Impact100 Philadelphia has hit the ground running with the start of our grants review process. While many of us were toasting the New Year, our Grants Co-Chairs Toby Gang and Renee Applegate sorted through hundreds of letters of inquiry from nonprofits in the Philadelphia area and divided them among committees of Impact100 Philadelphia readers. These 39 experienced members checked organizational eligibility, analyzed basic facts, and invited dozens of groups to submit full proposals. These are the organizations that will be fully vetted by our Focus Area Committee team members and Financial Review Panelists.

Many thanks to the women who lead each of the Focus Area Committee Chairs, who lead the letters of inquiry meeting, and all of the members who collectively spent hundreds of hours making the process work. This year, we will be guided by Mary Grace Tighe (Health & Wellness), Deb Crisfield (Family), Jessica Justice-Vogt (Environment), Amy Norr (Education), and Denise Horan (Arts & Culture). If you have signed up to participate in this year’s grants review process and haven’t already received your leader’s email, please look for it this week and make sure to electronically sign your Conflict of Interest form. You will receive your team assignment by January 31. The Focus Area Committees will begin their work in earnest in early February. Please email [email protected] with questions.

As our funding cycle unfolds, we are excited to meet new Impact100 Philadelphia members, introduce ourselves to some incredible nonprofits, and reacquaint and re-engage with longstanding partners and friends. Based on everything to date, we expect to have thoughtful discussions, enlightening site visits, and hard funding decisions at our Annual Meeting in June.