The Process
The number of $100,000 grants to be awarded will be announced in January of each year, based on Impact 100 Chicago’s membership numbers. Letters of Inquiry will be accepted from eligible nonprofit organizations through December 15, 2011. It is the responsibility of each applying organization to review the eligibility requirements listed on this page and to select which Focus Area to submit their application. After review, selected organizations will then be invited to complete a full grant application.
Grant review committees, made up of Impact 100 Chicago members, will thoroughly review the applications. One committee will exist for each of the five Focus Areas. Each committee will select one finalist organization to present their grant request at our Annual Grant Award Celebration in June. After the presentations, Impact 100 Chicago members will cast their votes. The votes will be immediately tabulated and the $100,000 grant recipient(s) will be announced at the event.
Impact 100 Chicago $100,000 grant recipients are not allowed to apply for another Impact 100 Chicago grant for a period of three years after receiving the grant.
LETTERS OF INQUIRY ARE DUE BY 12/15/2011 FROM ELIGIBLE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
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How To Apply
Impact 100 Chicago has a four-step grant application process:- LETTER OF INQUIRY: Each applicant must submit a Letter of Inquiry as outlined by Impact 100 Chicago. The cover sheet and instructions are available on our website. The Letter of Inquiry must be submitted by December 15, 2011. Impact 100 Chicago members review all the submitted Letters of Inquiry. On or before, February 3, 2012, we will invite certain organizations to submit a full grant application. Impact 100 Chicago will acknowledge each Letter of Inquiry received.
- FULL GRANT APPLICATION: Each organization invited by Impact 100 Chicago must submit their full Grant Application from the form provided by Impact 100 Chicago. The grant application must be submitted by March 2, 2012. Impact 100 Chicago will acknowledge each Grant Application received.
- SITE VISITS: Impact 100 Chicago will pick semi-finalists (2-3) in each of our 5 focus areas and conduct site visits. Appointments will be made to visit all the semi-finalists. The objective of the site visit is to complete a general due diligence review and to investigate and resolve any final questions. Site visits require approximately 60-90 minutes of dedicated time, and should include participation of the executive director, or project manager.
- FINAL DECISION PROCESS: Finalists will be announced by May 21, 2012 and will receive guidelines for making presentations for the Impact 100 Chicago Annual Grant Award Celebration on June 12, 2012. Each Impact 100 Chicago member will vote to select the $100,000 grant recipient(s). The voting results will be tabulated and announced that evening.
Focus Areas
Family | Education | Health and Wellness | Environment | Arts & Culture
What Impact 100
Chicago will fund:
- A new or existing project or program that targets a specific need in the community.
What Impact 100
Chicago will not fund:
- Debt reduction
- Private Foundations
- Partisan, legislative, or political activities
- Projects of religious organizations or bodies or worship
- Endowments
- Interim or bridge funding
- Fundraising activities or events
Eligibility
To apply for an Impact 100 Chicago grant, an organization must:
- Be classified as a “Public Charity” with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3)
- Operate in Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, or Will County in the State of Illinois. All grant monies must be used for the proposed project or program that provides services to people who live in these geographic areas.
- Outline a new or existing project or program that targets a specific need in the community.
- Use the full amount of the grant within 24 months of receiving it.
- Be in operation for a minimum of 36 months prior to applying for the grant and have an operating budget between $500,000 and $5 million.
