semester begins, nearly 1,700 local students are once again enrolled in the SBCC Promise, and will attend SBCC for free – all of their fees, books, and supplies are covered – thanks to your generosity. More than 4,000 students have participated since the SBCC Foundation created the SBCC Promise in 2016.
To prepare for the semester, which will be taught online (with a few exceptions), the SBCC Foundation held an orientation session for students and their parents earlier this month. The online session covered eligibility criteria for the Promise, requirements, and included a Q&A after the presentation. Over one hundred people participated, including current SBCC students, prospective SBCC students, parents, and community members.
The SBCC Promise is made possible by generous support from our community. If you are interested in supporting the SBCC Promise, please visit our website.
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SBCC Foundation's COVID Conversations is now Campus Conversations
On April 30, 2020, the SBCC Foundation hosted the first of a new series of virtual gatherings, aptly named COVID Conversations: How SBCC is Meeting the Moment. SBCC Superintendent/President Dr. Utpal K. Goswami was the guest speaker, kickstarting the inaugural episode with an overview of the College’s transition to remote learning, just weeks into the campus shutdown.
COVID Conversations has now been rebranded Campus Conversations. The series was conceived with the aim of shining a light on some of the hidden gems at SBCC, bringing the campus (and broader) community together, and sharing how our community's college is adapting to remote instruction and work. Moderated by SBCC Foundation CEO Geoff Green, each conversation focuses on a different topic. Following a presentation by the special guest speakers, participants have the opportunity to submit questions for a moderated Q&A.
Addressing students’ mental health and wellness, equity and inclusion, embracing distance learning, adult education and the School of Extended Learning, the Cosmetology Academy, child care, and physical education are among the topics and programs discussed to date. For Fall 2020, Campus Conversations will take place on the first and third Thursdays of the month.
For more information on the SBCC Foundation’s Campus Conversations or to view the recordings of past presentations, please click here.
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SBCC Foundation State Street Flags
When you're out and about downtown on State Street during the week of September 9-16, be sure to look up!
The SBCC Foundation's flags will be flying, as part of Downtown Santa Barbara's State Street Flag program that celebrates downtown cultural attractions and our community's nonprofits with weekly flag displays. The flags can be seen the full length of the Downtown Santa Barbara State Street corridor, from Cabrillo Boulevard to Sola Street.
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