Organizations eligible to apply for the Impact100 NWF grant must confirm that the organization is:
- Defined as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code for a minimum of 2 years as of July 15th of the year that the organization is applying.
- Registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), unless the organization is exempt.
- Registered with the Florida Division of Corporations.
- Carry Directors and Officers Insurance as well as General Liability Insurance.
- Providing services in or collaborating with an organization(s) providing services in Okaloosa and/or Walton counties.
Projects eligible for the Impact100 NWF grant must:
- Serve residents of and expend funds fully in Walton and/or Okaloosa counties.
- Be a new program, expansion of an existing program, or a new or expanded collaborative effort of multiple nonprofit organizations.
- Have a total project budget for the full Impact100 grant amount of $100,000.
- Utilize all funds within the next two calendar years.
Focus Areas:
We believe you are the best judge of where your grant application, once written, will best fit. Regardless of an organization’s primary mission, a project may meet the criteria for different focus areas. We encourage you to indicate the two areas you feel are most relevant to the proposed project.
The Five Focus Areas were designed to be interpreted in the broadest possible way. All projects are expected to serve or benefit the communities of Okaloosa or Walton Counties. The Focus Areas are:
- Arts & Culture: initiatives that will cultivate, enrich, develop and enhance the cultural, artistic, and historic climate/aspects available within the community.
- Education: initiatives that will advance, improve or increase educational opportunities and access to such opportunities to include lifelong learning projects.
- Environment, Recreation & Preservation: initiatives that will restore, preserve, revitalize, or enhance the facilities, environment, or natural surroundings and/or improve recreational opportunities.
- Family: initiatives that will strengthen, improve and enhance the lives of children, families and seniors living in our community.
- Health & Wellness: initiatives that will improve the mental, social or physical health and well-being of people living in our community.
Impact100 of Northwest Florida does not fund the following:
- General operating expenses or overhead such as ongoing salaries for existing staff.
- An exception is operating expenses or overhead in nature that are part of a new or expanded project.
- Salaries can be funded if the salary is paid when an individual has significant involvement in the proposed project. If there is a need for salary expense, we recommend that it reflect less than 50% of the $100,000 project budget.
- A sustainability plan must be provided.
- Debt reduction.
- Grants to individuals.
- Endowment or memorial funding.
- Interim or bridge funding.
- Partisan, legislative, or political activities.
- Fraternal, sectarian, and religious organizations whose projects primarily benefit their members or adherents, or where the project is a religious activity. Also, religious or faith-based organizations where funds are to be used to benefit a specific denomination or congregation or religious activities within the organization to the exclusion of nonmembers.
- Private foundations.
- Legal expenses incurred in any action by or against the organization.
- General construction or renovation unrelated to a specific project. If general construction or renovation is related to a specific project, the organization must either own the property or have at least a five-year lease.
- Projects that unlawfully discriminate based on age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or religious belief.
- Fund drives or annual appeals.
- General capital campaigns.
- Advertising unrelated to the project.
- Related Party Transactions, such as real estate purchases or revenue/asset sharing.