Impact100 Sonoma grant applications open Nov. 1 with a new strategy

Applications for Impact100 Sonoma’s grants of up to $25,000 for local nonprofits will open Nov. 1, but there’s new rules for the annual funding.

A women’s philanthropic organization that pools funds from members to support nonprofits, Impact100 has offered grants to nonprofits around Sonoma for over a decade.

The organization implemented a new strategy to give a larger number of grants at smaller amounts of money during the pandemic. in an effort to disperse funding on a wider scale.

According to Dana Simpson-Stokes, grants oversight co-chair, the new grant strategy was well received by recipients and the local Impact100 members.

The organization will return to an alternating funding cycle this year, which doesn’t allow recent recipients to re-apply in the year after they’ve won. For the upcoming grants, organizations that received two in a row in 2021 and 2022 will be ineligible to apply for the 2023 cycle.

The continuation of the strategy was announced on Sept. 24 at the organization’s annual Garden Party, which also launched the 2023 membership drive.

Every member makes a yearly one-time $1,000 tax deductible donation, which are pooled to funds the grants. The more members the organization has, the more grants it can give.

In 2022, Impact100 awarded a record $335,500 in funding to 14 Sonoma Valley nonprofits.

According to Simpson-Stokes, the organization will continue evaluating application through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens, while focusing on supporting core missions and assisting newer and smaller local nonprofits. Impact100 also adopted a new grants-management software to simplify the application process.

An Information Session for nonprofits interested in receiving a grant will take place on Thursday, Nov. 10, from 4 to 6 p.m. via Zoom. During the meeting, members of Impact100’s Grants Oversight and Financial Review Committees will guide attendees through the 2023 application process and answer questions. Interested organizations can contact info@impact100sonoma.org to receive an invitation.

Teams of Impact100 members will evaluate applications, make site visits and select finalists this winter. The nonprofits selected will present their program in mid-April to the members, who will vote on the winners. The grants will be announced at the annual Awards Celebration on April 29.

The applications for the 2023 cycle will close on Jan. 13, at 8 p.m. Interested parties can apply on the organization’s website impact100sonoma.org.

Contact the reporter Rebecca Wolff at rebecca.wolff@sonomanews.com and follow @bexwolff on Twitter.