While this information is intended for our newest members, any member as well as interested community members are welcome to review this information. It’s purpose is to answer common questions about Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis and provide our members with information about our grant making process.

Basic Information about Impact 100

Before we start answering questions, let’s just briefly review how Impact 100 works. We start by building our grant pool, where 100 or more members (or teams of members) donate $1,000 each. Donations are due by December 31^st to form the grant pool for the following year.

100% of each year’s grant pool is given away as Change-Maker grants—high impact grants of $100,000 to improve our community. We use a competitive grant selection process to develop a list of change-maker finalists to present to our membership. From those finalists, the membership votes to determine which nonprofit will receive our grants.

Operating costs are paid through donations from members, friends, and corporate sponsors. These donations are managed independently from the grant pool.

What are the types of Impact 100 membership?

We have three types of membership – full, shared, and Leaders of the Future scholarship.

• A woman who contributes $1000 is a “full member.”
• A woman may also “share” a $1000 membership between 2 to 4 women teams. Women may form their own team, or we can assign women to teams. These women are “shared members”.
• We raise funds from members, friends, and sponsors for scholarships for young philanthropists, who can learn about the needs of our community and about Impact 100 by participating in our process.

What are the membership “rights” of a shared member?

A shared member (regardless of contribution) has the following membership rights:

• She may serve on a grant selection committee (Focus Area Committee).
• She may serve on a Board Committee (serving on the Board itself requires a full membership).
• She may attend all Impact 100 events.
• She receives all Impact 100 Newsletters and relevant mailings.

The only difference between a shared membership and a full membership is that a shared member shares her vote with the others in her team. There is only one vote for every $1000 or equivalent membership.

What is an Impact member required to do?

An Impact 100 member may be involved to whatever extent she wishes to be involved. The choice is yours. The only requirement is a membership donation and voting for our Change Maker grant recipients. There are no attendance requirements. However, the women who enjoy their involvement in Impact 100 do at least one of the following:

• Participate on a Focus Area Committees (FACs) tasked with selecting a finalist for a Focus Area (see the next question for more about FACs).
• Attend one or more of the 7-9 events we conduct each /year.
• Participate on a Board committee, such as Membership, Communications/Marketing or Awards Celebration

How does a member join a grant selection committee or FAC?

There are five Focus Area Committees (FACs), each chaired by a Board Member:

• Arts, Culture, & Preservation
• Education
• Environment & Animal Welfare
• Family
• Health & Wellness

In late November/early December, members are sent a list of the FAC committees and their meeting details (location, dates, and times) and are asked to respond if they wish to participate, and to rank their top three FAC choices. Then members are assigned to an FAC. In 2025, FACs will meet according to the schedule on the website. Some meet virtually three to four times between January and April, some may meet hybrid, and usually for the site visits, members will meet in person as well as hybrid. (You will find a detailed description of the grant process later in this document.)

What events may an Impact 100 member attend?

An Impact 100 member may attend any and as many of our events as she wishes. There are 7-9 events each year – generally one event in the winter or spring and then one event in June, and each month August- December. Electronic invitations are sent for most events, and members are asked to bring guests. Please check our website and watch for newsletters for events, dates, and links to RSVP.

What are the opportunities to be on a Board Committee?

There are several “Board Committees” – But you don’t have to be a Board member to participate in these committees. Here’s a list of the Board Committees and the Board members who lead each:

• Membership – Marcy Cabello, Chair
• Marketing/Communications – Katie Hughes, Chair
• ·Fundraising/Sponsorship – (Open), Chair
• Leaders of the Future Scholarship Program (LOF) – Bailey Peycha, Chair
• Annual Awards Committee – Ellen Pactor

Any member interested in serving on a Board Committee should email impact100indy@gmail.com along with your interests and availability.

How does a member keep informed about what’s going on at Impact 100?

We email a monthly newsletter containing information on events, grantees, members, and other topics of interest. As a member you are automatically placed on the newsletter mailing list. It’s also a good idea to check our website regularly. We have lots of great information there. We also have a Facebook page, Instagram, and a YouTube channel.

A small favor please: Because we use the same software to send important emails as we use to send the newsletter, please don’t Unsubscribe to our newsletter. This could cause you to miss important information, such as FAC meetings. If you don’t want to read the newsletter, just delete but please do not unsubscribe!

How does a member get an answer to a specific question?

If our website doesn’t have the answer to a member’s question, the member should send an email to impact100indy@gmail.com. We check that email at least weekly.

How does the grantmaking process work?

