Jane Watt, President of Impact 100 SRQ

Impact 100 SRQ, a group of Sarasota-Manatee women philanthropists committed to high-impact, strategic grant-making, made Impact global history by raising $228,000 during its inaugural year in 2019. This year, Jane Watt, president of Impact 100 SRQ, says the organization’s goal is to exceed last year’s benchmark by raising $500,000 by the March 1 deadline. This would translate to awarding five $100,000 transformational grants to area nonprofits for its 2020 giving year. According to Watt, women throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties are joining forces to collectively fund transformational grants to nonprofits in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The grants they award are distributed in minimum increments of $100,000 each. In its 2019 founding year, Impact 100 SRQ awarded two transformational grants of $114,000 each to The Haven and Mothers Helping Mothers.

“Our goal is to increase membership to 500 by the 2020 membership enrollment deadline of March 1,” says Watt, adding that the initiative’s motto is “Fund All 5.” “We aim to award at least one grant in each of the five focus areas: arts and culture; education; environment and recreation; health and wellness; and family.” Who should consider joining? “We are women from all walks of life, united for a greater good, with a clear understanding of the power of collective giving,” says Watt. “We welcome like-minded women who want to give back to their communities—and change the face of philanthropy in our area.” The Impact 100 SRQ model is simple: Encourage 100 women to donate $1,000 each, and then pool those resources into one large grant of $100,000 to be awarded to qualifying nonprofits in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Impact 100 SRQ is hosting several upcoming events for women interested in becoming a 2020 member and friends who want to support the local chapter’s efforts.

Jane Watt, President of Impact 100 SRQ

Learn more about joining and check out a complete list of upcoming member events.