Mission & History
Purpose: Giving As One
Impact100 Philadelphia’s mission is to engage women in philanthropy and collectively fund grants to charitable initiatives in the Philadelphia region. The goal is to provide high-impact grants that reach under-served populations, raise the profile of deserving but lesser known organizations, and highlight unmet needs in the region. Impact100 members are women, age 21 years or older, who each contribute a minimum of $1,000 annually toward the grants to be awarded that year.
Impact100 strives to increase women’s philanthropy in Philadelphia. Through proposal review and evaluation, we hope to raise awareness of the many worthwhile charitable organizations in the region and to inspire Impact100′s members to become involved with these charities in a more personal way.
Impact100 Philadelphia awarded its inaugural grant in June 2009, and provided grants totaling $414,000 in its first three years of operation. Impact100 is currently in its fourth grant cycle.
This model comes from the original Impact100 group in Cincinnati, which has been in existence since 2001, and to date has donated nearly $2 million to its local community. Other Impact100 groups have sprung up successfully in cities around the country. Collectively, they have donated more than $15 million over the past ten years.
What makes Impact100 unique?
Every dollar donated by our members goes directly toward the grants. Administrative expenses are covered by interest earned on the collective fund, and by operating donations made by members and friends.
Members have no obligation to Impact100 other than to donate $1,000 by December 1. Many members simply donate and then vote at the annual meeting to determine grant recipients. Others who want to be more involved can join Focus Area Committees or volunteer in other ways. Please see the Members section of our website for more information.
Demographically, Impact100 is a diverse group. Members live in areas ranging from New Hope to New Jersey, from Center City to the Main Line, and a few participate long-distance from other states and regions in Pennsylvania. Our ages span six decades. Professionally, we are bankers and lawyers, nurses and doctors, artists and educators, nonprofit managers, stay-at-home mothers and business people of all kinds.
Founding of Impact100
Impact100 Philadelphia was founded by Beth Margel Dahle and Mary Broach in April 2008. Word spread quickly and we reached the milestone of 100 members by September 2008. Impact100 Philadelphia is a certified nonprofit corporation in the state of Pennsylvania and has received its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS.