NEWS
Santa Barbara Education Foundation Receives $50,000 Grant from Google.org to Support Teachers in the Classroom
Santa Barbara Education Foundation received a $50,000 grant from Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, for its Teacher Grants program, which provides funding to Santa Barbara Unified educators to promote innovative teaching and purchase essential classroom supplies. Since 2018, the Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF) has awarded grants once a year to support much-needed, project-based supplies, instructional [...]
Keep the Beat Instrument Drive Brings in 60 Instruments for School Music Programs
Last month, 99.9 KTYD teamed up with the Santa Barbara Education Foundation to promote music education in our schools with the Keep the Beat Instrument Drive. The live on-air event, which appealed to the community for donations of used instruments and funds for Santa Barbara Unified music programs, yielded over 60 musical instruments and over [...]
Karen Dutton Joins Santa Barbara Education Foundation’s Board of Directors
Santa Barbara Education Foundation recently elected Karen Dutton to its Board of Directors as Santa Barbara Unified School District teacher representative. An alumnus of the University of California Los Angeles, Dutton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, a Master’s in Education, and a teaching credential in Music. Dutton has taught music in the [...]
Santa Barbara Education Foundation and 99.9 KTYD continue to Keep the Beat for Local Students
Since 2003, the Santa Barbara Education Foundation has kept the beat for school music programs by raising funds to pay for instruction and collecting instruments. The efforts have ensured that every elementary school student in SB Unified learns to play an instrument as part of their school day curriculum, a rarity for California school districts. [...]
EVENTS
The Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF) will host Wealth of Knowledge, a free financial literacy workshop designed specifically for educators, on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
LATEST ISSUE
Education Matters
As we close out 2025, this issue of Education Matters celebrates the impact made possible by our community.
From a powerful story highlighting the lifelong influence of music education to key insights from Superintendent Dr. Hilda Maldonado’s State of Our Schools address, this newsletter reflects a year of growth and opportunity across Santa Barbara’s public schools.
You’ll also meet SBEF’s newest board member and join us in thanking a longtime leader for his dedicated service.
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