When Adria Griggs was a high school senior, her parents told her they could only afford community college. Then she received a scholarship from the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation.
"It was the reason I got to go to San Diego State," Griggs says.
That scholarship set her on a different path. She went on to become a teacher and coach before attending law school. Today, she serves as a deputy city attorney for the City of San Luis Obispo. Looking back, she says the scholarship meant more than financial support—it gave her confidence that someone had invested in her future.
Griggs is one of 621 students who have received scholarships through the SYV Foundation's College Scholarship Program since it began in 2000. More than $1.1 million has been awarded to local students, each one carrying forward an idea the Foundation has held since 1991.
Established by local businessman, philanthropist, and horse breeder Stuart C. Gildred, the Foundation was built on a simple belief: a community as fortunate as the Santa Ynez Valley should also invest in the people who help make it strong. Thirty-five years later, that idea still shapes its work.
Along the way, the Foundation has awarded more than $7.5 million in grants and scholarships, supporting local nonprofits and community initiatives throughout the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos.
"Every grant and scholarship reflects the Foundation's commitment to partnering with the community to enhance the quality of life in the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos," says Executive Director Esther Jacobsen Bates.
Youth & Education still generates the largest share of grant applications, but the Foundation's work also spans health and human services, arts and culture, and community enhancement. In 2023, food security became a strategic priority as well, answering a growing need to help local families, children, and seniors access nutritious food reliably.
"We've expanded grantmaking to address emerging needs while welcoming new nonprofit partners and continuing to support the organizations that have long served our communities," Bates says. Increasingly, she says, the Foundation's role goes beyond funding projects. It also brings nonprofit leaders, donors, and community members together to share ideas and identify needs.
For many residents, however, the Foundation is best known for one annual tradition. This October 11, it will host the 31st Champions of the Valley celebration, recognizing adult and youth volunteers whose service often happens quietly but leaves a lasting mark on the community.
"These are neighbors who give their time, talents, and hearts without expecting recognition, yet their generosity strengthens our nonprofits and touches countless lives," Bates says.
This year's honorees will be announced in the coming weeks. For those looking to get involved, the Foundation offers ways to learn about grants and scholarships, nominate future Champions of the Valley, and stay connected with its work throughout the year.
"We believe philanthropy begins with relationships," Jacobsen Bates says—a philosophy that has held for all thirty-five years the Foundation has existed.
The grants and scholarships are easy enough to count. Harder to measure is what happens after: a student who finds a path that once seemed out of reach, a nonprofit able to keep serving its neighbors, a volunteer whose quiet effort never shows up on a balance sheet but changes something anyway.
Griggs is proof of that math. One scholarship, and an entirely different life came out the other side.