15 May 2023
Impact100 have announced a record $208,000 in grant funds available for 2023
Impact100 Wakatipu have announced $208,000 in total grants available for 2023, meaning two local charities will receive $100,000 each.
Impact100 chair Clare Irons said she is absolutely thrilled with the total. “We set ourselves a goal of two major grants for the year, so it’s wonderful to have reached it with over 200 women donating to Impact100. As we are all volunteers, 100% of this is passed back to our local community through our major grants.”
“This will bring us to nearly $700,000 that will have been granted to Wakatipu charities after only four years, and an example of the of the generosity of the women in this community.”
They are now calling for expressions of interest from local charities to apply for the two major grants of $100,000. The additional $8,000 will be donated to the other three charities who make the final five.
Grants committee Chair Joan Kiernan said the Impact100 model depends on how many women make their donation, so the total fund available and the major grant amount changes each year depending on the number of women who join.
Last year’s major grant winners The Order of St Johns Wakatipu have ordered their new wheelchair accessible health shuttle, but due to supply issues the expected mid-year delivery has been delayed till later in 2023. Previous winners Pivotal Point Charitable Trust and Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust are progressing with their projects.
Pivotal Point have started running their in-school professional development and screening programmes to help identify and support neurodivergent children, as well as running a number of parent support programmes.
In the Rees-Dart Valley the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust have been actively trapping feral cats as part of their predator eradication programme and are hopeful the Takahe release programme may happen later this year.
The traps alert the rangers when the traps catch something, meaning the rangers time is used more effectively.
Impact100 members will vote to decide this year’s winner at their Awards Dinner in late October when 5 finalist charities will present their projects.
To qualify for consideration for the grant, applicants must be a registered charity, be based in the Wakatipu, and must have a project to the value of at least $100,000.
Expressions of interest applications are on the website at www.impact100wakatipu.org and close at 5pm on June 30th.