Impact100 Metro Detroit Announces Nonprofit Finalists for 2021 Big Give Event May 26
Two $100,000 grants, additional $52,000 to be awarded by influential women philanthropists
METRO DETROIT – Impact100 Metro Detroit will award $252,000 in grant dollars to local nonprofit organizations during its hybrid 2021 Big Give event at noon on May 26, 2021. The finalists include Accent Pontiac, Brilliant Detroit, Developing Kingdoms in Different Stages, Freedom House and LifeBuilders. Two organizations will receive $100,000 each from Impact100 Metro Detroit, and the remaining three will split $52,000 in additional dollars.
“We’re blown away by this incredible group of finalists for this year’s Big Give – our biggest give to date since our chapter’s inception,” said Amy Bouque, president of Impact100 Metro Detroit, which unites women philanthropists to award high-impact grants to local nonprofits and fuel transformation in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. “We were really impressed and inspired by the proposals we received this year, and choosing our finalists was no easy task. We know these grant dollars will be transformational for these nonprofit heroes and the incredible work they are doing in our communities.”
Grant applications were submitted by local nonprofits in early February and were then vetted by Impact100 Metro Detroit members, including financial reviews and virtual site visits. Prior to the May 26 event, each finalist will present their transformational grant proposal to members who will then vote for their top finalist. The winners will be revealed during the event, which will be held in a hybrid format. A select number of members will have the opportunity attend in-person under a tent on the front lawn of the Grosse Pointe War Memorial overlooking Lake St. Clair; the event will also be live-streamed for members and the general public to view at home. To register for the virtual Big Give event, visit www.impact100metrodetroit.org.
The Big Give will also feature a local artist creating a mural to capture the joy of collective giving, which will be repurposed into wearable art for purchase by Rebel Nell, a Detroit-based, women-owned, mission-driven company that provides employment, equitable opportunity and wraparound support for women with barriers to employment.
Impact100 Metro Detroit was founded in 2016. Each year, members donate $1,000 toward a collective grant of $100,000, which is awarded to the nonprofit finalist(s) who receive the most member votes.
“Across the country, Impact100 organizations empower women as philanthropists to pool their resources and deliver a greater impact to their community,” Bouque said. “Our chapter was the first in Michigan and we’ve experienced exponential membership growth in the last five years. We’ve awarded more than $860,000 in grants since our inception.”
Past recipients of Impact100 Metro Detroit’s Big Give grants include The Lawn Academy, Micah 6 Community, Zaman International, Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan, Downtown Boxing Gym and The Empowerment Plan.