membership FAQs

If you have a membership question about Impact Grants Chicago, please contact us. We will respond to you directly and add it to our Membership FAQs.

My Membership Donation

Q. Is my donation to Impact Grants Chicago tax-deductible?
A. Yes. Impact Grants Chicago is a 501(c)(3) organization and all contributions made by December 31st are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law for the year in which the donation was made.
 
Q. What is Membership PLUS?
A. Members who are able to contribute beyond the $1,000 donation are encouraged to join at the Membership PLUS level of $1,150. The additional $150 helps defray our operating expenses.
 
Q. What are Additional Operating Expense Donations?
A. Impact Grants Chicago has an operating budget of approximately $50,000 annually. Our budget covers website maintenance, subscriptions to financial, grant and membership software, financial audits, insurance, print materials, events and more. We are fortunate to have a volunteer, working Board of Directors so we do not have personnel costs. As a nonprofit, we depend on donations from members, friends and businesses to support our operating budget. Members’ $1,000 donation goes directly to the Impact grants we issue to select nonprofits each year in Chicago. Members are asked to make an additional donation to cover Impact Grants Chicago’s operating budget. To learn more about our budget please review our Annual Report.
 
Q. Can I donate less than $1,000 to Impact Grants Chicago?
A. Yes, as an all-volunteer organization, we greatly appreciate additional donations to help defray our operating expenses; and while your donation does not provide you with voting or participatory rights, it helps ensure that 100% of each member’s $1,000 donation is used to fund the grants. Please see the Give a Gift page.
 
Q. If I contribute more than $1,000, do I receive more than one vote?
A. No. We follow the Impact Model of “one woman, one vote.” Any amount given over $1,000 goes first to offset operating expenses unless designated otherwise. Please see our Give a Gift page to designate your donation to a specific need. If we receive more funds than we need to cover our annual operating budget, our Board of Directors may vote to use that money to fund our grants.
 

Corporate Matching Funds

Q. My company offers matching funds for charitable donations. Can I give $500 and have my company match it to make my total $1,000 membership donation?
A. Yes. We will accept partial membership donations of $500 or more if your company will match the remaining $500 membership donation. However, as an all-volunteer organization, we rely on matching gifts to help cover our operating expenses and would prefer that those women who can afford to do so, pay the full $1,000 member donation so we can use the matching gift to defray expenses. The full $1,000 membership fee must be received by December 31 if the member wants to sign up for a Grant Review or Financial Review Committee. We recommend allowing at least six weeks for your company to process the matching funds. Please contact our Treasurer at treasurer@impactgrantschicago.org for questions on corporate matching gifts.
 

Gifts of Securities

Q. Can I make my donation with Stock/Gifted Securities?
A. Yes. Impact Grants Chicago accepts donations of stock in a publicly-traded company as payment for membership. Gifts of securities can also be made for general or designated donations to impact Grants Chicago. Please contact our Treasurer at treasurer@impactgrantschicago.org for the appropriate forms.
 

Option to Pay Over Time

Q. Can I make my membership donation in smaller payments over time rather than one payment for the grant year?
A. Yes, we understand that it may be better for some women to make their $1,000 membership donation in multiple smaller payments over time. It is up to the donor to monitor their donations towards their membership during the year. Any donations received will be a donation to Impact Grants Chicago. Donations will be considered a membership donation for the year once donations total at least $1,000, unless otherwise directed by the donor. All membership donations are allocated to grants for Chicago nonprofits. To become a full voting member of Impact Grants Chicago, we require that a total of $1,000 in membership donations are completed by May 1 of the grant year. You can sign-up to be a member and specify your payment selection on the Become a Member page.
 
Q. How can I make smaller donations towards my membership during the grant year (June - May)?
A. You can sign-up to be a member and specify your payment selection on the Become a Member page. There is a payment option to donate over time. Donations may be made several ways:
    • Pay via Zelle by sending payment to Treasurer@ImpactGrantsChicago.org. Please provide your name and note that the donation is for membership in the memo line. You may opt to schedule your donations through Zelle.
    • Pay via check by mailing your donation to Impact Grants Chicago, PO Box 578082, Chicago, IL 60657. You may opt to schedule your donations through your bank.
    • Pay online with a credit card through our Give A Gift page. Please select the Donate to My Membership tile to complete your donation.
 
Q. May I join a Grant Review Committee or Financial Review Committee if I opt to make my membership donation over time?
A. Yes, members may volunteer and/or join a GRC or FRC if they make their membership donation in smaller payments over time. Donors need to join Impact Grants Chicago by December 31 to be eligible for the GRC and FRC sign-up in January. This can be completed on the Become a Member page and selecting your payment option. We require that a donation towards your membership be made by December 31. In order to vote for the recipients of our grants, you must complete your $1,000 membership donation by May 1.
 
