How the Nonprofit Hub Powers Transformational Grants

By Rose Palmieri

As a women’s collective giving network, Impact 100’s mission is to dramatically improve lives in our Greater Cincinnati community by collectively funding transformational grants that make a lasting impact. The Nonprofit Hub is responsible for managing the processes that deliver the mission. The key work of the Nonprofit Hub is to:

• Reach out to the nonprofit community to inform & educate them about our processes and shepherd them from Finalist to Grant Recipient. (Outreach Coordinator)
• Lead the evaluation and assessment of applications and then recommend nonprofits & their projects/programs for consideration as a possible award recipient. (Grant Review Team Coordinator, Grant Review Team Leader, & Community Investment Review Committee Leader, also known as CIRC)
• Manage the relationship with awardees, including the creation of a grant agreement and distribution of funds once milestones are achieved. (Grants Coordinator)
• Coordinate the work of the Hub members, submit monthly reports of Hub activities, coordinate with other Hub leaders via the Executive Committee, facilitate best practices, and sit on other committees as needed to represent the Hub’s interests/activities. (VP Nonprofit Hub)

Each year, we create an online application process where nonprofits can apply for a grant. The application and supporting communications are updated each year. Nonprofits are invited to attend education sessions to learn about Impact 100’s process. The first phase is for Nonprofits to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). Once all LOI’s are submitted, they are audited to ensure eligibility requirements are met. This includes verifying their 501(c)(3) status and that the project/program serves the 10-county Greater Cincinnati area. We then assign applications to one of five Grant Review Teams. 

As the first Impact 100, our contact information/website is www.impact100.org. All other Impact 100s have a city designation, such as www.impact100indy.org. We typically get at least one application from a nonprofit in another state! Thus, we need to take extra care to ensure only those projects/programs that support our 10-county area apply. 

The Grant Review Teams and CIRC consist of our members, typically more than 100, who actively participate in the review of applications. This includes reading & assessing Letters of Intent, selecting projects for further consideration, reading and assessing full grant applications, selecting those for site visits, conducting deep dives into the financial health of site visit candidates, conducting face-to-face site visits, assessing the additional information gathered from those visits, and recommending one or two nonprofits as potential finalists. 

Once the finalists are selected, work begins preparing them for the Meet the Finalists event and the Annual Awards Celebration. Meet the Finalists is where we announce to our members and the world the nonprofits that are eligible for one of our $100,000 grants. During the time between Meet the Finalist and the Annual Awards Celebration, the finalists prepare a presentation highlighting their project/program and the impact funding would have on the community. These presentations are professionally recorded and shared with Impact 100 members. Members ultimately determine which organizations will receive funding through a ranked selection process.

Then, the cycle starts again!

This is a shortened version of the work of the Nonprofit Hub. We document our processes and meet periodically to discuss events and how to improve the process. We have job descriptions for each role that go into more depth. We are happy to share those with anyone interested in learning further. 

Together, We Create Lasting Change

Every application reviewed, site visit conducted, and finalist selected helps ensure our members’ collective giving creates meaningful impact across Greater Cincinnati.