Impact100 Sonoma sets new grant policy

In 2023, women’s collective giving organization Impact100 Sonoma – one of the valley’s largest funders – will again offer multiple Impetus Grants of up to $25,000 to local nonprofit organizations. 

In 2022, Impact100 awarded a record $335,500 in Impetus Grants to 14 valley nonprofits. That strategy of disbursing funds widely, as opposed to offering fewer large grants, was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now expected to continue into the future.

“This approach has been well-received by Sonoma Valley’s nonprofits and Impact100 members alike,” said Dana Simpson-Stokes, grants oversight co-chair. “Both constituencies requested that it continue. The ability to support a broad range of organizations and serve residents of all ages and needs is a good fit for our community.”

Grant recipients can use the money to sustain their current programs, expand or improve their offerings, or better fulfill their core mission, she said.

The 2023 grants strategy was announced September 24, during Impact100’s Annual Garden Party, which also launched its 2023 membership drive. Every member makes a one-year, fully tax-deductible minimum donation of $1,000 toward grants. The more members, the more money is available to distribute.

“We will continue to evaluate grant applications through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens,” said Simpson-Stokes, “with a focus on supporting core missions and assisting newer or smaller valley nonprofits.”

Because it expects to continue the Impetus Grant model going forward, Impact100 will return to an alternating funding cycle that requires recent recipients to sit out for one year. For the upcoming grants cycle, organizations that received two Impetus Grants in a row during the pandemic in 2021 and 2022 will be ineligible to apply in 2023.

To simplify and expedite the application process, Impact100 has adopted new grants-management software suggested by and already familiar to many local nonprofit organizations. Impetus Grant applications for 2023 will be available on the Impact100 Sonoma website (www.impact100sonoma.org) starting November 1, 2022. The application deadline is 8 p.m. on January 13, 2023, about two weeks earlier than in years past.

An Impetus Grant Information Session for interested nonprofits will take place via Zoom on November 10, from 4 to 6 p.m. Members of Impact100’s Grants Oversight and Financial Review Committees will guide attendees through the 2023 application process and answer questions. All are welcome. To receive an invitation, contact [email protected].

Over the winter, Impact100 member teams will evaluate applications, make site visits, and select finalists for presentation to and voting by the full membership in mid-April. The 2023 Impetus Grants will be announced at the Annual Awards Celebration on April 29, 2023.