Dear Friends,
What an exhilarating finish to Fiscal Year 2026!
In a span of less than six weeks, our organization announced almost $8.5 million in scholarships for the coming academic year, celebrated local students and supporters at gatherings in both ends of the county, and presented an especially dazzling South Coast Business & Technology (SCBT) Awards ceremony, raising a record sum for still more scholarships in the bargain.
The flurry of activity kicked off May 15 with Programs staff sending the bulk of scholarship notifications for 2026-27 (high school seniors were notified April 24). All told, the Foundation will award $8.46 million in scholarships next academic year, an increase of 9 percent over last year’s total of $7.71 million.
Less than two weeks later, the Foundation hosted four public events over two days, beginning with our South County Awards Ceremony at the Courthouse Sunken Garden in Santa Barbara on May 27. The following day we held a similar event at the Santa Maria Fairpark Convention Center. Remarkably, a total of some 1,500 students and supporters attended our 2026 awards ceremonies!
And then on June 23, we produced our most successful SCBT Awards ceremony to date. Presented once again at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, this year’s ceremony grossed a record $361,050 in sponsorships, with net proceeds benefiting the Scholarship Foundation.
How do we top this run of success? As we prepare to announce our new president and CEO, I have a feeling our hot streak will soon continue!
One thing not in doubt: our commitment to area students and families. As you would expect, operating a scholarship program and mounting events of this scale and complexity require significant planning and effort. I can’t say enough good things about the dedicated professionals who staff the Scholarship Foundation and perform magic on behalf of this community each and every day.
Nor can I say enough good things about the supporters and well-wishers who have made these recent weeks so special.
As I told attendees at our Annual Dinner on May 27, this is gratifying, edifying, soul-enriching work.
Thank you for being part of it!