The Indian River Impact 100 leadership team dropped anchor at the Vero Beach Yacht Club last Friday to announce this year’s seven nonprofit finalists vying for four $100,000 grants, which will be awarded at its Annual Meeting on April 19.
The 2017 Impact 100 membership is comprised of more than 430 women, who have each contributed $1,000 toward transformational grants for projects centered on family; education; health & wellness, and enrichment & environment.
“I have always loved matching gifts and collective giving. I can’t give $400,000, but I can give my $1,000 and watch it grow. I think all the women at Impact 100 are thrilled at the idea of collective giving,” said Suzanne Bertman, board president.
Every membership dollar is allocated during the grant process, so after awarding four $100,000 grants, the remaining funds will be equally divided among the three runners-up.
The grant applications are thoroughly vetted, said Bertman. “If you win one then you’ve got the Good Housekeeping seal of approval, because we don’t make it easy for you to go through the grant process.”
“There were 16 grants submitted this year. They were all good grants,” said Wanda Lincoln, grant chair, noting that the vetting process also includes site visits to the nonprofits.
This year’s finalists are:
Alzheimer & Parkinson Association of Indian River County – Dementia Friendly Community Initiative
Ballet Vero Beach – Nutcracker on the Indian River
Childcare Resources of Indian River – Credentialing Program for Early Educators
Hibiscus Children’s Center – Helping Children through Careers Graphic Design Impact Center
Indian River County Healthy Start Coalition – IRC Healthy Start Community Doula Program
Ocean Research and Conservation Association – The Living Lagoon Project
Tykes & Teens – Infant Mental Health
“What I love about this is that our organization focuses on mommies. Obviously that’s women, and Impact 100 is a women’’s organization,” said Andrea Berry, Healthy Start executive director, adding that this is the first time their nonprofit has reached finalist level in the Impact 100 grant process. “Our proposal is about women going through childbirth. What could be more transformational than that?”
Ballet Vero Beach board members Linda Downey and Ann Alleva Taylor said this is the first time the ballet company has applied for an Impact 100 grant.
“We are a young organization,” explained Taylor. “This grant would make a big impact. The startup expenses are huge but the fact that the ballet can go on for as many as 20 years with the same costumes and sets makes it a long-term investment.”
“We are really honored and humbled that we were selected as a finalist,” added Downey. “The Nutcracker project is what, for so many ballet companies, helps them become financially solvent. It will assure our stability for a long time.”
This year’s Impact 100 awards distribution will culminate nine years of “impactful” giving by its members, who thus far have distributed more than $3.3 million dollars to Indian River County nonprofits.
To learn more, visit Impact100IR.com.
