Impact 100, Southern Connecticut Press Release
Impact100, Southern Connecticut is so excited to welcome founding members!
February 2026
[OLD SAYBROOK, CT] - Impact100 Southern Connecticut is excited to announce that we are live and accepting founding members! We join the 80 Impact100 chapters across the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand who are already making a difference in their communities. Since its inception, Impact100 has donated over $178 million to worthy causes globally.
Impact100 was founded by Wendy Steele in 2001, a time when Wendy felt that women’s roles in philanthropy needed a new way to be expanded and encouraged. Through Impact100, Wendy believes women are empowered to see themselves as activists who enact change in their communities through the support of large grants.
By 2002, Impact100 Cincinnati received nonprofit status and donated its first grant of $123,000 to the McMicken Dental Clinic. In 2003, People Magazine published a story about Impact100, and Wendy’s idea quickly began to spread. In 2024, Wendy Steele was recognized as Woman of the Year by USA Today for her work in Philanthropy.
Impact100 Southern Connecticut believes that through collaborative philanthropy, we can build a dynamic and diverse membership of generous women who can accelerate positive social change in our region. Members will meet like-minded women, learn about nonprofits in the community, and make a true difference by contributing to transformational grants.
Impact100 Southern Connecticut is a 501(c) (3) and awards high-impact grants to non-profits in the Middlesex, New Haven and New London counties. The premise is simple: each Impact100 member needs to pledge $1,100 to the cause (100% of the 1,000 goes to fund the grants and $100 covers administrative costs such as credit card fees, marketing, websites, etc.). For those who need assistance with the membership fee, scholarships are available.
Nonprofits serving in the three counties apply for grants in one of the five focus areas: Arts & Culture, Education, Family & Animal Welfare, Health & Wellness, and Environment Preservation & Recreation. Grant review committees conduct a rigorous and in-depth review process of each nonprofit applicant; members vote on which organization will receive a $100,000 grant.
The finalists are chosen in each focus area and each grantee is voted on by members at the annual meeting, also known as the “The Big Give” sometime during May– June annualy. Our goal is to award as many high-impact grants as possible annually. We are thrilled to bring this amazing organization to the Southern Connecticut region and hope you will support us in the following ways:
â Become a member or encourage the women in your life to become a member: Our goal in our inaugural year is to have 100 founding members so we can gift a $100k grant to a local nonprofit. Please spread the word to your friends, family, colleagues, etc. We have open Board positions and various committees for members to be involved in. It’s easy to become a member at www.impact100sct.org.
â Corporate Sponsorships: If you know of any local businesses or corporations that do business in southern Connecticut who may be interested in being a corporate sponsor, please let us know! Information on our corporate sponsorship program can be found on our website.
â Engage with us on social media: Follow/like/share posts on our social media channels including Facebook & Instagram.
For more information go to www.impact100sct.org or call 860-573-2835. Thank you for your support. We can't wait to see the impact we make in southern Connecticut!