Impact100 Martin Brings “Woman Who Started It All” to Kickoff in November
STUART, FL - Impact100 Martin is celebrating that start of its seventh year of awarding grants to local nonprofits with a kickoff on November 9 featuring “the woman who started it all,” author and philanthropist Wendy Steele.
“Wendy has been an inspiration to our local Impact 100 chapter and to chapters across the country and the world,” said Maureen Cotter, Board President of Impact100 Martin. “She has helped us define the model for collective giving that truly transforms entire communities.”
The kickoff, in addition to featuring Wendy Steele’s presentation, will give Impact100 Martin members an opportunity to hear about the tremendous work that past grant recipients have accomplished and to sign up for another year of membership.
The Impact100 model is a very simple one: each woman who participates contributes $1,000 a year, reviews the nonprofit grant submissions, and votes at the annual meeting on the projects most likely to have profound and lasting community impact. For every 100 women, Impact100 is able to award one $100,000 grant.
In its brief history, Impact100 Martin has awarded more than $1.4 million. Last year alone, the group distributed three $100,000 grants and two other grants totaling an additional $66,000.
“We have a vibrant nonprofit community,” Cotter said, “and we share their passion for the projects they propose in their grant submissions. Our goal is to reach 500 members, allowing us to award five $100,000 grants this coming year - one in each of our five areas of focus.” Those focus areas include: art and culture; education; family; health and wellness; and environment, preservation and recreation.
“Wendy’s message has resonated throughout our community,” according to Cotter. “Her simple but powerful model for women’s philanthropy has given us the tools we need to make generosity contagious.”
Prospective members are invited to attend the kickoff celebration from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 9 at the Elliott Museum. Tickets are $30. To register or for more information, go to www.impact100martin.org.
ABOUT:
Impact100 Martin is a nonprofit organization with a mission of creating positive, lasting change in the community through collective giving. Founded in 2017, it is a chapter of the national Impact100 Movement founded by philanthropist Wendy Steele to transform communities through the power of women’s philanthropy. It is a member-driven organization that awards grants in $100,000 increments each year to local nonprofits in the areas of arts & culture, education, family, health & wellness, and environment, preservation & recreation. Detailed information about membership, grants, and community impact is available at the website www.impact100martin.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Impact100MartinFL.