The hearts and minds of the women of Impact San Antonio are wide open as we listen and learn from the 132 local nonprofits whose grant proposals are now being reviewed. The agencies shared the struggles people they serve are facing and the solutions a High Impact Grant would deliver.
For some, our grants would serve as a lifeline to help them continue operating, while for others, on more solid footing, our grants would enable the expansion of successful existing programs, or even the launch of new ones.
To thrive, our community needs both, making this an urgent call to action for new women to join and existing members to renew by August 31st so we can fund as many high impact grants as possible.
The pandemic and related financial crisis have widened critical gaps in delivery of services that our community needs across all of our focus areas, including health and wellness, family, education, arts and culture and environment, recreation and preservation.
- San Antonio has the highest poverty rate (15.4%) of the top 25 metropolitan cities in the US, according to the 2018 American Community Survey through the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Many of these same families are now experiencing job loss, food insecurity and lack of access to healthcare.
- In Bexar County, 25% do not have computers and 21% do not have broadband internet, which negatively impacts education, job searches, applying for relief services and much more.
- Reports of domestic violence and child abuse have spiked as more families are sheltering at home.
In recognition of these challenges, we added new grant categories this year to help nonprofits cover unanticipated expenses and replace lost revenues.
We also lowered the high impact grant amount from $100,000 to $75,000 to be able to spread our support around as much as we could.
We have raised about $400,000 so far, thanks to many generous women who have established a new membership or renewed their existing one. There is still time for even more open-hearted philanthropically-minded women to pledge their support.
Our 15 years of funding grants totaling nearly $3.8 million have delivered transformational impact to our community. Our support has increased the number of people helped, enabled the introduction of new or improved services, served as a springboard for nonprofits to raise even more money to fulfill their missions and even fostered new partnerships among those who have received our grants.
There’s nothing as rewarding as the feeling you get when helping others in need. And those rewards are amplified when shared with other women, all pulling in the same direction and pooling contributions to make a difference.
Please stand with our community by joining or renewing today.
Jennifer Bennett
President, Impact San Antonio
