Karen Cannon and Alli Kustoff, co-chairs of Grant Review on the Impact San Antonio Board of Directors, recently met with Sharon Schweitzer, past president of Impact San Antonio, to discuss our Grant Review process. Learn more in this special Q&A session.
Every year, our May membership deadline looms large. Will we again have a grant pool large enough to award at least one High Impact Grant in each of our five focus areas? Will we recruit enough new members? Will we retain our enviable 85% retention rate of existing members? What recruiting events will be most effective, while also being most cost-efficient? These are becoming age-old questions for Impact San Antonio.
April for me is always a whirlwind of events. It seems we usually get at least a few days of lovely weather before the oppressive heat settles in for good, so I try to get out and enjoy those rare, cooler, non-humid days. Whether it’s attending a spring wedding, enjoying Fiesta events late in the month, or something as simple as eating lunch on a patio, April always feels a bit celebratory.
Our first Impact in Action event was held on March 7th. SA Youth was awarded a High Impact Grant (HIG) in 2024 to expand their SOAR program. Attendees heard from several current and former SA Youth students who told us about the benefits of the SOAR program in enabling them to receive their high school diploma.
Impact San Antonio has been named the 2025 Outstanding Foundation by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) San Antonio Chapter during their annual Philanthropy Day event on February 14, 2025. Our nomination was made by Barbara Goldman, CEO of TeamABILITY, the recipient of a 2021 High Impact Grant. “Impact San Antonio’s collective giving impacts not only the missions of its grant recipients but also its members and our community,” said Goldman.
Most of us recognize February as the month of Valentine’s Day. Maybe you know it as Black History Month, or possibly you know it as American Heart Month? February is also home to Feed the Birds Day, International Book Giving Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day, and National Love Your Pet Day, among many others. I don’t know who comes up with these or how they determine which day is for what thing, but have you ever noticed they are always about giving?
Yes, I’m an optimist and since I’m new to the president role, I should tell you a little more about myself. I am a born and raised San Antonian and I absolutely LOVE my hometown. I am a graduate of Incarnate Word High School and St. Mary’s University. I briefly lived and worked in Dallas, but only because my then-boyfriend/now-husband said he wouldn’t marry me unless I lived away from home first. (He’s a smart man.)
As I reflect on the year-long celebration of our 20th anniversary – Impact San Antonio members should feel tremendous pride that our substantial grants are meeting dire community needs, offering avenues for change and hope, providing educational opportunities, and enriching the culture and beauty of the community. In recognition of our successful, collective-giving model and 20 years of transformational grant making, the San Antonio Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) will name Impact San Antonio the “Outstanding Foundation” in its 2025 Philanthropy Awards.
Our annual Grant Award Night on Oct. 28 was a 20th anniversary-size success! The University of Incarnate Word’s Rosenberg Skyroom, with its beautiful view of the downtown skyline, was an apt setting as hundreds of Impact SA members and guests gathered as we awarded more than $530,000 in grants to worthy nonprofits from across the greater San Antonio area.
