The Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF) hosted its annual Teacher Grants awards reception at the Historic Carrillo Ballroom on January 29, 2025. A record-breaking $203,000 in grants was awarded to Santa Barbara Unified School District educators. This year’s program will benefit 96 teachers by funding innovative projects across 21 district schools.
Since its inception in 2018, SBEF’s Teacher Grants program has awarded 483 grants totaling over $888,000. The program directly supports teachers and students by providing creative, hands-on learning opportunities in classrooms. It is funded entirely through private donations and grants.
The celebration featured performances by the Santa Barbara High School Dempsey Jazz Trio and the school’s Donettes Dance Team, showcasing the talents of local students.
Mercedes Millington of the John C. Mithun Foundation, a former teacher and an avid supporter of the Teacher Grants program, shared her deep appreciation for educators. “This is where my heart is. Teachers, we know that you have the most important job that anyone could have. It’s difficult. It’s challenging. But when you get it, and the students get it, it feels so good.”
One such teacher making an impact is Deborah Reid, a Special Education teacher at Santa Barbara High School. She described how her grant will provide hands-on learning opportunities for her students through a glassblowing class. Reid shared. “Having turned a mixture of sand, soda ash, and limestone into a bowl, my student looked at me and said: ‘Now I understand why Merlin was considered a magician. I get that this is science, but it’s also really magic.’”
Teacher Ian Moore accepted a $10,000 tech-focused STEM grant awarded on behalf of Goleta Valley Junior High School for a new computer lab supporting computer science and robotics programs. The tech upgrades will enhance the STEM education for 750 Goleta Valley Junior High students. “We are thrilled to be a part of innovation,” Moore said.
This year marked the launch of the Margie Yahyavi Grant for Excellence in Music Education, named in honor of SBEF’s former executive director, who passed away last year. This $3,000 grant supports instrumental music and vocal music teachers to support creative and cultural programming that promotes student engagement and collaboration in the classroom and community. For Carissa Corrigan, a music teacher from Harding Elementary School, this grant will help foster collaboration and teamwork among her students through a new hand chime music program.
“I am extremely proud of the Teacher Grants program’s impact on our schools,” shared Pedro Paz, SBEF Executive Director. “The generosity of our community has empowered teachers to develop creative and engaging opportunities for their students, making a lasting difference in classrooms across the district.”
This year’s successful grant program is made possible by the generosity of donors, including the Gainey Foundation, the John C. Mithun Foundation, and the Gretler Foundation, as well as numerous other individual donors and local businesses. SBEF would also like to thank its award ceremony event sponsor, Whole Foods, for their invaluable support.
The Santa Barbara Education Foundation works to generate private support for Santa Barbara’s public schools, impacting almost 12,000 students. To learn more about Teacher Grants and the foundation’s other programs or to get involved, visit www.santabarbaraeducation.org.
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