Q. When must my membership donation be completed if I am paying over time?
A. Our grant year runs June through May annually. We require that membership donations of at least $1,000 are made by May 1 of the grant year. This will allow time for Impact Grants Chicago to prepare a voting ballot for all members. Votes for our grant recipients are tallied and our grantees are announced at our Grant Awards Celebration at the end of May (or early June).
 
Q. If I elect to pay for my membership over time, will I be invoiced for my membership?
A. No, all payments to Impact Grants Chicago are donations. It is up to the member to monitor her donations to membership during the grant year (June - May). Donations will be considered a membership donation once donations total at least $1,000, unless otherwise directed by the donor. We require that membership donations of at least $1,000 are made by May 1 of the grant year in order to vote for the recipients of our grants at the Grant Award Celebration.
 
Q. If I do not make a full membership donation during the year, will it be carried over and applied to the next year?
A. No, donations towards membership are for the current grant year (June - May). If you are unable to complete the full membership donation by May 1, please contact membership@impactgrantschicago.org. Depending on funding of our Member Sponsorship Program each year, there may be funds available to complete your membership. Otherwise, donations already made towards a membership will be applied to our merit grants. Donations are not refundable.
 
Q. If I do not make a full membership donation during the year, may I still vote for the recipients of the $100,000 grants?
A. No, only members who make at least a $1,000 membership donation or receive a member sponsorship are eligible to vote for the grant recipients at our Grant Awards Celebration each year. All members have an equal vote.
 
Q. If I do not make a full membership donation during the year, may my donation(s) be refunded?
A. No, all donations to Impact Grants Chicago are tax deductible and are not refundable. Donations already made towards a membership will be applied to our merit grants. If you are unable to complete the full membership donation by May 1, please contact membership@impactgrantschicago.org. Depending on funding of our Membership Sponsorship Program each year, there may be funds available to complete your membership.
 

Being a Member

Q. What is required of a Member?
A. All members are encouraged to choose their own level of involvement. Some members simply like knowing that 100% of their donation will be put to good use in the community, others may want to participate in an occasional volunteer or educational opportunity and some may want to be part of the review process and choosing the finalists. Regardless of your level of participation, all members are given the opportunity to vote for the grant recipients at the Grant Awards Celebration. See the Member Involvement page for more information.
 
Q. Who is eligible to become a member of Impact Grants Chicago?
A. While only those who are eighteen or older and identify as women can become members, anyone can make a donation!
 
Q. How long is my membership in Impact Grants Chicago?
A. Our annual membership year runs from June through May. Each $1,000 donation provides membership for one year, including eligibility to vote at the Grant Awards Celebration in May. Membership is renewable beginning in June of each year.
 
Q. How does Impact Grants Chicago communicate with its members?
A. Impact Grants Chicago uses email to send all communications, including event invitations, newsletters, updates and committee sign-ups. Please be sure to add communications@impactgrantschicago.org to your approved contacts so you do not miss any important information.
 
Q. Can men participate in Impact Grants Chicago?
A. As a women’s organization, we do not accept men as members; however, men are welcome to make donations, sponsor members or encourage their women colleagues to join. See our Give a Gift page for more information.
 
Q. Why is Impact Grants Chicago a women’s only philanthropic organization?
A. Besides being a collective giving organization, Impact Grants Chicago is also an organization where women come together to socialize, volunteer, and learn about nonprofits in their community. Additionally, women have different life experiences than men which can influence their philanthropic giving decisions and the votes for our finalists.
 

Member Sponsorships

Q. Can I sponsor a member?
A. Yes, Impact Grants Chicago welcomes sponsored members. If you wish to sponsor a family member or friend, we will register the donation in their name and they will receive all the benefits of membership. You may also sponsor a member from our list of women who would like to be part of Impact Grants Chicago but are not able to make the financial commitment. You may give a gift of Membership to a friend or family member, or make a donation to our Member Sponsorship Fund on our Give a Gift page.
 
Q. If I am unable to make the required membership donation, may I be sponsored to become a member of Impact Grants Chicago?
A. Yes, our Member Sponsorship Program supports women who would like to be involved with Impact Grants Chicago but who may not be able to fully fund a membership on their own. Details about being sponsored and the application to apply are located on our Member Sponsorship page. Sponsorships are limited based on funds available each year.
 

Our Grants

Q. What types of organizations does Impact Grants Chicago fund?
A. Impact Grants Chicago funds mid-size (operating budgets between $1,000,000 and $8,000,000) Chicago nonprofit organizations that are addressing critical needs and social issues facing the city. We accept applications for new or existing projects or programs, or for the expansion of existing projects or programs in five main focus areas: Culture, Education, Family, Health and Sustainability. See our Eligibility Requirements for more information.
 
