The news in early February that the two new grant making policies and the focus area pilot program were approved by our membership probably caused some of you to wonder whether the Community Grant Committee will be able to swing into action and implement these changes for the 2023 grant cycle on such short notice. 

Yes, it’s true that we kicked off our grant cycle on February 13, just 10 days after the ballots on the grant making policy modifications were counted. But the Community Grants co-chairs had started preparing for the 2023 cycle months earlier knowing full-well that changes likely were afoot. Since then, the full committee has been engaged in planning.

This year, as part of the pilot program, Community Grants will be awarded in three of the Focus Areas: Arts and Culture, Education, and Environment/Parks/Sustainability/Recreation. Within the pilot program lives the goal to award grants of significantly larger dollar amounts—the ability of which is based on the amount of money allocated by leadership to Community Grants. 

The shift from rewarding “projects” to supporting the overall work of a nonprofit through core mission support makes so much sense. Without strong operational funding, the nonprofits aren’t able to provide their services. As we shift to providing this type of support, nominating members are encouraged to assist the nonprofits in developing their application in a way that describes what receiving a grant now would mean to the organization.

The need for change rests with us all—the Community Grants committee—and our membership. We’ll focus on presenting the nonprofits in a clear and compelling way, and together through the votes our membership cast, we’ll shift our love of the project to love of the organizations and their good works.

Working to make the changes necessary to implement the recommendations, we know we’re not alone. We’ve been collaborating with the Impact Grant co-chairs—sharing ideas and looking at ways to align and streamline our processes—and there’s the ongoing commitment of support from the Grantmaking Task Force and the Leadership Team. We’re excited about the impact the recommendations will have on Impact 100 Redwood Circle and the nonprofits we serve.  

Christy Yaeger and Colleen Pundyk
Community Grants Co-chairs, 2023