Impact 100 Redwood Circle

Creating transformative, lasting change in Sonoma County through the collective philanthropy of women

$100,000 IMPACT GRANT

The $100,000 Impact Grant cycle runs from May to November and consists of the steps below, facilitated by a volunteer Impact Grant Subcommittee.

  1. Nominations – Impact 100 Redwood Circle members are asked to nominate organizations for the Impact Grant. Under the terms of a new 2023 pilot program, only nonprofits operating in the Health/Community Betterment focus area may apply. (By our definition, these are organizations whose mission includes one or more of the following aims 1) positively impact the physical, social, mental health, and/or well-being of adults, children, families 2) strengthen and enhance the lives of children, teens, adults, and seniors.) Only nominated organizations may apply.
  2. Eligibility – Nominated organizations are vetted to ensure their basic eligibility and invited to submit an application.
  3. Nonprofit Workshop – Applicants may attend this optional orientation and training.
  4. Letter of Intent – Eligible nominees submit a Letter of Intent (LOI).
  5. LOI Review – Impact Grant Subcommittee members review and evaluate the LOIs to determine who will move forward to the Full Proposal Application.
  6. Full Proposal Application (FPA) – Selected applicants are notified and invited to submit a Full Proposal Application. Eliminated organizations are offered feedback.
  7. FPA Review – Members review and evaluate the FPAs and determine semi-finalists to invite for Q&A sessions.
  8. Q&As – Selected applicants are invited to a Q&A session as semi-finalists. Eliminated organizations are offered feedback.
  9. Finalists – After the Q&A sessions, three finalists are selected.
  10. Voting – Members are asked to vote via an email ballot containing a short description of the three finalists’ proposals and their pre-recorded videos.
  11. Grant Awards – The Impact Grantee (organization with the highest number of votes) and Merit Grantees (the other two finalists) are announced at the annual Impact Awards Celebration in early November.
  12. Ongoing Liaison – Members of our Liaison Committee serve as ambassadors to the Impact and Merit Grantees throughout the duration of their grant periods to keep our membership apprised of any news and developments and share ways that members can offer additional support.