The Kiwanis Club of Santa Barbara was chartered August 22, 1922 by Kiwanis International, then only seven years old. The nearest established club was our sponsor, Glendale Kiwanis. Our club was incorporated as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of California on November 9, 1939. From its beginning, Santa Barbara Kiwanis has played an important part in the growth and progress of Santa Barbara, and has always numbered its members among the business, professional, and civic leaders of the community.

With its focus on service, the Club has played a leadership role in meeting community needs. Its major projects have included:
The Kiwanis Youth Activities Building
The Annual Fiesta Pancake Breakfast at Alameda Park WORK, Inc., a community enterprise empowering persons with disabilities. SPARK, a model enrichment center to stimulate early brain development in disadvantaged infants and toddlers.
Our Club sponsors the annual Extra Step Awards recognizing citizen involvement in support of the Police Department, and the Praise Breakfast and Layperson of the Year Award in support of spiritual values. We also support Scout troops, Key Clubs, Circle K,K-Kids, Special Olympics, early childhood development programs for disadvantaged children and many other worthwhile community activities.

The Club is part of Division 42 of the California-Nevada-Hawaii District of Kiwanis International. The worldwide organization, originally chartered in Detroit, Michigan on January 21, 1915, now has almost 300,000 members in more than 8000 clubs and over eighty countries.