The Two Things Your Grant Needs to Make a Difference

Making an Impact 

Impact 100, regularly, gives out grants that are matched by community partners. It has been an interesting perspective because it focuses on women and entrepreneurial endeavors to try to get women to be self-reliant and help them with their business. So it’s not just here’s the money, have a good time. They develop them into entrepreneurs. They have accountability to specific committees and learning that they have to endure. So it’s a fascinating approach to this. 

Areas of Focus

There are five areas of focus that Impact 100 centers on; arts & culture, education, environment, family,  health & wellness. It’s interesting; those five focus areas are meant to be broadly interpreted. The goal of every Impact 100 chapter would be to get to 500 members. That way, we would give one grant in each of those focus areas, because what we believe is that in order for a community to thrive, all of those areas have to be humming along. Impact 100, it really is indebted to the nonprofits to do a great job in telling us their story.

How can grantmaking create a difference? 

The grant needs to be transformational for the community

Giving will happen in many various ways. Did you know there is a difference between a transformational grant and a transactional grant? The critical elements of transformational grantmaking are building of organizational capacity, development of community leaders, a shared vision, connecting and collaborating, and partnering with grantees. Instead of focusing on the transaction when grantmaking, it’s essential to focus on a long-term commitment to the community. However, there is a time and place for transactional grantmaking. For instance, a transactional grant can be used for critical and necessary situations to help those in immediate crises meet very pressing needs. Although transactional grants have a place, we need to create transformation in the community, rather than merely filling needs when they come up.

The grant needs to be sustainable

How is sustainability possible in grantmaking? To understand grantmaking sustainability, funders need to consider what happens to grant projects after foundation funding ends and to reflect on why those things happen. Sometimes, it may not be simple to get the answers we are looking for. Once a grant goes through, follow up with the community members or grantees and see what happened next. It will be critical to speak with as many people as possible to grasp the full picture. Plus, funders who monitor sustainability tend to select the indicators that are most pertinent to their mission, grantmaking, and grantees. Perhaps there are some changes that the grantees can suggest for future grantmaking. 

Overall, stay involved in the grantmaking process, even after the grant is processed—sustainable and transformational grantmaking at the two most critical aspects to making a difference in your community. Impact 100 has a very open and transparent process. They are only as strong as the women who join us and only as transformational as the nonprofit to apply. So that means as an Impact 100 leader in a community, you would be out always inviting nonprofits to come and learn about our grant process. We offer information sessions and guidance on how to fill out their application. Check out Impact 100 today: https://impact100council.org