Towbes Foundation

The Towbes Foundation, established in 1980 by Michael and Gail Towbes with an initial grant of just $500, has evolved from a broad-purpose family foundation into a tightly focused grantmaker with two exclusive program pillars: education (early childhood through college transition) and mental health services (direct behavioral health programs for children, youth, families, and adults). Leadership describes this shift as a deliberate departure from 'sprinkling' modest amounts across many causes — the foundation now invests where it can make the greatest impact and provide the most leverage.

Five programs exist, but only one is openly competitive: the general Education and Mental Health Grants cycle. The Michael Towbes Legacy Awards, Community Priorities, James S. Bower Foundation–Towbes Collaborative Grants, and Additional Community Investments are all invitation-only. This architecture means the open grant cycle is effectively an audition for deeper, invitation-tier engagement. Organizations that demonstrate impact and reliability through two or three open-cycle grants become candidates for larger, invitation-based relationships.

The relationship trajectory for new applicants: submit a completed online application through the YourCauseGrants portal during one of three annual cycles, potentially be invited for a board interview or site visit, and receive a decision 6–8 weeks after the deadline. The board convenes in October (Cycle 1), February (Cycle 2), and May (Cycle 3), with funding notifications in November, March, and June respectively.

First-time applicants should calibrate expectations carefully. The 2025–2026 guidelines explicitly state the process is 'more selective than in previous years' as a growing pool of qualified applicants competes for available funds. Grant amounts change year to year, and previous funding guarantees nothing. The foundation's income derives from commercial real estate partnerships and traditional investments — explicitly flagged as vulnerable to economic fluctuations including inflation and geopolitical events. Build program budgets with other primary funders and treat Towbes grants as meaningful but non-guaranteed supplements.

The grantee roster reveals who succeeds here: organizations delivering direct services in children's mental health (Child Abuse Listening Mediation, $430,000 cumulative over 4 grants), early childhood education (Storyteller Children's Center, $57,250), accessible counseling (New Beginnings Counseling Center, $57,500), and college access (Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, $81,500). The top 10 grantees each received 2–7 separate grants, confirming that multi-year relationships are actively cultivated. With $49.4M in assets after a major FY2022 endowment infusion, the foundation's long-term grantmaking capacity has grown substantially — but patience is required as investment returns mature.

The Towbes Foundation's open-cycle grants range from $1,000 to $20,000, with the stated majority of awards falling in the $5,000–$7,500 band per the current 2025–2026 grant guidelines. The foundation reports a typical average grant of $6,250. This compressed range requires applicants to right-size requests carefully — first-time grantees who request the $20,000 maximum risk receiving a smaller award or none; returning partners with documented outcomes can credibly justify $15,000–$20,000.

Across 251 historical grant records, total documented grantmaking reaches $3,997,060, with a per-organization cumulative average of $15,925 — a figure that reflects multi-year relationship giving rather than single-cycle awards. All 251 grants are to Santa Barbara County, California organizations, confirming strict geographic enforcement.

The foundation's financials reveal significant year-to-year volatility in giving capacity: - FY2018: Total giving $4,940,410; assets $1,946,733 - FY2019: Total giving $4,404,212; assets $7,479,788 - FY2020: Total giving $4,668,753; assets $11,175,869 - FY2021: Total giving $4,098,904; assets $10,325,099 - FY2022: Total giving $1,286,862; assets $49,414,908 (following a $39,191,529 endowment contribution)

The FY2022 collapse in giving — from $4.1M to $1.3M — coincides with the largest asset jump in the foundation's history, triggered by a single $39.2M contribution. This pattern suggests a strategic transition while the portfolio was repositioned. Net investment income was $1.2M in FY2022, down from $1.8M in FY2021. With $49.4M in assets now invested, annual grantmaking capacity is expected to grow materially as the endowment matures and investment returns compound.

By program focus, based on grantee data:

• Education (estimated 55% of open-cycle grants): Santa Barbara Education Foundation ($97,500), Scholarship Foundation of SB ($81,500), Storyteller Children's Center ($57,250 early childhood), SBCC Foundation ($25,000 for Running Start/Summer Bridge), Future Leaders of America ($27,500), and school-based enrichment programs.
• Mental Health (approximately 30%): Child Abuse Listening Mediation dominates at $430,000 over 4 grants for SBUSD mental health consultation — the largest single-organization investment in the grantee database. New Beginnings Counseling Center ($57,500), Pacific Pride Foundation ($44,750), Casa Serena ($40,000), St. Vincent's Santa Barbara ($42,500), and Family Service Agency ($40,000).
• Legacy human services (approximately 15%): United Way of Santa Barbara County ($361,910), Foodbank ($60,000), Transition House ($50,000) — holdovers from the pre-focus era, expected to phase down as strategic narrowing continues.

