A group of South Jersey women have raised $74,000 through a newly created collective giving initiative called Impact100 South Jersey. A single grant in that amount will be awarded in June to one deserving nonprofit in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester or Cumberland Counties. Impact100 South Jersey launched in September with the goal of raising $100,000 to be given to one organization. The members will choose which nonprofit will receive the grant during their annual meeting on June 26th.
Impact100 is a global women’s collective giving initiative that combines the financial resources, expertise and talents of women who want to generate transformative change in their own communities. There are dozens of Impact 100s throughout the United States and several more in Australia. The model is simple. Each member contributes $1,000. Volunteer members then vet local organizations that apply.
Nonprofit organizations with annual budgets between $300,000 and $5 million are invited to apply for Impact100 South Jersey’s first grant. These proposals must fit within three focus areas: Women, Children and Families; Arts and Culture; Education and Professional Development.
A Grant Information Session for interested non-profits will be held Tuesday, January 23 at 10 AM at the William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township Branch, 15 MacArthur Blvd. in Westmont, NJ. Attendance is not required to be considered for the grant.
Impact100 South Jersey was born out of a gathering of women hosted by Community Foundation of South Jersey in 2015. “The women who attended expressed the desire to have an impact on organizations that serve their community, but they that felt being a philanthropist was out of reach,” said Kyle Ruffin, a founding member. “Impact100 is a tested, well-thought out model that puts philanthropy within reach for women at different income levels,” Ruffin added.
Impact100 South Jersey is one of four Impact100s in New Jersey, but the only one exclusively focused on South Jersey.
“It is important for us to have an impact where we live,” Ruffin added. “Our group is eager to support smaller organizations that compete for funding with larger, better-resourced organizations and non-profits from other parts of our region.”
For more information about Impact100 South Jersey, visit impact100sj.org or email info@impact100sj.org.
Pictured: Seated (l-r) Impact100 SJ Members Kyle Ruffin, Cynthia Quinton, Judy Greenberg, Jenn Delmonte. Standing (l-r) Amy Leis, Kim Moon, Patti Withington, Barbara Little, Theresa DiVietro, Nancy Weber and Lee Albright