100K ‘impact’ grant goes to 10,000 Degrees

Local college access program will expand in Sonoma Valley|

At its seventh annual Grant Awards Celebration last weekend, Impact100 Sonoma selected 10,000 Degrees as its major $100,000 grant recipient. The funding will allow the Bay Area nonprofit to expand its college-access program to students at Sonoma Valley High School and Archbishop Hanna High School.

Impact100 Sonoma is a philanthropic organization that brings together at least 100 women in a common purpose: to award an Impact Grant of $100,000 every year to a nonprofit organization serving Sonoma Valley.

Lisa Carreño, regional director for 10,000 Degrees, provided the Impact100 membership with a persuasive pitch.

'We are trying to create a real tipping point, working with the administration and faculty at both schools, to create a stronger and stronger college-going culture,' said Carreño. 'Whether it is a four-year college or two-year, we want more students to see themselves a 'college material.''

Based in Marin, 10,000 Degrees' mission is to help underserved students from both Marin and Sonoma counties with college admissions and application support. It has been in operation since 1981, and expanded to Sonoma in 2009.

Last year the program provided $3 million in scholarships to 1,050 students, 300 of whom are attending Santa Rosa Junior College or Sonoma State University. According to the organization, 84 percent of 10,000 Degrees students graduate from four-year colleges (in up to six years) compared to 54 percent of all college students nationally.

In Sonoma Valley, the organization will serve 35 students at the high school next year and 20 at Hanna.

Impact100 co-president Wendy Hoffman said that 44 nonprofits submitted applications Impact100 grants this year, vying for either the $100,000 grant, or smaller 'community grants.'

'Our grant committee whittled the Impact list to four finalists and the community grants down to eight,' said Hoffman.

The other three finalists for the $100,000 grant received $20,000: Becoming Independent, for its program called Pioneering Innovative Model to Benefit Sonoma Valley; Pets Lifeline for its Sonoma Valley Mobile Pet Adoption program; and the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance for the Heart's Resilience is a Victorious Experience, or THRIVE, program.

The 276 women currently in Sonoma's Impact100 provided a total of $276,000 to Sonoma Valley nonprofits this year. In addition, $5,948 of unspent grant funds from 2015 were added to the total amount of the awards. Impact100 Sonoma has raised a total of $1,468,000 for Sonoma Valley nonprofits since its founding in 2009.

For the first time, this year's grant voting was done entirely online, said Hoffman. 'Our model is one women, one vote, and the voting is anonymous,' she said. 'The integrity of the process is very important to us.' As a result, Hoffman says there was record voter turnout.

In addition to the $100,000 Impact grant, the group awarded $121,931 in community grants to the following nonprofit organizations:

Ceres Community Project received $15,000 to continue its Healing Meals for Healthy Communities program serving families and individuals struggling with serious illness.

Friends In Sonoma Helping (FISH) received $15,000 to provide rental assistance to needy Sonoma Valley residents.

La Luz Center received $15,000 to provide low-income Latinos with free, bi-lingual employment counseling, computer classes, and ongoing technology literacy assistance.

Pets Lifeline received $15,000 to expand its in-house spay/neuter capabilities, so that all sterilization surgeries can be performed at the shelter.

Redwood Empire Food Bank received $15,000 to expand its weekly distribution of fresh produce to approximately 300 low-income seniors, families and individuals in Sonoma Valley.

Sonoma Community Center received $10,000 to replace its 30-year-old community gas kiln with a safer kiln that will help expand the ceramics programs.

Sonoma Ecology Center received $2,316 toward its project to train teen EnviroLeaders in urban tree planting/care and community survey techniques to help enhance the Springs.

Sonoma Valley Education Foundation received $2,316 toward its project to support overnight college field trips for students enrolled in their engineering and agriculture academies.

Teen Services Sonoma received $15,000 to launch the TSS Welding Program pilot in conjunction with Hanna Boys Center as the first in a series of programs to prepare youth for construction sector jobs.

Verity received $2,316 in support of its Youth Empowerment and Support program that educates children and youth to identify, prevent, and report sexual violence.

Vintage House received $15,000 to support and expand its senior transportation project (LIMO) that provides free, local rides for life-enhancing purposes.

Impact100 Sonoma continues to accept new members. impact100sonoma.org

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