Impact 100

Across the country and across the globe women are taking their rightful place at the table where decisions are made. Nowhere is their presence more powerfully felt than in philanthropy, where women’s values and visions are reshaping our world. Registration is now open for Impact 100 2024.

What is Impact 100?

In its 12th year of grantmaking, the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s women’s giving circle, Impact 100, is a group of over 100 local women who commit to giving $1,100 each and together making a single transformative grant to a local nonprofit. Since its inaugural year, Impact 100, presented by Villere & Co., has granted more than $1.3 million to nonprofits across our region. Recipient nonprofits use the grant to deepen their impact and grow their network of supporters.

Why Impact 100?

Because, as Margaret Mead said, it really only takes a small group of committed individuals to change the world. In recent years, as women have stepped into their power—including their earning power—women’s giving circles have become influential change agents in communities across the country.

The nonprofits doing great work in our community need the support of philanthropists to sustain themselves and to continue making positive impact in our region. We believe it’s time for a women’s giving circle to transform some of the pressing issues facing the New Orleans region. By pooling our resources and focusing our efforts, we can be the change agents few of us can afford to be alone. Together, we can demonstrate the power of collaborative giving.

Women Making an Impact

Since its inaugural year 12 years ago, Impact 100 has granted out more than $1.3 million to nonprofits across our region.

On November 8, 2023, members heard presentations from the 4 nonprofits they selected. The women of Impact 100 voted to hear pitches from the categories of Community Improvement, Education, Environment, and Health. The membership heard pitches from representatives with Coastal Communities Consulting, Friends of Lafitte Greenway, Split Second Foundation, and STEM Library Lab. Each of the 3 runners-up received a $5,000 grant as well as pitch training and a profile video created by our nonprofit partner New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC). View the nonprofits’ pitch videos here: Community Improvement: Coastal Communities Consulting, Inc., Education: STEM Library Lab, Environment: Friends of Lafitte Greenway, and Health: Split Second Foundation.

In 2023, Impact 100 awarded its $100,000 grant to Split Second Foundation, a New Orleans-based non profit working to advance treatments for spinal cord injuries and transform hope into action. View the winner notification video here!

To learn more information about Impact 100 please read the Q&A.

For membership questions or to learn more about Impact 100, please contact Heather Nelson, Development Officer, at heather@gnof.org or 504.620.5266.