A Trusted Table of Community Activists and Visionaries

A common thread connects all those on The Fund for Santa Barbara’s team – if they weren’t professionally involved with The FUND, as it is affectionately known, they’d be steeped in social justice work in their personal lives. Those drawn to the organization feel the responsibility of giving back to the collective, of building a future that is more equitable, just, and inclusive for generations to come.

When Alina Rey Keswani joined The Fund for Santa Barbara two years ago as the organization’s development and communications manager, she immediately found herself surrounded by individuals with a shared vision. “I’ve always wanted to work in something that builds community in a meaningful and sustainable way,” Keswani says.

Founded 41 years ago by community organizer Nancy Alexander to help fund local activist groups, The FUND issues grants and helps build the capacity of local organizations and coalitions committed to progressive change around social, political, racial, economic, and environmental justice. 

What makes the organization such a potent force is its unique philanthropic model – it allocates funds for social change, not charity. All grant dollars are determined by a grantmaking committee made up of community organizers, volunteers, and activists with a finger on the pulse of a diverse set of social issues. The FUND believes that social conditions improve most dramatically when people organize on their own behalf, form alliances with other like-minded people and organizations, and build coalitions to confront and change the conditions that have denied them access, equity, and justice. 

“The FUND serves as a trusted table that brings folks into the fold to build intersectional coalitions to support movements for justice in all of its forms,” Keswani says.

In all, The Fund for Santa Barbara has made over 1,000 grants totaling more than $8 million to diverse causes ranging from housing rights to disability justice and food security across Santa Barbara County. Among the projects funded in 2021, Healing Justice Santa Barbara received $10,000 to support a commission that advocates for accountability and transparency in local policing. Freedom 4 Youth’s Freedom Philosophies received $9,000 to support a magazine that chronicles and humanizes the experiences of people impacted by the criminal justice system.

The track record of funding reflects a commitment to tackling issues at more than a just skin-deep level. 

“At so many charitable organizations there’s a kind of band-aid approach to a problem,” Keswani says, “but we’re really looking to get at the core of solutions, and we understand that those solutions are best determined by a constituency of people who really know the community.”