Sonoma Valley organizations opening applications for next grant cycle

The official arrival of fall marks the beginning of new grants cycles for Sonoma Valley’s nonprofits.

Impact100 and the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley are giving hundreds of thousands of dollars in their upcoming cycles, and all of the application details can be found below:

Impact100 Sonoma

In 2024, women’s collective giving organization Impact100 Sonoma will again offer multiple grants of up to $25,000 to nonprofit organizations.

In honor of its 15th anniversary, the group also will pilot a multi-year Encore Grant, which will give one 2024 Impetus Grant recipient a second grant of the same amount in early 2025.

“Valley nonprofits have told us that a known second year of funding can give them the flexibility to pursue mission-related proposals and long-term projects,” Kathy Bloch, grants oversight co-chair, said in a news release. “It also can represent a ‘stamp of approval’ that makes it easier for them to secure grants from other funders.”

In addition to receiving a second consecutive year of funding, the Encore Grant recipient will have the option of selecting one woman from among its staff members, board members or volunteers to receive a fully paid, two-year membership in Impact100 Sonoma. The membership may also be shared between two women, giving them both full member privileges, but with one grant-making vote.

“The nonprofit and Impact100 Sonoma will both benefit from this new opportunity,” Bloch said. “We look forward to welcoming the diverse voices that Encore Partner members can bring to our organization.”

In 2023, the group awarded a record $337,400 in Impetus Grants to 16 nonprofits serving Sonoma Valley. That strategy of disbursing funds widely, as opposed to offering fewer large grants, was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now established as an ongoing format. A grant recipient may use the money for programs, infrastructure, capital expenditures, or any purpose that supports or improves the organization or its mission.

Impetus Grant applications for 2024 will be available on the Impact100 Sonoma website at impact100sonoma.org, starting Nov. 1, 2023. The application deadline is 8 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2024.

To apply for the new Encore Grant, Impetus Grant applicants need only answer a few additional questions on the same form and provide a budget for the second year. The Encore Grant must build upon the same goals as the Impetus Grant proposal. In keeping with the organization’s alternating funding cycle, nonprofits that received Impetus Grants in 2023 will be ineligible to apply in 2024.

An optional Impetus Grant Information Session for interested nonprofits will take place via Zoom on Nov. 9, 2023, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Members of Impact100 Sonoma Grants Oversight and Financial Review Committees will guide attendees through the 2024 application process and answer questions. All are welcome. Invitations are available by contacting info@impact100sonoma.org.

Over the winter, Impact100 Sonoma member teams will evaluate applications, make site visits, and select finalists for presentation to and voting by the full membership in mid April. The 2024 Impetus Grants and Encore Grant will be announced at the Annual Awards Celebration on May 4.

The Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley

The Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley announced the opening of the club’s 2023 fall community grants cycle for local education and nonprofit organizations.

“Last year, our club awarded almost $80,000 in grants to local groups, including the Sonoma Valley High School Wellness Center, Grupo Folklorico Quetzalen, Sonoma Valley Youth Soccer, Cancer Support Sonoma, the Sonoma Ecology Center, Sonoma Overnight Support and Homeless Action Sonoma,” Jim Carruthers, club president, said in a news release. “We’ve been serving Sonoma Valley continuously since 1946, doing what we can to make our community a little bit better for the people who live, work or visit here.”

Applications are due by Oct. 31, 2023. The club’s grants committee will review all applications submitted and plans to announce the awards by the end of November.

Interested nonprofit groups can download the grant application, submission instructions and grant guidelines at sonomavalleyrotary.org, under the Community Grant Application link on the club’s home page.

“Our grants are meant to be very accessible to local organizations who deliver direct services to the Sonoma Valley, and funding is based on the proceeds from our Luck of the Irish Raffle,” Shanis Nelson, the club’s grants committee chair, said in a news release. “Additionally, our members donate their time to help Sonoma Valley, such as helping maintain Sonoma Garden Park, removing garbage and debris from Sonoma Creek, helping Transcendence Theater Company set up stages at new venues, and helping restore the ancient groves at Jack London State Historic Park.”

The Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley meets at noon on Wednesdays at the Sonoma Golf Club. Visitors are welcome. Contact John Coulston at Johndcoulston@gmail.com to attend.

You can reach Staff Writer Rebecca Wolff at rebecca.wolff@sonomanews.com. On Twitter @bexwolff.