Impact100 Sonoma will again offer multiple Impetus Grants of up to $25,000 to nonprofit organizations.
After a successful pilot in 2024, the group also will continue to offer a multi-year Encore Grant, which will give one 2025 Impetus Grant recipient a second grant of the same amount in early 2026.
Impetus Grant applications for 2025 will be available on the Impact100 Sonoma website (www.impact100sonoma.org) starting November 1, 2024. The application deadline is 8 p.m. on January 10, 2025. To apply for the 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 2024 will be ineligible to apply in 2025.
“The Encore Grant was embraced by area nonprofits when it was introduced for 2024,” said Leslie Blankenship, Grants Oversight Co-Chair. “A known second year of funding can give nonprofits the flexibility to pursue mission-related proposals and long-term projects. 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.
In May 2024, Impact100 Sonoma awarded a record $350,000 in Impetus Grants, including the new $25,000 Encore Grant, to 13 nonprofits serving Sonoma Valley. Since its founding in 2009, the group has awarded more than $4 million in local funding. The strategy of disbursing multiple grants of up to $25,000, as opposed to offering fewer large grants, was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues 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.
Every Impact100 Sonoma member makes a one-year, fully tax-deductible minimum donation of $1,200 ($600 for a shared membership), $1,000 of which goes toward grants, and some donate additional funds. The more members, the more money is available to distribute. Members must join or renew by December 31, 2024, to vote for 2025 Impetus Grant recipients.
An optional Impetus Grant Information Session for interested nonprofits will take place via Zoom on November 7, 2024, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Members of Impact100 Sonoma Grants Oversight and Financial Review Committees will guide attendees through the 2025 application process and answer questions. Invitations are available by contacting info@impact100sonoma.org.
The 2025 Impetus Grants and Encore Grant will be announced at the Annual Awards Celebration on April 26.
photo : (L-R) Alma Bastress, Alondra Marroquín, and Jennifer Magallan of 2024 Encore Grant recipient Sonoma Immigrant Services are representing their nonprofit organization with a two-year shared membership in Impact100 Sonoma. They will join more than 300 other valley women in choosing 2025 Impetus Grant recipients.
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