SBCC matched this funding with $50,000 to take the planning process to completion.
The City of Santa Barbara and the Economic Development Collaborative are official
partners on this initiative to build career pathways and shared infrastructure for
the region's Blue Economy.
September 03, 2026
Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara Receives Over $500,000 from State Coastal Conservancy to Launch the Ocean Collective with SBCC
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept. 3, 2026 — The Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara (CFSB) has been awarded $507,500 from the California State Coastal Conservancy to launch
the Ocean Collective, a partnership dedicated to building career pathways and shared
infrastructure for the region's Blue Economy. SCC funding comes from the voter approved
Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond
Act of 2024 (a.k.a. "2024 Climate Bond" or "Proposition 4").
The award marks a major milestone in a partnership that began in 2023, when CFSB and
Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to pursue mutually beneficial programs
and facilities under the Ocean Collective banner. SBCC has matched the Coastal Conservancy
award with $50,000 of its own Strong Workforce state funding to take the planning
process to completion. The City of Santa Barbara and the Economic Development Collaborative
are official partners on the initiative.
The Coastal Conservancy funding builds on a 2024 planning grant to SBCC from Uplift
Central Coast, awarded through the California Jobs First Initiative, which kicked
off the Ocean Collective's curriculum and facilities planning process. With the Conservancy's
support, the Ocean Collective now moves from planning into implementation of its two
primary efforts: an Ocean Careers Initiative and a dedicated Ocean Collective facility
on the SBCC campus.
"For years, our fleet has worked out of a harbor with no room to grow — no place to
store gear, no space to train the next generation of fishermen," said Kim Selkoe,
Ph.D., Executive Director of CFSB. "This funding turns more than a decade of planning
into a real facility."
"This is what's possible when a college, a city, and an industry commit to solving
a problem together," said Dr. Erika Endrijonas, Superintendent/President of Santa
Barbara City College. "SBCC is proud to match this funding and to be building a facility
that will serve our students and the region's maritime economy for decades."
Situated near the Santa Barbara Harbor and Channel, the SBCC campus will host new
academic programming such as Associate Degrees and career technical certificates,
alongside mentorship, guest lectures, and internships led by maritime professionals,
with a focus on tribal youth and underrepresented groups. The programming will prepare
students for careers spanning commercial fishing and aquaculture, marine trades and
vessel maintenance, marine science and habitat restoration, and blue-economy business
and logistics.
The Ocean Collective’s maritime facilities will be developed on a 16,300-sq.-ft. area
of undeveloped land on the east side of Loma Alta St., between SBCC’s Marine Diving
Tech (MDT) building and the campus footbridge. RRM design group created the site plan
and will guide it through state permitting, including Coastal Commission approval.
The new facility will address long-standing shoreside infrastructure shortages by
providing trailered boat parking, gear storage, and a fabrication workshop area for
joint use by the maritime community and SBCC classes. The site will be screened with
landscaping to blend the facility into its coastal setting.
With Coastal Conservancy funding secured, CFSB, SBCC, the City of Santa Barbara, and
the Economic Development Collaborative will move forward on public rollout, pursue
additional philanthropic and government support, and finalize project-specific agreements
to advance coastal economic resilience.