The process is simple, yet very effective:

• Letter of Inquiry (LOI): Local nonprofits submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) to one of the FACs. It is up to the nonprofit to select which FAC committee is most appropriate for their project proposal.
• FAC Selection: Members who wish to be a member of an FAC send their committee preferences to the Board at the end of the year, and assignments are made by a subcommittee of the Impact 100 Board in early January.
• FAC Orientation: The first meeting of the Focus Area Committee is an orientation for the committee members, providing them with information about the grants process and our evaluation process. Committee members must sign confidentiality agreements and conflict of interest statements before they are given access to the applicants’ information.
• LOI Review: Each FAC meets for the second time to review the LOIs designated for their committee. Based upon its review of the LOIs, the committee determines which of the nonprofits should submit a full proposal.
• Grant Proposal Review: Once those full proposals are received, the FAC holds their third meeting to evaluate the full grant proposals. After a thorough review of the proposals and committee discussion, the FAC determines which of the applicants will be even more closely reviewed at a site visit.
• Site Visits: At the site visits, the FAC members talk to the leaders of the organization and ask questions about the project being proposed. They get the opportunity to learn more about the organization and the people they serve through a tour of the organization, meeting some of its staff and board members, and observing some of the work they do.
• Finalist Selection: After the site visit, the FAC meets a fourth and final time to select their committee’s “finalist,” whose grant proposal will be presented to the full Impact 100 membership at the Annual Awards Celebration in June.
• Finalist Announcement: Once the finalists have been announced, summaries of each finalist’s project are distributed to every member. Members who cannot attend the Annual Awards Celebration notify the Annual Awards Celebration Committee so they can be mailed absentee ballots, ensuring they are still part of the selection process.
• And the Winner Is….: At the Annual Awards Celebration, each finalist gives a short speech describing their proposed program, and the members vote by secret ballot for the nonprofit program of their choice. For each $100,000 in the grant pool each year, we will award a $100,000 Change Maker grant. The remaining grant pool is then divided equally among the remaining nonprofits and awarded as Community- Non-restricted grants. A listing of past grant winners is on the next page

Past Grant Recipients

Go to our Follow the Impact page for full information on our past grant recipients. This is a listing:

Change Makers

Grants of $100,000 or more

• 2025: Coburn Place
• 2024: 91 Place
• 2023: Unconditional Indy
• 2022: NeuroHope of Indiana
• 2021: NeighborLink Indianapolis
• 2020: Family Promise of Hendricks County
• 2019: Kennedy King Memorial Initiative
• 2018: Brookside Community Development
• 2018: Trinity Haven
• 2017: Volunteers of America
• 2016: Lutheran Child & Family Services/Ascent 121 Collaboration (The IMPACT Program to Curb Runaway and Human Trafficking)
• 2015: Indianapolis Parks Foundation (Indy Urban Acres)
• 2014: Social Health Association of Indiana (Step Up to Kindness)
• 2013: Tindley Collegiate Academy Girls Middle School
• 2012: Jameson Camp
• 2011: Outside the Box, Inc.
• 2010: Rock Steady Boxing Foundation, Inc.
• 2009: Outreach, Inc.
• 2008: Herron High School
• 2008: Horizon House
• 2007: Indy Reads
• 2007: John P. Craine House/Fairbanks Collaboration
• 2006: Eskenazi Health Foundation (Philip and Vivian Pecar Health Center)
• Community Support Grant Recipients (amounts vary)
  

Community Support Grant Recipients

Since 2009, we have awarded residual grants to the other finalists for that year’s Change Maker Grant. The amount varies each year based on the size of that year’s grant pool.

• 2024: iibada Dance, Kids’ Voice of Indiana, Medical Mutts, and Coburn Place
• 2023: Indiana Artisan, Freewheelin’ Community Bikes, CAFÉ, and Step-Up
• 2022: Phalen Leadership Academies, Paws & Think, FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic, and You Yes You!
• 2021: Indy Shakes, Westminster Neighborhood Services, Beacon of Hope, You Yes You!
• 2020: Claude McNeal Productions, Nine13Sports, FIDO (Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside), Paws & Think
• 2019: Elevate Indy, Family Promise of Hendricks County, Paws & Think, NeuroHope of Indiana
• 2018: Earth Charter Indiana, Kennedy King Memorial Initiative, NeuroHope of Indiana
• 2017: Big Car Collaborative, Children’s Bureau, Direct Employers Institute, Marian University
• 2016: IndyFringe, Art with a Heart, Dove Recovery House for Women
• 2015: WFYI and Ted Green Films, OASIS Indianapolis, Lutheran Child & Family Services, Gennesaret Free Clinic
• 2014: Big Car Collaborative, Lutheran Child & Family Services, Indianapolis Parks Foundation, John P. Craine House, Inc.
• 2013: Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, Reach for Youth, People for Urban Progress, The Oaks Academy
• 2012: Earth House Collective, Challenge Foundation Academy, Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, Dove Recovery House for Women
• 2011: Arts Council of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Parks Foundation, Brooke’s Place for Grieving Young Children, Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Center
• 2010: Harrison Center for the Arts, Christamore House, Indianapolis Parks Foundation, Business Ownership Initiative of Indiana
• 2009: Indianapolis Opera Society, Fathers and Families Center, Improving Kids Environment, Trusted Mentors