Impact 100 Garden State Announces $300,000 in Grants

April 9, 2018

Impact 100 Garden State, a six-year-old local women’s philanthropic organization, has announced that in November, 2018, it will award three $100,000 grants to nonprofit organizations that serve residents of Morris, Somerset, Passaic and Sussex Counties.

Nonprofit applicants must apply in one of five areas—arts and culture; children and families; education; environment, preservation and recreation; and health and wellness. The online application is due by 5pm on Monday, April 16.

This is the first year that the members of Impact 100 have offered three $100,000 grants. Last year, there were two of $141,000 each and in 2016 they were able to offer two $100,000 grants and a smaller grant of $44,000.

“We are so excited to reach this next level in our growth as a women’s philanthropy group. It means so much to local organizations when we can make a significant grant and help them achieve their dreams,” says Merle Johnson, President of Impact 100 Garden State. “Now we can fund three different projects. All of our communities benefit.”

Nonprofits new to the organization’s grant process are encouraged to read details on the Impact 100 website and review the online application. “We encourage groups that may have applied before to consider reapplying,” says Christine DiCesare, Chair of Impact 100 Garden State’s Outreach to Nonprofits Committee. She points to the success rate for repeating applicants. “Seven of our nine recipients since 2014 had previously applied.”

Impact 100 Garden State follows a model for collective women’s philanthropy now used by more than 39 independent Impact 100 organizations around the world. In its five years of awarding grants, its members have cumulatively funded more than $1,000,000 in grants. It was the first Impact group in New Jersey. There are now four, totaling more than 700 women as members.

Impact 100 Garden State is a Special Project Fund of the Community Foundation of New Jersey, which supports charitable giving focused on making NJ communities stronger. For more information about Impact 100 Garden State and its grant process, go to www.impact100gardenstate.org.