Resources
Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County has 20 school districts, 15 charter schools and 1 county office of education. In 2022 the Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) Fund sent $7.6 million to agencies in the county, and in 2025 another $2 million.
Every agency's KIT money
The California Department of Education (CDE) gave the 2022 round by formula to agencies that sponsor the federal school meal programs. The 2025 round was a competitive grant. Hands-on food education in school gardens is an allowed use of the 2026 money.
$7.6 million
2022 allocations
$2 million
2025 grants
| Agency | Type | 2022 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballard Elementary | School district | None listed | None listed | |
| Blochman Union Elementary | School district | $131,207 | None listed | Priority |
| Buellton Union Elementary | School district | $123,405 | $17,587 | |
| Carpinteria Unified | School district | $409,150 | $75,244 | |
| Cold Spring Elementary | School district | $100,000 | $7,665 | |
| College Elementary | School district | $112,608 | $8,896 | |
| Cuyama Joint Unified | School district | $129,311 | $7,554 | |
| Goleta Union Elementary | School district | $667,005 | $76,179 | |
| Guadalupe Union Elementary | School district | $224,119 | None listed | Priority |
| Hope Elementary | School district | $167,032 | None listed | Priority |
| Lompoc Unified | School district | $1,079,240 | $342,012 | |
| Los Olivos Elementary | School district | None listed | None listed | |
| Montecito Union Elementary | School district | None listed | $18,512 | |
| Orcutt Union Elementary | School district | $575,889 | $151,055 | |
| Santa Barbara Unified | School district | $1,455,379 | $437,137 | |
| Santa Maria Joint Union High | School district | $656,098 | $343,991 | |
| Santa Maria-Bonita | School district | $1,101,967 | $425,730 | |
| Santa Ynez Valley Union High | School district | $246,277 | None listed | Priority |
| Solvang Elementary | School district | $136,039 | $17,400 | |
| Vista del Mar Union | School district | $102,505 | $4,501 | |
| Adelante Charter | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| California Online Public Schools Central Coast | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Family Partnership Charter | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Manzanita Public Charter | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Olive Grove Charter - Buellton | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Olive Grove Charter - Lompoc | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Olive Grove Charter - Orcutt/Santa Maria | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Olive Grove Charter - Santa Barbara | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Orcutt Academy Charter | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Peabody Charter | Charter school | $208,485 | $36,730 | |
| Santa Barbara Charter | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Santa Ynez Valley Charter | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Trivium Charter | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Trivium Charter School Adventure | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Trivium Charter School Voyage | Charter school | None listed | None listed | |
| Santa Barbara County Office of Education | County office of education | None listed | None listed |
2022 amounts as of March 29, 2024; 2025 amounts as of March 11, 2026.
Priority: on CDE's 2022 allocations and not on its 2025 grant list. The 2026 law (Education Code 49507) gives these agencies first priority in 2026.
A charter school that reorganized since a round may be listed under an older charter number.
Gardens in Santa Barbara County
Of the 20 school districts here, Ten Strands found public evidence of a school garden in 15 and of garden-based education in 11.
From Ten Strands' statewide district dataset, as of September 29, 2026. Ten Strands looks for public evidence, so a missing item may mean the district has not said so publicly.
School garden data
The statewide findings, the method and the validation form.
Fix your district's data
Tell Ten Strands what your district has, so the next analysis counts it.
Ten Strands' district dataset
The Data Initiative for Environmental and Climate Action in California's TK-12 Schools: some ninety indicators for every district, free to download.
Coalition members near Santa Barbara County
Member organizations in the Central Coast region, then the ones that work statewide. Not sure which one fits? Write to us at hello@caschoolgardens.org and we'll introduce you.
In the Central Coast region
Show all 9 in the Central Coast region
Statewide
Does your organization work with schools here? Add it to the coalition.