Youth, Health, and Education

HELPING CHILDREN REACH THEIR POTENTIAL

How do we ensure every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential?  How do we support their well-being across every stage of development and ensure that the opportunity is not shaped by circumstance, but by possibility?

Our Approach

At the Bower Foundation, we believe lasting impact requires more than strong programs.  It requires systems that work-across healthcare, education, and community services-to support young people at every stage of development.

For many years, we supported a mix of direct services and broader systems efforts.  While these investments benefited individual children and families, persistent disparities remain.  We are refining our approach to focus where philanthropy can have the greatest long-term impact: addressing root causes and strengthening the systems that shape young people’s lives in Santa Barbara County.

This shift means prioritizing efforts that improve how systems function and connect.  We focus on work that expands access and equity, strengthens prevention and early intervention, and influences the policies, practices, and funding flows that shape outcomes for youth.  We are particularly interested in efforts that extend beyond a single program-models that can be sustained, adapted, and scaled over time.

We have seen this approach work effectively in several long-standing partnerships in the county, including PEAC (Program for Effective Access to College) and it’s sister organization, the PEAC Foundation, which connects PEAC students to careers in community service, as well as PeRC (Pediatric Resiliency Collaborative), a community partnership focused on expanding Adverse Childhood experiences (ACEs) screening and referral services to pediatric clinics in Santa Barbara County.

These efforts demonstrate the value of coordinated, cross-sector, systems-oriented collaboration over time.

We have also engaged in other initiatives that have deepened our understanding of what it takes to align partners, sustain momentum, and achieve lasting systems change. We recognize that this work is complex, and that both progress and setbacks are part of the learning process. This experience continues to shape how we engage going forward, reinforcing the importance of clarity, alignment, and shared commitment from the outset.

Meaningful systems change typically requires multi-year, multi-partner efforts that depend on sustained engagement, trust-building, and shared accountability among all participants. As a result, we will be highly selective, engaging in a very limited number of these partnerships at any given time so we can invest the depth of attention required to be effective partners.

We focus on a set of interconnected systems that shape youth outcomes:

• Early Childhood (Prenatal–Age 5)
  Supporting early screening, trauma-informed care, and stronger coordination across health and family-serving systems to ensure children have a healthy start.
• Education Systems & Innovation
  Advancing new and more effective models of learning that foster engagement, agency, and long-term success for students.
• College and Career Pathways
  Strengthening alignment across K–12 education, higher education, and workforce systems to create clearer, more equitable pathways to opportunity.
• Youth Mental Health Systems
  Improving access to care through stronger coordination, workforce development, and more sustainable funding structures.

Across all areas, we prioritize partnerships with public agencies, schools, healthcare providers, and community organizations to drive meaningful, system-wide change.

What We Fund

Within these systems, we prioritize specific types of efforts that can drive meaningful, system-level change. Beginning in 2026, our funding will focus on:

• Policy and practice change – Efforts that influence laws, regulations, funding flows, or institutional practices at scale
• Organizations that coordinate partners and systems – Entities that align stakeholders, manage shared initiatives, and build the data and infrastructure needed for systems to function effectively
• Cross-sector collaboration and shared infrastructure – Initiatives that bring together education, health, workforce, and community partners, including shared data systems, referral networks, or coordinated service models
• Pilot efforts designed to influence larger systems – Time-bound initiatives that test new approaches with clear potential for adoption, scaling, or policy change

As part of this shift, we are moving away from funding stand-alone direct service programs. We are committed to making this transition thoughtfully, communicating clearly, supporting partners where possible, and remaining open to future collaboration as organizations evolve.

Youth Mental Health Funding Transition

The Foundation remains deeply committed to improving youth mental health outcomes. As part of our broader strategy, we are shifting from funding direct services—such as counseling and individual programs—toward supporting systems-level solutions that strengthen the overall mental health ecosystem. These efforts focus on improving coordination among providers, expanding access to care, and addressing root causes that impact young people’s well-being.

Beginning in 2026 youth mental health grants will be managed and distributed through the Towbes Foundation. The Bower Foundation will continue to contribute funding to this shared effort. Organizations seeking funding for youth mental health systems-level initiatives are encouraged to apply through the Towbes Foundation: https://towbesfoundation.org