Student Grants

Student Grant Guidelines

In general, we try to fund as many grants that adhere to our guidelines as possible and may award partial grants as well.

New clubs or projects that you would like to establish are welcome (and encouraged) to apply!

• Project budgets should not exceed $750
• Individual students or student groups may apply
• Each student or group applicant must work with a “Sponsor”- a Santa Barbara Unified School District staff member (teacher, administrator, etc.) Supplies will need to be purchased by that sponsor (see “How to Use Your Grant” for more information about what being a sponsor entails)
• Applications must be approved by a school administrator and will be verified by SBEF. Before applying, have a school administrator (such as the principal, vice principal, or dean of students) sign off on your project. Record their contact information to add to your application. Applications that cannot be verified as approved by a school administrator will not be considered.
• There is no GPA requirement, but students must be in 9th-11th grade at the time of applying. Applications by 12th graders will not be considered as they will have graduated by the time funds are made available.

What does SBEF Fund?

• Supplies for campus-based clubs. Some examples of supplies we have funded before are:
  • T-shirts that will be used to further fundraise for a student club
  • Art supplies for a student-led club or mural project
  • Technology such as camera equipment, innovative software, etc
  • Supplies to support philanthropic work done by students on behalf of another nonprofit
• Priority will be given to grant applications that impact multiple students and for supplies that can continue to be used for multiple years
• New clubs or projects that you would like to establish are welcome (and encouraged) to apply!

What SBEF does not Fund?

• Multiple grants from the same organization or club
• Musical instruments for individual students
• School supplies or technology for individual students
• Scholarships to attend university after high school
• Campus gardens or initiatives that require new supplies each year to upkeep
• Salaries (such as for actors in a film project, artists for a mural project, etc.

How to use your SBEF Grant?

• Check back with your sponsor about the supplies that need to be purchased.
• You can either send links to supplies that need to be purchased to Katie Szopa OR your sponsor can submit receipts along with a reimbursement form and direct deposit form to Katie Szopa to be reimbursed. You can find the forms with the “Reimbursement Forms below”. Supplies CANNOT be purchased by students personally.
  1. For example, you could send a link to supplies through Amazon to be purchased by the Santa Barbara Education Foundation directly. If supplies need to be purchased in person at a store, your sponsor should keep their receipts and then send pictures to be reimbursed. Supplies should not be purchased by students.
• Funds must be used up by January 31, 2026. That means you have, from the beginning of May 2025 to January 31, 2026 to purchase everything for your project. Any funds you don’t use will be kept by the Santa Barbara Education Foundation.
• Attend the Student Grants Award Ceremony in February 2026.

Grant Application placeholder

[This can be an image of students for now and when the grant application is open, it can be a link to the grant application form.]

An example of a great application

Please note: This is not the format of the actual application, but is a good example of the questions and answers that are part of a good student grant application.