September Updates from Impact100 DC

Dear Impact100 DC Members and Friends,

As we enter our fifth season of grantmaking and I enter my sixth year as Impact100 DC president, I am more excited than I have ever been about this organization and its future. I’ll give you just three top reasons:

• Our first Impact Maker Breakfast. Our fabulous speakers, Cathy Merrill Williams and Dr. Tamara Wilds Lawson, had wisdom and knowledge to share about local needs and local giving that were relevant to everyone present. I continue to think of the event as being all about local partnerships – with our wonderful co-hosts, the DC Public Library Foundation, between donors and grantees (almost all of our grantee organizations were in the room), and with the huge network of giving organizations in this area, including the exceptional Washington Women’s Area Foundation. I am confident that we can continue to strengthen and develop ties with other like-minded organizations in the DMV and become an even stronger organization through that process.
• Our first Strategic Plan. We are nearing the finish line! After almost a year working with Spur Local on a blueprint for organizational growth for the next three years in every important area of our organization, we anticipate Board approval in October. We cannot wait to share the plan with our full membership and beyond soon after that. 
• Our Impact100 DC leadership. We head into year five with a fantastic membership team, led by Martha Coven, a fantastic communications team, led by Ranit Schmelzer, and a fantastic grants team led by Caitlin Van Orden and Dorothy Durden. All told, we have 25 exceptional women participating on the Board. We have never been stronger. And we are always looking to the future when it comes to leadership; if you have an interest, please let any of us on the Board know that!

One last note: Don't miss our Fall member opportunities!!! Please see below for our calendar of Meet and Greet events this fall. I hope everyone interested in meeting other members and helping us recruit new ones will sign up for one!

All my best,



Ann Vaughn

President

Meet and Greet Events

For the third year, we are holding a series of small gatherings in October and November for Impact100 DC folks to get to know one another better and to introduce potential new members to Impact100 DC. These are fun, cozy, and informational events. Our first Meet and Greet on October 5th presents an exciting opportunity to meet one of our grantees, DC Greens. They are hosting us at The Well at Oxon Run, their one-acre community farm and wellness space nestled in Oxon Run Park. 

Please join us and invite a friend! Click here for details and to register.

Sat. 10/5, 1-3pm – hosted by DC Greens in Washington, DC

Sun. 10/6, 3-5pm – hosted by Jenna Boig in Olney, MD

Sun. 10/20, 4-6pm – hosted by Bonnie Harkness in Bethesda, MD

Tues. 10/22, 6-8pm – hosted by Martha Coven in Woodley Park, DC

Sun. 11/3, 3-5pm – hosted by Heller An Shapiro in Chevy Chase, MD

Sat. 11/16, 3-5pm – hosted by Elisa Joseph Anders in Arlington, VA

Grow our Numbers to Grow our Impact

Our 2025 recruitment season is officially underway! Thank you to our current members who have already renewed for next year. We hope to welcome all of you as members for 2025! 

As we plan for an even bigger impact in 2025, we need your help in recruiting new members. The more members we have, the larger our 2025 grant fund will be. Every new member directly increases our ability to fuel the nonprofits working to tackle pressing community needs. Your outreach can help us grow and make an even bigger difference. Please think broadly about who you can reach out to – friends, neighbors, coworkers, and/or members of other groups and organizations you are involved with.

The Impact100 DC Member Recruitment Toolkit has all the resources you need to help you with your outreach. 

Grant Application Update

As in years past, the Grants Team dedicated considerable time over the summer to reviewing our most recent grants cycle to determine what worked and where new tweaks might be made. Instrumental to this process are Caitlin Van Orden and Dorothy Durden, our Grants Co-Chairs. 

To our nonprofit friends: Please note that our timeline has changed. The 2024 grant application will open on November 7, 2024 and close on January 16, 2025. Click HERE for a link to important dates. We will also host our Nonprofit Workshop on November 7 to answer any questions about the application process. Stay tuned for the sign up email this fall!

Please note that we have made a change from last cycle regarding fiscally sponsored organizations. Last cycle, we opened the process to allow fiscally sponsored organizations to apply. We learned a lot last year, but it became clear that we need to do more work internally to be fully ready to accept these types of applications. As such, we’ve decided to pause our acceptance of fiscally sponsored organizations this cycle while we improve our internal processes to make sure we can fairly evaluate these types of applications. 

Be assured that Impact100 DC remains committed to supporting small nonprofits that are reaching the most vulnerable in our communities. We look forward to being able to consider these types of organizations again in the future.

Fellowship Applications Are Open

The Impact100 DC fellowship program advances our commitment to building a community with diverse voices and perspectives by providing a pathway into the organization for women ages 21-39 who are interested in philanthropy but currently lack the financial resources to join us as members.



We are now accepting applications for fellows to participate in our 2025 grantmaking. Applying is easy: more information is here, and applications are due Nov. 1. Please help spread the word!

Grantee News and More

BEST Kids, our 2024 Impact Grantee, has many volunteer opportunities, from participating in their events (including their Gala on October 4th), to joining their Speaker Bureau, to donating goods and services. Learn more here.

The MusicianShip recently released their 2023-24 Impact Report which shows that 93% of students who participate in after school music programs graduate high school, a 13% increase over those who do not participate. Read it here.

Upcoming Event: On September 30 at 2:00pm ET, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation invites all Impact100 DC members and friends to join its upcoming webinar, #AskHer: From Birth to the Boardroom. Key members of The Women's Foundation will discuss the critical issues facing women and girls of color in the Washington metropolitan region. Learn more and register here.

Impact100 DC

PO Box 40121

Washington, DC 20016

Contact:

www.impact100dc.org

President@Impact100dc.org

Membership@Impact100dc.org

Phone: 202-379-4773

Thank you to our sponsors!