Funding Priorities

Impact100 Sonoma has two grant award programs:  the Impact $100,000 Grant and Community Grants, which award grants of $3000 to $15,000.  Each year, 65% of membership funds will support the $100,000 Impact Grant and the Impact Grant program finalists.  Remaining membership funds will support the Community Grants program.

IMPACT GRANT: $100,000

We invite all organizations in our community that have been in existence for at least 36 months and have the vision and capability to manage a gift of $100,000 to apply for the Impact Grant in one of the following Focus Areas:

ENRICHMENT & ENVIRONMENT – Programs and initiatives essential to protecting, promoting and educating the community on the critical importance of arts and culture, the environment and recreation in creating and maintaining a thriving community. By conserving and celebrating the many facets of life, these programs promote positive change that encompasses and embraces all realms of life. Grant can be for enrichment or environment or both.

A few examples are: music, dance, theatre & visual arts for all ages; sustainable farming & community gardens; animal welfare and animal assisted therapy; environmental impact & awareness; energy efficiency; disaster preparedness & relief; and adult and children recreational programs.

PREVENTION & INTERVENTION – Programs and initiatives that address behavioral issues and help people to develop the skills & emotional resilience necessary to exhibit positive mental and physical health; engage in positive social behavior; and eschew crime, violence and substance abuse.  Grant can be for prevention or intervention or both, with the understanding that prevention is stopping something from happening & intervention is action taken to improve a situation.

A few examples are:  comprehensive physical & mental health prevention and treatment; parenting skills; early intervention programs for individuals of any age with physical, mental and emotional challenges; educational and vocational achievement; conflict resolution skills; healthy choices education; mentoring; gang diversion; domestic violence; and child and elder abuse.

SOCIAL OUTREACH – Programs and initiatives essential to strengthening and enhancing segments of the community with significant economic, educational, social, and physical needs.  This population includes the elderly, single people, youth and families.

A few examples are: affordable housing; affordable health care; no cost/low cost food programs; employment; homeless services; elderly and disadvantaged people services; counseling; crisis and emergency response services; legal mediation; immigration services; and foster care and foster care emancipation programs.

WOMEN & GIRLS – Projects that promote women and/or girls’ safety, economic security, health, education, personal growth & leadership.  We are interested in programs that promise measurable social change in our community, thereby enhancing economic self-sufficiency & leadership for women and/or the development of key life skills for girls.

A few examples are:  services & housing for abused women; job skills and employment; empowerment and leadership development programs; health programs; and teen pregnancy and parenting skills.

COMMUNITY GRANTS – CAPITAL & PROGRAM GRANTS: $3,000 – $5,000

CAPITAL GRANTS  – The Capital Grants Program will award grants for any capital item or project an organization needs to simplify its operations or improve services. We will not be able to support capital or endowment campaigns, or software and hardware requests.

PROGRAM GRANTS  – Innovation and planning programs may be awarded funding for a short-term project.  The outcome of the project could provide critical data necessary to support the submission of proposal for additional funding from the Impact $100,000 grant in the following grant year.

  • Innovation – Funding for a time-limited experimental program that tests the effectiveness of a current or proposed service; to test a new idea or adapt a proven program to a new situation; or existing program enhancements.  We encourage and support creative thinking, “THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX”.  These innovative projects will address a specific need of the community and will last approximately 6 to 12 months.
  • Planning for Strategic Partnering/Collaboration – A planning grant is intended for two or more organizations, which provide similar, overlapping or complementary services and that wish to investigate a formal alliance for strategic partnering or collaboration.  It is intended to be a small, time-limited grant, which may or may not result in a real collaboration or a formal partnership between those organizations.

Collaborations should provide enhanced and more effective quality of services than either organization presently provides.  It will include a summary report on the structure and facets of the collaboration and outcomes of the project. Planning will last approximately 6 to 12 months.