A new grantmaker has entered the greater Milwaukee market with a goal of dispersing more than $100,000 to area nonprofit organizations each year.
Impact100 Greater Milwaukee will begin issuing grants to local organizations in 2016. The new nonprofit grantmaker belongs to an international group, Impact100, which now has 28 chapters across the United States and 
Australia.
The international movement is built on a collective giving model fueled by female philanthropists. Within each Impact100 chapter, at least 100 women members donate $1,100 and earn a vote toward the distribution of a $100,000 grant, awarded through a competitive grant process.
Grant dollars are supported by $1,000 from each member donation. Remaining funds help cover the organization’s operational costs. Impact100 is a volunteer-run initiative. The Milwaukee organization will be led by co-president Anne Trunzo and Cynthia Harris.
Impact100 Greater Milwaukee will consider issuing grants to nonprofit organizations located in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties. Nonprofits must operate with an annual budget that falls between $300,000 and $5 million and also must center their missions in one of five focus areas – arts and culture, education, environment, family, and health and wellness.
After receiving grant applications, Impact100 Greater Milwaukee will complete a multi-stage review process and select one finalist in each focus area. Finalists will present to the organization’s membership during its annual awards celebration in June. After the presentations, members will vote and top nonprofits will walk home with grants that night. Awards will be broken down into a $100,000 grant, given to the organization that garners the most votes, and smaller dollar amounts given to other finalists.
Impact100 Greater Milwaukee is currently assembling its membership, composed of women age 21 and older. To join, members must commit $1,100 or a matching grant from their employer to the organization. Each member can then take part in the grant review process and vote for the annual grant recipient.
Membership for the inaugural grant cycle can be secured through the end of the year.
Nonprofits interested in being considered for grant funding are invited to send in a Letter of Inquire beginning Dec. 1. More information on grants will be broadcast during an information session on Dec. 3 at the Global Water Center.
Impact100 traces its roots to Cincinnati, Ohio. The first organization launched in 2001 and, since then, the Impact100 movement has generated more than $29 million for nonprofits.
