Greetings!

My most important message this month is: “See below!” Thanks to a terrific team led by Communications Chair Ranit Schmelzer, our monthly newsletters are full of important information of interest to all of our members and friends. 

This is the most important time of year for us at Impact100 DC – the culmination of months of grant review and evaluation. Information about our finalists, including the materials you will need to make informed decisions about your vote, will be emailed to all our members over the next few weeks. Please be sure to vote. Our process works best when every member is invested in determining our grantees. 

Read more below!

Ann 

President

Meet the Finalists and Voting Kick-Off

Wednesday, June 11 from 6:45-8:00pm on Zoom

Impact100 DC Members only 

(recorded for those who can’t attend)

This important Zoom event features five-minute videos from each of our five grant award finalists, giving you the opportunity to hear directly from them about the work they do. We will also go over online voting instructions and answer your questions. This Zoom meeting will be recorded and distributed for those unable to attend.

ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS:

VOTING opens on Wednesday, June 11 at 8:00pm 

and closes on Wednesday, June 18 at noon 

On June 12th, you can expect an email with all the information you will need to cast an informed vote - voting directions, the full Meet the Finalists video, and Executive Summaries of each finalist. 

We will award $100,000 Impact Grants to the top two vote-getters, as well as three smaller Mission Grants.

We strongly urge every Impact100 DC member to vote! We are truly a one-woman, one-vote organization and each vote matters.

2025 Grant Awards Celebration

Wednesday, June 18 from 6:00-8:00pm

Akin Law Firm, 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE, 7th floor rooftop



Members and their guests welcome

This is our must-attend event of the year where you will have the chance to:

• Meet and congratulate this year's grant award finalists in person!
• Hear remarks from our TWO 2025 High-Impact Grantees!
• Connect with other Impact100 DC members and friends in a beautiful rooftop space overlooking Capitol Hill!
• Recruit for 2026. Please invite guests who have an interest in Impact100 DC – this event will showcase our 2025 work!

Impact100 DC Grantees at Work

Grantee Update: 2024 mission-based grantee First Generation College Bound recently helped found The Maryland Alliance for College Affordability and Equity. The Alliance gives a voice to low-income and first-generation students, working to remove the barriers that limit their access to college. Learn more about the Alliance here. This is a great example of the growth that an Impact100 DC grant fosters.

Volunteer Opportunity: 2024 Impact grantee BEST Kids is seeking mentors! Do you want to make a real difference in the life of a young person in foster care? Volunteer with BEST Kids to help re-direct their path towards a brighter future! You will have an opportunity to learn more from BEST Kids CEO at our Grant Awards Celebration on June 18.

Inspiring Collective Solutions: Members from 10 women’s giving circles, including representatives from Impact100 DC, along with funders and nonprofit leaders enjoyed great conversation and connections at Stronger Together: Supporting Community-Based Nonprofits in a Time of Crisis, an event held on May 14 in downtown DC. Thanks to past Impact100 DC mission-based grantee panelists Jamila Larson, Playtime Project (2024) and Jorge E. Figueredo, Edu-Futuro (2022) for sharing the impact of today’s challenges and inspiring participants to discover new ways to help.

Member News

Member Spotlight: Meet Sally Bloomberg!

After a brief hiatus, we’re excited to revive our “Member Spotlight” feature. Many thanks to Impact100 DC member Joan de Pontet for writing these wonderful profiles!

Sally Bloomberg was a Fellow at Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) in 2021/22 which gave her an opportunity to step back from her corporate life to identify social issues she found compelling and think about how she could leverage her skills and background to make a difference. “The experience and reflective process led to my focus on enhancing equality of educational opportunities and outcomes, especially among under-served populations. Education is a force multiplier…the engine on which so many other critical components are built.” She notes, “high quality education is a prerequisite for thriving societies–now more than ever!”

Sally grew up outside of Boston and became interested in government and politics during college when she had a summer internship working for a representative in the State House. His campaign for state senate coincided with her gap year and she signed on to organize his campaign headquarters. He won the election! Also during her gap year she attended cooking school to learn Classical French Techniques and honed the skills essential for haute cuisine. Still an avid cook and baker, she smiles, “It’s my way to be creative.” Although politics motivated Sally to come to DC initially, she decided to stay in the area after she met the man who became her husband and to pursue a career in telecommunications and consulting.

Impact100 DC is a good fit for Sally. Joining the Education FAC for the last two years has enabled her to feel more connected to the work Impact does, meet and engage with other women who share a passion for making a difference, and learn about DC area nonprofits that are in the Education space. Sally is a passionate believer that we need the collective action of ALL people to address pressing social, economic and environmental challenges. She looks forward to having more in-person opportunities to get to know Impact’s interesting and committed members.

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