Community
With a record 1,313 members, the women’s giving group funded 13 grants of $101,000 each, its largest class ever.
IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area announced 13 grant recipients at its Annual Meeting, awarding $101,000 to each nonprofit for a total of $1.313 million. The group had a record 1,313 members this year, and each member’s $1,000 donation goes entirely to grants.
For the first time, the organization hosted 20 finalists before members voted on the winners.
“More members mean more opportunities to support local nonprofits, touch lives, and create lasting change throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.” Martha Holden, IMPACT 100 president
The 2026 Recipients
Arts, Culture & History
- Ballet Pensacola: New costumes, scenery and LED lighting for The Nutcracker
- Pensacola Children’s Chorus: A 15-person van, portable risers and an outdoor speaker system to bring free concerts to more neighborhoods
Education
- Naval Aviation Museum Foundation: Modernizing the Flight Adventure Deck, with upgraded simulators for middle school STEM students
- Santa Rosa Education Foundation: Expanding the Little Red School House teacher supply depot, including a mobile trailer to serve remote schools and a new HVAC system
- The Pensacola MESS Hall: A van, equipment, and new staff for an after-school science program serving 200 elementary students
Environment & Recreation
- Keep Pensacola Beautiful: Two three-quarter-ton pickups to support tree planting in high-need neighborhoods and invasive species removal
- Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program: A vehicle, two short films and the launch of a flagship Oyster Festival
Family
- Pensacola Habitat for Humanity: A four-bedroom home built with Family Promise of Escambia County to house two homeless families at once, on Community Land Trust property
- Pregnancy Resource Center (dba Life Options Clinic): A 2,500-square-foot building for parenting classes and a larger resource center
- South Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministries: An 18-foot box truck and part-time driver to increase donations for its thrift store, which funds family assistance programs
Health & Wellness
- 4EVR DEZ: A resource hub for teen girls in Northwest Florida, plus a branded delivery van for mobile outreach
- Health and Hope Clinic: A 400-square-foot addition with two new dental suites to cut the backlog for uninsured adults
- The Seven Project: Two functional electrical stimulation cycles and 50 introductory sessions for people with paralysis, spinal cord injuries and other neurological conditions
Wheels were the theme. Six of the 13 projects include a van, truck or other vehicle: the Children’s Chorus, the MESS Hall, Keep Pensacola Beautiful, the Estuary Program, Interfaith Ministries and 4EVR DEZ. The Santa Rosa Education Foundation is adding a utility trailer. Many of these groups are trying to reach people where they are, rather than waiting for them to show up.
What’s next
- Meet & Mingle: Thursday, Nov. 5, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Beach Buzz, 12700 Gulf Beach Highway, hosted by the IMPACT 100 Women of Perdido. More dates at impact100pensacola.org/meet-mingle-events.
- Link & Learn for nonprofits: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7:30 to 9 a.m., Marcus Pointe Baptist Church, 6205 North W Street. The series explains the grant process to organizations that could use a grant of more than $100,000. Details at impact100pensacola.org/events.
The bigger picture. This is IMPACT 100’s 23rd year of philanthropy. With this class, the group will have funded 190 grants totaling more than $20 million for nonprofits in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Membership is open to any woman 18 or older who donates $1,000 by March 1.
