Impact100 Sonoma received letters of inquiry from 23 Sonoma Valley nonprofit organizations interested in applying for a $100,000 grant it will award to one nonprofit on June 10, 2010. According to Patti England, Impact100 Sonoma Board of Directors Grants Chair, “After careful review of the letters of inquiry we have invited 13 organizations to submit full proposals, describing how a $100,000 grant to their organization would make an impact on the quality of life in Sonoma Valley.”
The 13 organizations invited to apply for the $100,000 grant span the organization’s five focus areas of arts and culture, education, environment, family, and health and wellness. Between March 29 and May 21, Impact100 Sonoma members serving on the five Focus Area Committees will review the grant applications and conduct site visits at the applicants’ organizations. The finalists for the $100,000 grant will be announced May 25. During the June 10 Annual Meeting of the Impact100 Sonoma membership, each finalist organization will present its vision for how the $100,000 grant would impact its organization. A vote of the entire Impact100 Sonoma membership will determine the nonprofit to receive the first $100,000 grant awarded by the organization. After the grant recipient is announced, Impact100 Sonoma Co-Presidents Christine Dohrmann and Annette Lomont will reveal how an additional $10,000 in grant funds raise by the Founding Members will be distributed. A celebration at the Sonoma Golf Club, immediately following the Annual Meeting and open to all Impact100 Sonoma members and friends, will honor the grant finalists.
Impact100 Sonoma is a philanthropic organization started in August 2009 that brings together at least one hundred women in a common purpose: to award an impact grant of $100,000 every year to a Sonoma Valley nonprofit organization that would otherwise not have access to this level of funding. Impact100 Sonoma is based on a model of women’s giving circles implemented in 11 other U.S. communities. The organization’s mission is to increase the number of women involved in local philanthropy, raise awareness of the unmet needs of nonprofits in Sonoma Valley, encourage members to become more involved with local charities, and make an impact on the long term sustainability of Sonoma Valley’s nonprofit community. In less than four months after the organization was formed, 110 women joined the organization as Founding Members, enabling a total of $110,000 to be awarded in grant funds during 2010.
Impact100 Sonoma is currently seeking additional members to join the organization. Any women who join by May 12 will be invited to attend the organization’s May 15 Spring Reception and the June 10 Annual Meeting celebration. Information about Impact100 Sonoma may be found at www.impact100sonoma.org or by calling 707-256-0119.
