Process
Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis members pool their $1,000 annual donation to fund large grants of $100,000. The grants are awarded in June each year to local charitable organizations. (Click here to go to our Grants Calendar page.)
The process depends on the five Focus Area Committees (FACs), made up of members of Impact 100. The FACs evaluate the nonprofit proposals and choose the Finalists for the Change Maker Grant. (Click here to go to the FAC Meeting page.)
Interested Nonprofits should click HERE to get on our Nonprofit Mailing List (Marion, Hamilton, Hancock, Shelby, Johnson, Morgan, Hendricks or Boone County nonprofits only). This email list is used to notify nonprofits when our grant application process begins, with an invitation to our annual Nonprofit Information Session, the due date for the Letter of Intent (LOI), and how to get the link to LOI form.
Four-Step Grant Application Process
- Letter of Intent: A link to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) will be available on our website when our application process opens each fall. Nonprofits on our Nonprofit Mailing List will also receive an invitation to attend an information session to learn more about the process and ask questions. Nonprofits who have submitted a LOI should receive an email soon after they submit the LOI verifying it has been received. Once an LOI has been submitted it is distributed to the Focus Area Committee (FAC) where Impact 100 members review and select the LOIs they want to move to the next step. The selected organizations will be notified and asked to submit a Full Grant Application. The time period for submitting a LOI opens in the fall and closes in early January each year. Please go to our Letter of Intent (LOI) page for more information by clicking here.
- Full Grant Application: The grant application is due in March. Nonprofits whose LOI has been selected will be sent an email with the full grant application and submission instructions. Reminder: ONLY proposals from nonprofits asked to submit a full grant application will be read. Unsolicited grant applications will be destroyed.
- Site Visit: Each focus area will select two to three semifinalists and conduct site visits in late-April/early-May. The objective of the site visit is to complete a general due diligence review and to investigate and resolve any final questions. Site visits require approximately 90 minutes of dedicated time, and should include the participation of the executive director, program manager, a board member, and a financial representative. An interview schedule will be established prior to the visit.
- Annual Awards Celebration: The finalists, Impact 100 members and guests, and interested citizens are invited to attend Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis’ Annual Awards Celebration and Annual Meeting in June. Each of the finalists will make a short presentation about their proposal. Impact 100 members will then vote on the finalists, with each member casting one vote. Absentee ballots will be counted that evening as well. The finalist receiving the most votes will receive a grant for $100,000. The remaining finalists will receive an unrestricted Community Support Grant, based on an even division of the residual amount. For example, if there is $180,000 in the grant pool and five finalists, one organization will receive $100,000 and the other four finalists will each receive $20,000 in the form of a one-time, unrestricted, undesignated grant. If there are more than 200 members, the same process will apply, awarding two grants for $100,000, with Community Support Grants going to the remaining three finalists.
Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis reserves the right to reject a Letter of Intent or a Grant Application for any reason, including if it is late or incomplete in any way. Carefully read the detailed instructions when filling in our forms and email us any questions at grants@impact100indy.org.
Impact 100 Grant Agreements
Nonprofit organizations awarded a Change Maker Grant from Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis of $100,000 must sign the Impact 100 Grant Agreement prior to receiving the first grant payment from Impact 100. The winning nonprofit will receive a link to the grant agreement as part of the information provided at the time the grant is awarded.
Community Support Grant Recipients (grant finalists not selected for the Change Maker Grant) will receive a cover letter outlining the requirements of the receipt of funds and the Impact 100 Community Support Grant Agreement to be signed. Once signed, the nonprofit will be given a check in the full amount of the awarded grant as unrestricted funds.
Impact 100 Recipient Report Forms
Winners of the Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis $100,000 grant will provide a timetable for how they want the funds to be distributed and milestones to be used to determine interim goals are being met. As those milestones are met, additional funds will be released.
Community Support Grant recipients will not be subject to the same reporting requirements as full grant recipients. Instead, Community Support Grant recipients will provide a short written report identifying how the receipt of such funds strengthened the organization. The format of this report will be provided to the grant recipients in advance of its due date.