First 5 Santa Barbara County offers grants to address social justice and equity
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – First 5 Santa Barbara County is opening up grant applications for nonprofits, schools, and higher learning institutions that serve kids up to the age of five to address social justice and equity.
“Systems often are the holders of inequities,” said Wendy Sims Moten, Executive Director of First 5 Santa Barbara County.
“We must do more than close gaps and point to disparities. We must look critically at all facets of our organizations as we strive in all of our work to achieve social and race equity, a state in which all children have the same opportunity to reach the potential we know they have.”
The application for the grants for fiscal year 2022-23 are open, and more information about the grants and application process is available here.
First 5 is awarding up to six $2,500 Look Ahead Innovation grants for "think tank" opportunities to investigate equity and social justice issues that can create a change in practice or operations within an organization or community, said Sharol Viker, spokesperson for First 5.
Those grant applications may be submitted at any time during the fiscal year, but funding is limited and all of the projects must be completed by June 1 of the fiscal year the grants were awarded, Viker added.
First 5 has also set aside $45,000 for Capacity Building grants that are intended to support short-term organizational-wide change efforts, and grants of up to $15,000 are offered to build leadership or staff capacity through leadership development activities, Viker said.
The activities must be in the areas of equity or social justice, and the deadline for the Capacity Building grants is June 6.
Express grants are also available for one-time projects that help community-based organizations maintain, expand, or approve their ability to serve kids and families through the first five years of the child's life. Applications can be submitted once a year for up to $10,000.
They will be accepted on an on-going basis until all the funding is exhausted.
Click here for more information about the grant opportunities.
