Impact100 donates nearly $300k to 12 Valley groups

The philanthropic group Impact100 Sonoma awarded its 2017 Impact Grant of $100,000 to Sonoma Land Trust, for its Sonoma Development Center Land Protection Project, and made 12 other donations at its annual meeting on June 10.

“We are your Land Trust – we are a tool of this community to protect land,” said recipient John McCaull, Land Acquisition Program Manager, Sonoma Valley. “We are going to do it with your help. Over the next year and a half we’re all going to figure out together what to do about the Sonoma Development Center.”

The future of the SDC is going to be very interesting and exciting, he said. “We’re going to do new things in Sonoma Valley with this incredible property, our biggest asset.”

Pictured: With the $100,000 donation: Diana Samson, Impact100; John McCaull, Dave Koehler, Tony Nelson and Shannon Nichols of Sonoma Land Trust; and Claudia Sims and Wendy Hoffman, Impact100. Photo by Julie Vader

While the marquee Impact Grant is the group’s largest single donation, $192,227 was awarded to other groups. Wendy Hoffman, outgoing president, explained that that this year, 290 women joined Impact100 Sonoma with $1,000 each. Unspent funds from a previous grant cycle made a total of $292,227 awarded during the gathering at Hanna Boys Center.

Two Impact Grant finalists were also honored and each received $10,000 in unrestricted funds: Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County, and La Luz Center.

Impact100 Sonoma awarded the remainder of the funds, totaling $172,227, in Community Grants to the following nonprofit organizations:

• 10,000 Degrees – $20,000 to pilot a college awareness initiative for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students and their parents at Altimira Middle School.
• On The Move – $19,990 to expand the Parent University program (currently at El Verano and Sassarini Elementary Schools) to Flowery Elementary School, motivating parents to become engaged in their children’s learning.
• Redwood Empire Food Bank – $20,000 to provide fresh produce and healthy staple foods for low-income residents of Sonoma Valley who might otherwise go without adequate food and nutrition.
• Social Advocates for Youth  – $20,000 to expand no-cost services to grieving youth in Sonoma Valley and to increase parent education and youth engagement.
• Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards – $10,000 to repair damage from erosion and overuse on Sonoma’s Overlook Trail.
• Sonoma Valley Education Foundation – $20,000 to expand the Jump into Reading! summer intervention program to improve reading proficiency for students in grades K-3.
• Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance $20,000 for its ongoing Road Map to Your Future program to provide valuable career exploration opportunities to 240 of Sonoma Valley’s most at-risk youth.
• Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance – $8,048 to upgrade its eight Mentor Centers.
• Teen Services Sonoma -$19,845 to expand its Ready to Work program with the Building Vocational Skills for Success Program offering construction-related skills development.
• Teen Services Sonoma $14,344 to purchase equipment and supplies to upgrade its hospitality programs at its Lovin’ Oven and Sonoma Valley High School’s No Name Café.

Over the past five months, Diana Sanson, Claudia Sims, Margaret Grandy and Lynne Lancaster led the process of narrowing 38 original applications down to three finalists the grants. The recipients of the awards were decided by a vote of the entire Impact100 Sonoma membership.

The organization’s mission is to empower women of Sonoma Valley to invest in a more sustainable nonprofit community through collective giving and responsible stewardship. Find out more at Impact100sonoma.org or 707.939.5007.