Grant Applicants

Grant Frequently Asked Questions

May I fax or email my Letter of Inquiry and/or Full Proposal to Impact100 Philadelphia?
No. The Letter of Inquiry and Full Proposal must be sent via U.S. mail to Impact100 Philadelphia, P.O. Box 275, Wynnewood, PA 19096 to be postmarked by the deadline.

Can I send additional materials with the Letter of Inquiry, like one of our brochures or newsletters?
No, please only send information specifically requested. We will discard any additional materials.

The grant application instructions say to use 12-point type for the narrative. Do you require a specific font?
No specific font is required.

If we’re not sure what Focus Area applies to us for our Letter of Inquiry, can we leave it blank and allow you to select one for us?
No. As an applicant, you must choose one Focus Area for the Letter of inquiry based on the descriptions provided in the grant guidelines. We will not consider a Letter of Inquiry without a selected Focus Area.

Can you give us guidance on which Focus Area is appropriate for our Letter of Intent and Full Proposal?
Sorry, we do not provide advice about selecting a Focus Area. Each organization must make that decision. Often, a proposal can fall into more than one Focus Area. For example, a project related to an after-school arts program for underprivileged students could fit into the Arts & Culture and Education Focus Areas. It would also fit within the definition of the Family Focus Area, since such a program would "strengthen and enhance the lives of children and families" by providing a quality after-school activity for children with fewer options in this area. And if the proposal also emphasized how such a program positively impacts the mental health of the children, it could be construed to appropriately fit within the Health & Wellness Focus Area.

The "competition" within each Focus Area will depend on the number and quality of proposals submitted for that area. Because of that, it could be perceived as unfair for Impact100 to help any individual applicant choose a Focus Area.

We recommend you consider which Focus Area best represents the empahsis of your project.

Your Grant Policy guidelines have changed for 2010 and beyond, can you explain the changes?
In May, 2009, the board of Impact100 approved a new grant policy for 2010 and future years, in order to allow funding to be distributed to more recipients. Furthermore, in response to the critical need for operating revenue in the nonprofit sector, the board approved that up to 15% of grant funds can be applied toward overhead expenses. Please see the top section of the Grants Applicants Overview page for more details.

The funding we need for our program/project is less than the amount of the grant Impact100 Philadelphia offers. Can we submit a proposal for less than the full amount of our grant?
No. We’re looking for projects or programs that use the full amount of our $100,000 grant. We do not fund smaller requests.

Can our organization submit Letters of Inquiry or Full Proposals in more than one Focus Area?
No. Each organization may submit only one grant application each year and may select only one Focus Area.

How does Impact100 Philadelphia decide who gets the grants?
We accept Letters of Inquiry (and Full Proposals by invitation) in five Focus Areas: Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Family and Health & Wellness. Each Focus Area has a committee made up of Impact100 Philadelphia members. These committees review and evaluate the applications, and may request a site visit, to select a deserving finalist.

Committee members attend training sessions about Impact100 Philadelphia’s process as well as how to evaluate grant proposals. This training teaches committee members to consider the credibility, capability and commitment of the applicant organization and the feasibility and significance of the proposed project or program.

After each committee selects its finalists, each Impact100 Philadelphia member receives information on the finalists for review. The finalists attend our annual member meeting in June and make presentations about their projects. Impact100 Philadelphia members will vote by individual ballot at the annual meeting in early June, and that vote will determine the grant recipient.

Who can we contact to discuss our grant application after we send it in?
For questions regarding the guidelines, process or forms, you may email us at grants@impact100philly.org. If Impact100 Philadelphia has questions about your Letter of Inquiry or Full Proposal, we will contact you.

Impact100 Philadelphia is committed to a fair, unbiased process. We do not accept any unsolicited communication related to topics other than questions about the guidelines, process or forms. We do not accept communications for the purpose of clarifying information submitted in the Letter of Inquiry or Full Proposal. Applicants must not contact members of Impact100 Philadelphia or the Impact100 Philadelphia board in any way unless and until Impact100 Philadelphia requests additional information. Applicants must not make any attempt to lobby for their proposal. Any attempt to unfairly influence the process is grounds for elimination from consideration.

Do you give grants to programs or projects that expend the funds over a period of years?
As stated in our grant guidelines, we want projects or programs that use our grants to be completed within 15 months.

Will you consider a proposal from a group of organizations collaborating on a project or program?
Yes. However, one of the collaborating organizations must be the "lead organization," applying as if it was an individual organization on behalf of the collaboration. The lead organization must be willing to take on all the potential rights, responsibilities, restrictions and liabilities of the grant, if it is received.

Your guidelines indicate you will not fund capital campaigns. Will you fund capital expenditures as part of a proposal?
Yes. We will fund capital expenditures that are clearly related to the proposed project or program.

Your guidelines indicate you will not fund general construction or renovation. Will you fund construction or renovation as part of a proposal?
Yes. We will fund construction or renovation expenditures that are clearly related to the proposed project or program.

Your guidelines indicate that applicants may allocate up to 15% of the project budget toward overhead. What do you consider as eligible overhead expenses? Must we itemize these expenses?
We recognize the ongoing costs involved in running a nonprofit organization, and we will allow up to 15% of Impact100 grant funds to be allocated toward organizational operational expenses. We consider overhead to include building costs, staff salaries, supplies, and other items used by your organization that are not directly related to this project. If you allocate part of your project budget in this manner, please include a line item called Overhead, and list the dollar amount.

Once an organization receives a grant from Impact100 Philadelphia, can it reapply the following year?
An organization that receives a project grant from Impact100 may not apply again for 36 months. If an organization receives a smaller, unrestricted grant for operating funds, it may reapply for a project grant the following year. Organizations that apply but are not selected as finalists, or are finalists that do not receive the grant, may reapply the following year.

If we submit a proposal this year that is not funded, how soon can we submit another proposal?
You may apply again the following year.

What kind of communication can we expect from Impact100 Philadelphia during this process?
Impact100 Philadelphia will notify all applicants who submit a Letter of Inquiry, even if they are not selected to submit a Full Proposal.

Impact100 Philadelphia will notify all applicants who are invited to submit a Full Proposal if they have been selected for a site visit. All applicants will be notified, even if they are not selected.

Will the grant be paid in a lump sum?
No. Impact100 Philadelphia will distribute the grant in two or three installments depending on the nature of the project.