MARTIN COUNTY

Impact 100 Martin reaches goal of 100 women, $100,000

Pat Austin
For Luminaries

Impact 100 Martin, a dynamic group of philanthropists committed to high-impact strategic grant making, is delighted to announce it has reached its membership goal of raising $100,000 from 100 women.

Many of the founding members of Impact 100 Martin recently gathered to review the grants process, from left, front row, Judith Overdorf, Robin Cartwright, Elizabeth Barbella, Nancy Wong, and Arati Hammond. Back row: Ellen Libby, Marjie Jordan, Janet Tuffy, Rita May Wright, Eileen Sporing, Marianne Paulsen, Elaine Matts, Audrey Crandall, Laurie Steiger, Stacy Ranieri, Kimberly Perron, and Genevieve George.

With the Martin County Community Foundation serving as the “wind beneath their wings,” the newly formed Impact 100 Martin came together in record time, inspiring women with the possibilities of what a motivated group of individuals can accomplish if they pool their resources and unite in their commitment to creating transformative and lasting improvements in our community.

“There is tremendous excitement among these 100 women,” said Linda Weiksnar, a founding member of Impact 100 Martin and co-chair with Arati Hammond of the membership committee. “We launched our efforts in May 2017 to form our membership, grants and events committees and recruit participants. They come from all walks of life and share a clear understanding of the power of women to improve the quality of life in Martin County.”

“This is a wonderful example of how a core group of women were able to successfully motivate and engage other women to be a part of this inaugural year of grant giving,” said Stacy Ranieri, another founding member and co-chair of the Grants Committee. “Our grants committee has been hard at work, developing our grants process, and we’re now poised to award a single $100,000 Impact Grant at our Celebration event this spring.”

Each member of Impact 100 Martin donated $1,000. The resulting $100,000 pool of money will be awarded as a single grant to a non-profit in Martin County or to a collaboration of non-profits that will work together on one project that will have profound impact on an issue or problem in the community.

“This will be our first grant award,” said Nancy Wong, also a co-chair of the Grants Committee with Ranieri and Kimberly Perron. “We’re already seeing the non-profit community catch our enthusiasm. We have asked them, ‘What would you do with $100,000 that would profoundly change the lives of the people you serve?’ We’re eager to hear their answers.”

Impact 100 Martin has requested letters of intent from non-profits that describe how they would use such a sizable grant to create real change. On April 5, each member of Impact 100 Martin will have an opportunity to hear from the grant finalists and cast their vote for the project that she judges to have the greatest potential for a successful impact. Founding members Genevieve George and Linda Prange are organizing the awards celebration.

For more information, visit the Martin County Community Foundation website, www.yourmccf.org.

About Impact 100 Martin 

Impact 100 Martin is a dynamic group of women philanthropists committed to bringing forth new resources for non-profit organizations and enriching the community through strategic high-impact grant making. Founded in Martin County in 2017, Impact 100 Martin is part of a national movement to engage women of all walks of life in significant philanthropic activity through collaboration and pooled resources. Impact 100 organizations award $100,000 grants annually to effect lasting impact on the quality of life within their communities.