Wood-Claeyssens Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Wood-Claeyssens Foundation
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation is a place-based funder focused on strengthening basic needs and local health infrastructure in Santa Barbara County. In the most recent giving cycle it made two sizeable, targeted gifts: a large capital/campaign grant to the county food bank and a substantial gift to support an obstetrics & gynecology residency program, indicating a priority on food security and medical workforce development. The foundation appears to favor high-impact, institution-building investments rather than many small grants.
Focus Areas
Hunger relief infrastructure and capacity-building (e.g., Foodbank capital/campaign support)Local hospital workforce training and clinical residency programs (Obstetrics & Gynecology residency)Place-based health and human services in Santa Barbara County
Who They Fund
seniors (senior nutrition & wellness, homebound meal recipients)children and pediatric patients (Cottage Children's Medical Center, pediatric neurology)K–12 students and school districts (students served by school-based mental health, early learning institutes, college access programs)
About Wood-Claeyssens Foundation
The Wood-claeyssens Foundation’s largest recent gifts point to a clear local strategy: build Santa Barbara County capacity around food security, pediatric care, and workforce pipelines. In 2024, it gave $1,000,000 to Foodbank of Santa Barbara for “Building Readiness: Campaign for a Hunger Free Tomorrow,” a capital-style commitment that aligns with its support for infrastructure rather than small transactions. The following year, it made another $1,000,000 grant to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for Cottage Children’s Medical Center, followed by a $600,000 grant to Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation for the Marian Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program. Those awards show a funder willing to back institutions that serve residents over time, including health systems and training programs that affect service capacity. The recent record also includes substantial support for schools, senior services, and community nonprofits, suggesting the foundation funds across several basic-needs and human-services lanes while keeping a tight local footprint. Its pattern is not broad regional philanthropy; it is concentrated, place-based giving tied to organizations serving Santa Barbara County.
What Wood-Claeyssens Foundation Funds
Food and nutrition are a recurring theme. The foundation gave $1,000,000 to Foodbank of Santa Barbara for “Building Readiness: Campaign for a Hunger Free Tomorrow,” and $400,000 to Santa Ynez Valley Senior Advisory Council for “Senior Nutrition and Wellness,” showing attention to both emergency food systems and older adults. Health care is another major lane: it gave $500,000 to Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation for “Marian Robotic Surgery Program Expansion” and $250,000 to Foundation for Cottage Rehabilitation for “Rebuild & Renew; The New CRH at GVCH.” Education-related work also appears in school access and youth enrichment, including $500,000 to Santa Barbara Education Foundation for “SB Unified School District Program for Effective Access to College” and $355,000 to Students for Eco Education & Agriculture for county farm-day programming. Civic and cultural institutions are part of the mix as well, with support for museum, archive, and historical programming.
How Wood-Claeyssens Foundation Gives
Typical awards are substantial: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $25,000, and the 75th percentile is $66,250. The recent record, however, includes a cluster of much larger institution-level grants, showing that the foundation uses smaller grants and major commitments within the same local portfolio. The grant list shows repeated support to several organizations across multiple years, including Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara Foundation, Santa Barbara Special Enforcement Team Support, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Students for Eco Education & Agriculture, and Young America’s Foundation. The foundation also runs invitation-based and returning-applicant grant processes, and its annual grant cycle uses a June 30 deadline for fall board review. It does not accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8.4M
Total Assets
$131.3M
Total Revenue
$24.5M
Total Expenses
$22.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $66K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$66K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Wood-Claeyssens Foundation?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime