news release
Five local Indian River nonprofits were awarded grants of $100,000 grants each at the Impact 100 Indian River Annual Meeting on Wednesday, April 12 at Oak Harbor. The remaining $70,900 in the award fund was distributed equally as merit grants to the other six finalists, bringing the total awarded by Impact 100 to $570,900.
The record number of Impact 100 members attending the annual meeting voted to award Impact 100 grants of $100,000 each to:
- Gifford Youth Orchestra, The GYO Audio, Recording, And Communications Studio
- Learning Alliance, The Moonshot Lab School and Hub for Teacher Training
- Senior Resource Association, Meals on Wheels Waitlist Relief
- Source, The Dignity Wellness Program
- Whole Family Health Center, WFHC Mobile Medical Office
“After hearing presenting sponsor, Tracy Sorzano of PNC Private Bank and the passionate presentations by the 11 grant finalists, the members voted for the five finalists whose projects they believed will have the most lasting impact on the community,” said Mary Ellen McCarthy, president of the women’s philanthropic organization. “We collectively believe the five local nonprofits selected will make transformational changes in our community.”
The remaining six finalists who each will receive a merit award of more than $11,800 are:
- Ballet Vero Beach, Inc., Fellowship Initiative for Dancers Expansion
- Bike Walk Indian River County, Wheels on Wheels
- IRC Healthy Start, Fatherhood Initiative IRC
- Junior Achievement of PB & TC, From Youngsters to High School Graduates
- McKee Botanical Garden, Nurtured by Nature
- Vero Beach Theatre Guild, Theatrical Learning Center
Members of Impact 100 could vote by mail, online or at the annual meeting. Leslie Rossway Swan, IRC Supervisor of Elections, and her staff assisted with the voting process, including providing official ballots and voting machines. The votes were certified by Nuttall, Doninin & Associates, CPA.
Overall, the annual meeting is the culmination of a comprehensive process that involves outreach to local nonprofits with visioning, grant writing and application support, thorough vetting of applications, and informed voting by Impact 100 members to identify projects that can make a meaningful difference in the community.
“Our process ensures the most deserving projects are selected to receive funding and support from Impact 100 Indian River,” McCarthy explained.
In the past 15 years, Impact 100 has awarded more than $6,000,000 to local nonprofits who are working to make Indian River a better place for all.
The members of Impact 100 Indian River have already started work on their next grant season. The visioning committee is working with nonprofit leaders to cultivate ideas and develop collaborations for potential Impact 100 grant proposals. Nonprofits can request a visioning session and find more information at: https://impact100ir.com/grants/
Two nonprofit workshops are scheduled to also support those nonprofits interested in applying for a grant—a grant writing workshop at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16th, and a nonprofit information session at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 6th. Both workshops will be held at Northern Trust thanks to the generous donation of their space.
Grant applications for 2023-2024 will be accepted from June 1 to November 3.
About Impact 100 Indian River
Established in 2008, Impact 100 Indian River is a membership organization of nearly 500 dedicated, philanthropic women who, collectively, impact the lives of individuals and the community through transformational giving. Founded on the premise of “one woman, $1,000 and one vote,” each member contributes $1,000 annually, plus $100 to cover administrative costs, which is pooled to create grants in $100,000 increments. Open to all women of Indian River County, Impact 100 offers women an opportunity to participate in “team philanthropy” through high impact grant making.
For more information or to become a member, visit www.impact100ir.com.
Indian River Guardian 