Impact100 shifts strategy for 2021

Impact100 Sonoma kicked off its 12th year of giving to nonprofits serving Sonoma Valley at its annual meeting on Jan. 23. Co-presidents Lynne Lancaster and Claudia Sims welcomed the 120 members who gathered virtually to learn about the organization’s plans for “re-visioning” 2021.

Lisa Carreño, president and CEO of United Way of the Wine Country, spoke to members at the meeting about “Investing in Social Justice System Change.” She focused on how philanthropy can work to alter the underlying conditions that produce many of the entrenched problems in society today – from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change to wildfires to economic turmoil, racial injustice and cultural divisions.

Impact 100 Sonoma member Angela Ryan provided an update on the organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training initiative.

The organization recently launched its year-long partnership with DEI trainer Epoch Education that will include a three-week intensive DEI course for Impact100’s Board and Grant Review Committee members, ongoing training to the entire membership and training opportunities to eligible local nonprofit organizations.

Impact 100 is a “giving circle” of women, each of whom contributes $1,000 annually, which is directly distributed to local nonprofits serving Sonoma Valley. In its first 11 years, Impact100 awarded $2,689,000 in grant funds, including $303,000 in 2020.

In 2020, the organization brought in 33 new members, bringing its total 2021 membership count to 261. In addition to the $261,000 in membership contributions, Impact100 received $31,429 in direct donations to its grant fund for 2021 and made a one-time contribution from its reserves to bring its total grants pool for 2021 to $300,000.

Impact100 Sonoma’s 2021 grant season is now underway, using a new grants strategy devised to respond to the economic fallout and other effects of the ongoing pandemic.

For 2021, Impact100 has announced that it will focus on more, smaller grants. “Impetus Grants'' of up to $25,000 will be distributed under an expedited review process intended to get the funds out to nonprofits as quickly as possible.

The grants are intended to give nonprofits “a boost on the road to long-term recovery” from the pandemic’s effects.

While Impact100 Sonoma’s typical grant cycle extends into early June, under this year’s compressed schedule, the grant cycle will wrap up in March.