Nonprofits & Philanthropy
Impact 100 Pensacola Bay Area announced its 2026 grant finalists on Wednesday, and the group made history in three ways at once. President Martha Holden joined Rick’s Blog Live to break down what’s changed and why it matters.
- The membership number that started it all: A record 1,313 women joined Impact 100 this year — enough to push the organization past the 1,300 mark and unlock a 13th grant. That means 13 grants of $101,000 each will be awarded this year, up from the traditional model of one $100,000 grant per 100 members.
“We so enjoy hearing from our nonfinalists and our finalists, we decided to add to those nonprofits to raise that visibility.” — Martha Holden, President, Impact 100 Pensacola Bay Area
- The second piece of history: For the first time, Impact 100 expanded its finalist field from 15 nonprofits to 20 finalists at what the organization now calls Million Dollar Sunday.
What happens next: Each finalist will submit a one-page summary to Impact 100’s membership. On October 11, members gather at the Hilton Pensacola Beach, hear four-minute presentations from all 20 finalists, then vote immediately using paper ballots run by the Escambia and Santa Rosa Supervisor of Elections teams — one woman, one vote. Results are tabulated the same day, and grant recipients are announced before the event ends.
Winners won’t receive checks that day, though. Each grant recipient is paired with an Impact 100 board liaison who walks them through the draw request and documentation process, and nonprofits have two years to complete their funded projects.
- As soon as Million Dollar Sunday wraps, Impact 100 kicks off membership recruitment for next year, including 13 “meet and mingle” events across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
For info, visit impact100pensacola.org.
