Impact the Palm Beaches will award $125,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations in Palm Beach County on November 6, 2017 at Palm Beach Dramaworks. The 2017 Impact Grant Presentation is an exciting evening where two finalists present their request for funding to the members, a vote is taken and the awards are distributed. The winner receives the $100,000 Impact Grant and the semi-finalist will receive a $25,000 Merit Grant. The two finalists were chosen from more than 50 applications that were received and include: Project L.I.F.T. (Life Initiatives for Teens) and P.O.S.T. (Pediatric Oncology Support Team).
Impact the Palm Beaches, is a unique organization of dynamic women who make transformational change in their local community through collective philanthropy. Each woman contributes $1000 towards the $100,000 grant allowing for an impactful grant to an organization rather than lots of smaller gifts. Impact grants fund the following areas: Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Family and Health and Wellness.
“This year the grants committee was extremely impressed with the quality of the 56 funding opportunities,” said Beth Walton, Impact the Palm Beaches Grants Co-Chair. “The goal of our extensive review process is to determine where our dollars will have the greatest impact for both the organization we fund and the people they serve. Choosing the two finalists was a difficult decision, but we were inspired by the caliber of the final projects and believe that Impact the Palm Beaches will continue to be a catalyst for positive transformation across Palm Beach County for years to come.”
Impact the Palm Beaches is generously supported by JP Morgan, Daszkal Bolton, The Everglades Foundation, Gunster, Image Skin Care, Dr. David Lickstein, and The United Way Town of Palm Beach; it is a charitable fund of the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties.
Past Impact grant recipients:
The 2016 Impact grant recipient was Palm Beach Dramaworks. The funds were used to develop The One Humanity Tour, an original production titled “Swagger” that is focused on the tense relations between law enforcement and the public. It was produced specifically for middle school students in the Palm Beach County School System, however, hopes are that they will be able to expand to other counties. PB Dramaworks was able to secure a Broadway playwright with the help of the Impact Grant and has received rave reviews from students, educators and local law enforcement.
The 2015 Impact Grant Recipient was Live Fresh, Inc., a mobile shower unit that provides showers to the homeless. They began with one custom mobile unit funded by their Impact Grant and have since expanded into Broward and Miami Made Counties through partnerships with local nonprofits. After receiving the Impact Grant, they were awarded an additional $250,000 from a private foundation. According to Chris Bentley, founder and CEO, “Without the Impact Grant, Live Fresh was just a dream. That money allowed us to bring our dream to reality and prove the value that we could bring to our local community. After that, the calls haven’t stopped coming both from agencies looking to partner with us and from prospective donors. We are eternally grateful to this organization and are living proof of the power of what it can do.”
Impact 100 is a worldwide organization with more than 50 chapters and steadily growing. Their motto is “One Woman, One Meeting, One Vote”. It is designed for the woman who desires community involvement but doesn’t have time for an additional commitment. To find out more or attend one of their informational sessions, email info@impactpalmbeaches.org and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using hashtag #ImpactPBGrant.
About Impact the Palm Beaches:
Founded in 2015, Impact the Palm Beaches is a unique organization of dynamic women who make transformational change in their local community through collective philanthropy. Impact members each contribute $1,000 annually and award at least one $100,000 Impact grant to a local non-profit organization. Impact the Palm Beaches serves the northern portion of the county from Lake Worth to Jupiter. To learn more about Impact the Palm Beaches, please contact Deborah Johnson at info@impactpalmbeaches.org or visit www.impactpalmbeaches.org.
