By Anna Pier
Impact100 Sonoma has been selected as a 2026 Philanos Spotlight Award recipient in recognition of its transformational support for the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance. Impact100 Sonoma is an affiliate of Philanos, the nation’s leading network of women’s giving circles.
The annual Spotlight Awards were presented to three network affiliates at a dinner on February 9 during the annual Philanos National Conference in Austin, Texas. Accepting the honor on behalf of Impact100 Sonoma was Leslie Blankenship, Co-Vice President and Grants Oversight Co-Chair, accompanied by Susie Gallo, Executive Director of Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance (SVMA). “We are deeply honored and grateful to accept the Philanos Spotlight Award, recognizing one of our longest nonprofit partnerships,” Blankenship said.
Philanos had asked each of its nationwide affiliates to nominate a grant that was transformational. Blankenship explained, “Impact100 took an unconventional approach: instead of spotlighting a single grant, we nominated the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance as a longtime partner whose cumulative impact has transformed our community.” She described the Mentoring Alliance as a “dynamic collaboration between schools, families, and community volunteers that fulfills a crucial need by providing stable, caring relationships alongside educational and emotional support for youth in need.”
The Impact100 representative to the event added, “We are sharing this honor as true partners. Impact100 Sonoma has supported SVMA through eight grants over the years, but the award really recognizes what the Mentoring Alliance has accomplished with that sustained investment. For a small-town giving circle — in one of the smallest communities in our state — to stand alongside established giving circles from major metro areas on a national stage is extraordinary. We’re over the moon.”
SVMA director Susie Gallo expressed thanks to Philanos, “for this recognition, and to Impact100 Sonoma for believing in the power of mentoring and for nominating us,” she told the Awards dinner audience. “Impact100 Sonoma is so much more than a grantmaking organization. They are our thought partners, and many of their member donors serve as volunteer mentors in our program. Every day, our mentors and staff walk alongside young people, reminding them that they are seen, valued, and never alone. This award belongs to our mentors, our community partners, and, above all, to the students who inspire us.”
“This award celebrates the change that results from investing in community nonprofits,” said Philanos Board Co-Chair Ann Marie McGee. “Throughout the country and beyond, Philanos affiliates are practicing high-impact, transformational grantmaking. Spotlighting those grants is one of the most meaningful ways we demonstrate the ripple effect of collective giving.” Philanos comprises more than 110 affiliates and 22,000 members in 30 states, the District of Columbia, England, and Australia.
Impact100 Sonoma, founded in 2009, is the first Impact100 organization in California. Since 2011 it has awarded eight grants to the Mentoring Alliance, providing essential core-mission funding, from sustaining staff and Mentor Centers in every District school, to expanding programs and opportunities. Said Blankenship, “Through our trust-based philanthropy model, the Mentoring Alliance has been empowered to innovate, most recently launching an after-school enrichment program that now offers more than 80 mentor-mentee activities each year.”
In April, Impact100 Sonoma will award an annual record $365,000 in grants to Valley-serving nonprofits, raising its cumulative grant total since 2010 to $4,740,485.
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