The Towbes Foundation occupies a distinctive niche among Santa Barbara County funders — a family foundation with an accessible open-application process, strict topical focus, and three annual grant cycles. The table below compares it to key regional peers.

Towbes Foundation is the most accessible family foundation in Santa Barbara County for education- and mental-health-aligned nonprofits, offering three open application cycles annually — a cadence unmatched by most local peers. The Santa Barbara Foundation (the county's major community foundation) offers complementary coverage with broader subject areas and larger maximum awards in specific programs ($50K for childcare, $30K for behavioral health), but requires navigating separate program applications with distinct deadlines. Towbes is unique in its strict two-topic focus, making it ideal for specialist organizations rather than generalist community service providers. With $49.4M in assets after the FY2022 endowment infusion, it now ranks among the larger private foundations in the county despite historically modest annual disbursements relative to its growing asset base.

The most significant recent development is the FY2022 asset surge — total assets tripling from $10.3M to $49.4M following a $39,191,529 contribution, the largest single infusion in the foundation's 44-year history. This recapitalization, documented in the foundation's 990 filing, likely reflects estate or legacy planning by the founding Towbes family and positions the foundation for substantially increased grantmaking capacity in the coming decade. Despite this asset leap, total giving fell to $1.3M in FY2022 (from $4.1M in FY2021), suggesting a strategic pause while the new endowment was repositioned — a pattern consistent with foundations absorbing major new capital.

In 2025, foundation President Carrie Towbes was honored as one of Santa Barbara's 82nd Persons of the Year alongside community leader George Burtness — recognition of the family's multi-decade philanthropic leadership in the county. Carrie's daughter, Allison Lewis-Towbes, has joined the foundation's board as a Director, marking the arrival of the third generation of family governance and signaling long-term institutional continuity.

Operationally, the 2025–2026 grant guidelines contain new competitive language: the selection process is 'more selective than in previous years' due to a growing pool of qualified applicants. This language is new compared to prior cycles. Looking ahead, the foundation disclosed plans for a 'new application coming in FY2027,' suggesting a structural update to the grant portal or eligibility framework that applicants should monitor closely. Executive Director Kristen Sullivan PhD continues to lead day-to-day operations, with compensation rising from $140,778 to $144,033 between the two most recent filing periods — reflecting staff stability during broader governance transitions.

Align explicitly to education or mental health — not general community benefit. The Towbes Foundation funds exactly two topic areas through its open cycle. If your organization works in food security, housing, or general human services, reframe your application around how your work directly enables educational outcomes (food access so children can focus in school) or improves mental health (stable housing that reduces family trauma and stress). The alignment must be explicit and program-specific, not implied.

Apply at the August cycle when possible. Cycle 1 (deadline August 31, opens August 1) represents the start of the fiscal year with the full annual grantmaking budget available. Subsequent cycles may draw from remaining funds after prior-cycle commitments, making earlier application cycles potentially more competitive in funding volume terms.

Submit by the 15th, not the deadline. Submitting by August 15, December 15, or April 15 — two weeks before the hard cutoff — gives staff time to contact you with clarifying questions. This is explicitly noted in grant guidelines as an accommodation the foundation provides, giving early submitters a meaningful advantage.

Right-size your first request to $5,000–$7,500. Guidelines confirm this is the median award band. Requesting $20,000 on a first application signals misalignment with the foundation's relationship-building philosophy and may actually reduce your chances. Establish a track record in the lower range, then scale requests over subsequent cycles as trust is built.

Never contact board members directly. This prohibition is explicit in grant guidelines and constitutes a disqualifying behavior. Route all communications — including status inquiries — through Executive Director Kristen Sullivan PhD at ksullivan@towbesfoundation.org only.

Verify no concurrent Towbes-family funding. If any Towbes family member, related estate vehicle, or affiliated fund is simultaneously supporting your organization in the same fiscal year, you are categorically ineligible — even with a perfect mission fit. Confirm this before investing time in an application.

Focus on direct service delivery, not systems change. Mental health funding prioritizes 'direct services in behavioral health programs' — not advocacy, awareness campaigns, or research. Education funding rewards direct-service programs with measurable student-level outcomes in early childhood, K-12, and college transition — not curriculum development, policy advocacy, or professional development unless tied directly to student results.

Plan for year-over-year variability. The foundation explicitly warns that 'the amount may change from year to year' and that investment income is subject to economic fluctuations tied to commercial real estate. Treat Towbes grants as supplemental rather than foundational in your budget architecture.