About Balay Ko Foundation
Balay Ko Foundation concentrates its funding on frontline basic-needs services in Santa Barbara and neighboring communities, with a particular emphasis on homelessness response, shelter/transitional housing, and food security. The foundation favors large, direct grants to local service providers — including faith-based organizations and programs serving youth and vulnerable adults — that deliver emergency services, housing supports, and meals. Repeated multi-grant support to the same agencies suggests long-term partnerships with core local nonprofits.
Focus Areas
Homelessness services and emergency shelters in Santa Barbara County (e.g., transitional housing, day centers, shelters)Food security and regional food bank support (food distribution and meal programs)Supportive and affordable housing development and placement (local housing nonprofits)Youth homelessness outreach and drop-in servicesFaith-based social services and community relief programs
Who They Fund
nonprofit organizations (organizational recipients)unspecified / not delineated
About Balay Ko Foundation
Balay Ko Foundation’s recent giving is marked by very large general-support grants to organizations working on homelessness and hunger in California. The single largest grant on file is $3,223,533 to Dignitymoves in 2024, followed by $3,100,000 to the Food Bank of Santa Barbara in 2023. That pattern fits a funder that backs emergency services, shelter, housing stability, and meal access rather than narrow project work. The foundation’s support reaches both housing and food providers, including Transition House, Good Samaritan Shelter, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, and Slo Food Bank. Several recipients appear more than once across the grant list, including Dignitymoves, Food Bank of Santa Barbara, Good Samaritan Shelter, and Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, which points to ongoing relationships with core service organizations. Balay Ko Foundation also funds providers beyond Santa Barbara County, but the grant record still centers on California organizations serving people experiencing homelessness or hunger. Across the recent record, the grants are direct and unrestricted in form, with “general support” recurring throughout the list.
What Balay Ko Foundation Funds
In homelessness services, Balay Ko Foundation backed shelter and transitional-housing providers with large general-support grants, including $2,002,372 to Transition House in 2025 and $1,108,000 to Good Samaritan Shelter in 2023. It also supported street-level or drop-in response through grants such as $582,000 to El Camino Homeless Organization in 2023. Food security is another clear thread: the foundation gave $3,100,000 to the Food Bank of Santa Barbara in 2023 and $500,000 to Slo Food Bank in 2025, both as general support. Its housing-related giving extends to organizations such as People’s Self Help Housing, which received $800,000 in 2025, and to community-based aid through $500,000 to Center of Hollywood in 2025. Faith-based service providers also appear in the record, including $286,966 to First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood in 2024.
How Balay Ko Foundation Gives
Balay Ko Foundation’s typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $100,000, the median is $220,000, and the 75th percentile is $616,000. The grant list shows repeated support to several organizations across multiple years, including Dignitymoves, Food Bank of Santa Barbara, Good Samaritan Shelter, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, Slo Food Bank, and El Camino Homeless Organization. That indicates ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The foundation gives direct grants to nonprofit organizations and makes program-related investments. Its active programs state that it identifies and researches potential grantees internally and does not accept unsolicited solicitations by mail.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$11.5M
Total Assets
$129.3M
Total Revenue
$5.3M
Total Expenses
$11.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $100K and $616K, with a median of $220K.
25th Percentile
$100K
Median
$220K
75th Percentile
$616K
Geographic Reach
Local3 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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