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Santa Barbara, CA — March 20, 2025 — Following the kick-off to the Bank’s 50th anniversary on Monday, March 17, Montecito Bank & Trust held their annual Anniversary Grants reception at the Bank’s historic downtown branch on Wednesday evening. The Bank’s late founder, Michael Towbes, first started the Anniversary Grants program in 1993 to honor Montecito Bank & Trust’s anniversary by giving back to the community. He wanted bank employees to have a voice in the direction of the Bank’s corporate giving and to celebrate the exceptional volunteer service they give back to Central Coast communities.
This year’s 11 local nonprofit recipients were all hand-selected by Bank employees after they campaigned, rallied and voted for the organizations that make an impact in their lives and communities. In a surprise twist this year, each Anniversary Grant award was increased to $5,000 to commemorate the Bank’s 50th anniversary. Recipients also received a 1-minute promotional video showcasing each organization’s extraordinary work and the Bank provides additional promotion of each organization in the branches and on social media throughout the year.
Chairman & CEO Janet Garufis shared “We are so grateful to our communities for their part in helping Montecito Bank & Trust reach our 50th anniversary! Together, we have accomplished a lot over these 50 years, and I believe our Founder, Michael Towbes, would be proud of the partnerships we’ve built and the impact we’ve generated across the Central Coast. Anniversary Grants is always a wonderful and inspiring way to recognize our associates’ dedication to the communities they serve and to applaud and support the nonprofits who help to make our communities better through their tireless work, every day. It was an honor to share this evening with Jerry Parent, a dear friend of Michael Towbes and a 46-year MB&T Board Director; his compassion for and dedication to our communities is best-in-class. On behalf of our associates and our Board of Directors, we are excited to be celebrating 50 years of loving and living local and we look forward to what more we can accomplish with our partners in the years to come!”
Five years ago, the Bank introduced the Jerry Parent Anniversary Grants Legacy Award to honor the decades-long selfless community contributions of long-time Board Director, Jerry Parent. The award is presented to an organization that makes a significant and sustainable impact on a local community. The organization is nominated by a Bank associate and selected by a committee with the input of Mr. Parent. The 6th recipient of the Legacy Award is Many Mansions for providing well-managed, service-enriched, affordable housing to low-income residents of Southern California. Many Mansions also received a $5,000 grant and a promotional video. They will be featured on a commemorative plaque in the Downtown Branch.
Please join the Bank in celebrating their 50th anniversary and in recognizing the 2025 Anniversary Grants recipients:
C.A.R.E.4Paws
CALM
Explore Ecology
Friendship Adult Day Care Center
Olive Crest’s Hope Refuge
Mission Scholars
Peabody Charter School
Rooted Santa Barbara County
San Marcos High School Vocal Music Program
Santa Barbara Community Archives Project
To watch a video of each Anniversary Grant promotional video, visit montecito.bank/Anniversary-Grants. Montecito Bank & Trust is the oldest and largest locally owned community bank in the Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Founded in 1975, the bank celebrated its 50th anniversary on March 17, 2025, and operates 13 branch offices in Santa Maria, Solvang, Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpinteria, Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo and Westlake Village. Montecito Bank & Trust has a history of unwavering corporate philanthropy in the local communities it serves. The Bank offers a variety of competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and consumers, including business loans and lines of credit; commercial real estate finance; SBA loans; mortgage loans, consumer loans; credit cards; merchant services; and online services, including mobile banking and cash management. Its Wealth Management Division provides comprehensive trust services and full investment management for all branch office markets. The Bank has earned 30 Best Bank awards in the last 12 years, in addition to numerous accolades for Best Mortgage and Best Financial Services Company in Santa Barbara, Best Investment Company in Santa Ynez Valley and the fourth Best Bank to Work For in the United States (American Banker Magazine).
