Following the unexpected pause of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office mental wellness support program due to lack of funding, One805 is calling on the community to help secure permanent, sustainable funding for First Responder mental wellness services across Santa Barbara County. To help address the immediate need, One805 has committed $56,000 in emergency bridge funding. At the same time, the organization is urging donors and community leaders to support its newly established $10 million Mental Wellness Endowment Fund.
Last year, One805 helped provide emergency funding to sustain mental wellness services for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The organization is now working to broaden community support around the long-term funding needs of First Responder mental wellness programs across Santa Barbara County.
One805 continues to fund the TCTI mental wellness program for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and other First Responder agencies. The pause in the Sheriff’s Office program highlights broader questions around the long-term sustainability and consistency of funding for First Responder mental wellness services.
THE ONE805 MENTAL WELLNESS ENDOWMENT FUND
That is why, in December 2025, One805 launched the One805 Mental Wellness Endowment Fund, with the goal of raising $10 million to ensure that Santa Barbara County First Responders have access to mental wellness support in perpetuity. Once fully funded, the Endowment will provide a stable, ongoing source of funding for confidential counseling and related mental wellness services for First Responders and their families.
“This is exactly the problem we have been warning about and planning for,” said Richard Weston-Smith, COO and Co-Founder of One805. “Mental wellness support for First Responders cannot depend on short-term grants, temporary fixes, or funding that may disappear from one year to the next. These men and women face trauma, danger, stress, and crisis every day on behalf of all of us. Their access to confidential, culturally competent mental wellness care must be permanent, dependable, and protected.”
Other organizations have also stepped forward to help provide temporary support. In response to the immediate need, One805 CFO and Co-Founder John J. Thyne III has authorized the release of $56,000 from One805’s reserve fund to help bridge mental wellness support for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office while longer-term funding solutions are pursued.
“It is all hands on deck right now, and that means every organization, every donor, and every community leader must act with urgency,” said Thyne. “We are committing these reserves today because our First Responders cannot wait. But let me be clear, this is a bridge, not a destination. Temporary funding cannot solve a permanent problem, and One805 will continue funding the TCTI mental wellness program for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the other First Responder agencies we serve as we work toward our $10 million endowment goal.”
For years, One805 has worked closely with Santa Barbara County First Responder leadership through its Advisory Board, which includes the Sheriff and county First Responder Chiefs. For years, One805 has worked closely with Santa Barbara County First Responder leadership through its Advisory Board, which includes the Sheriff and county First Responder Chiefs. Those conversations helped shape the organization’s decision to establish the One805 Mental Wellness Endowment Fund in December 2025, with a goal of raising $10 million to support confidential counseling and mental wellness services in perpetuity.
“We didn’t arrive at this moment unprepared,” said Kirsten Cavendish Weston-Smith, Chairman and Co-Founder of One805. “We understood years ago that long-term funding stability would be essential for these programs. That is why we began building an endowment designed to provide permanent support for First Responders and their families. This effort has always been rooted in partnership across the community, and we remain committed to building a solution that will serve Santa Barbara County for generations.”
One805 is encouraging individuals, foundations, businesses, and community leaders to support the Mental Wellness Endowment Fund through major gifts, annual pledges, legacy giving, and corporate support.
“Every day, First Responders show up for us on our worst days without hesitation,” said Richard Weston-Smith, COO and Co-Founder of One805. “The Mental Wellness Endowment is intended to help ensure that future funding changes or expiring grants do not interrupt access to the support these men and women deserve. We are deeply grateful to the donors and partners who are helping build a long-term resource for Santa Barbara County First Responders and their families.”
One805 is best known for its annual concert at Kevin Costner’s property, this year spanning two days on September 25th and 26th. For more information about One805 and its work supporting Santa Barbara County First Responders, or to donate to the One805 Mental Wellness Endowment Fund, visit www.one805.org.