Q. Does Impact Grants Chicago only give grants to nonprofits that help women or those that are run by women? Impact Grants Chicago have a corporate giving program?
A. No. We accept applications from all types of nonprofits that meet our requirements. See Eligibility Requirements for more information.
 

Corporate Giving

Q. Does Impact Grants Chicago have a corporate giving program?
A. Yes, corporations can give to Impact Grants Chicago in several ways. We offer a member sponsorship program where corporations can sponsor their women employees as members as well as corporate underwriting opportunities. For more information, see our Corporate Giving page.
 
Q. Can a business sponsor a group of women to be members?
A. Yes, businesses can sponsor a group of women to be members. Through our Corporate Sponsorship program, businesses can give $5500 to sponsor five women as members for the grant year. More information is listed on our Corporate Giving page.
 

Grant Review Committee (GRC)

Q. What is the time commitment for a member of the GRC?

A. GRC members spend approximately 20-25 hours preparing and meeting during the grant review cycle. The following is a summary of the meetings and corresponding time commitment:

Virtual training (January) – 1 hour

GRC meetings

  • Meeting #1 (end of January) 4-5 hours total; 2-3 hours preparation (reviewing preliminary grant applications for applicants assigned to your committee) and 2 hours for the meeting
  • Meeting #2 (end of February) – 3-4 hours total; 1-2 hours preparation (reviewing full grant applications for the five applicants that your committee has selected) and 2 hours for the meeting
  • Meeting #3 (mid-March) – 3-4 hours total; 1-2 hours preparation (reviewing the Grant Application Review Documents for the five applicants and preparing for the meeting) and 2 hours for the meeting
  • Meeting #4 (beginning of May) – 3-4 hours total; 1-2 hours (reviewing updated Grant Application Review Documents for three remaining applicants and preparing for the meeting) and 2 hours for the meeting

Virtual Insightful Visits (3 Visits in mid-April) – 4 hours and 30 minutes total (each Visit lasting 1 hour plus 30 minutes of post-Visit discussion)

Reviewing emails from the committee during the grant cycle – approximately 1 hour

 
Q. Why can’t I call into an in person GRC meeting and participate on speakerphone?
A. Unfortunately, we do not have the requisite technology to allow our GRC members to participate virtually in an in-person GRC meeting. We provide the dates of the GRC meetings at sign-up, so if you know that you are unable to attend one of the in-person meetings, we recommend that you sign up for a GRC that meets virtually.
 
Q. Why aren’t there GRC meetings in the western or northern suburbs?
A. Although we do have several members who live in the western and northern suburbs of Chicago who have expressed interest in forming suburban GRCs, the Board has discussed the logistics and has determined it is not feasible at this time. We believe it would be difficult to find 20+ suburban members from the same area, all willing to sign up for a GRC meeting on the same day at the same time. Additionally, we would need to find two GRC Chairs and FRC Leaders from the same area.
 
Q. Why are nonprofit applicants not allocated to each GRC according to their focus area so a committee can review nonprofits with the same focus area?
A. We ask the nonprofit applicants to self-select one of our five focus areas (Culture, Health, Education, Family & Sustainability), but we receive uneven numbers of applicants for each area. We believe it would be inequitable for some committees to review most of the applications, leaving other committees with too few to review. When we allocate the applications to the GRCs, we consider the size of the organization and their focus area before we divide them equally among the GRCs. If an applicant has applied the year before, we ensure it goes to a different GRC for review, so that the women who join the same committee each year can review different applicants.
 
Q. Why is the deadline to sign up for a GRC so early (i.e., two-three weeks before meetings begin)?
A. After the sign-up deadline, we have to complete several tasks before the meetings begin. First, members’ meeting time preferences and conflicts of interest are checked before they are assigned to a committee. We then create email rosters and send out welcome letters to our committee members. Finally, we give our members access to the grant application software so they can review the applications during the week before the meetings begin.
 

Financial Review Committee (FRC)

Q. What is the role of the FRC?
A. The FRC is tasked with performing financial due diligence on the nonprofit applicants to ensure that only financially stable organizations advance in the grant review process. The Financial Review Committee, which works in conjunction with the GRCs, is composed of FRC Members who are responsible for the document review and reporting for 1-2 nonprofit organizations. Women who are new to the process will be assigned a “buddy” to answer questions and provide support throughout the process. If desired, new members can choose to be a Reviewer, and simply observe and learn our financial review process their first year.
 
Q. What qualifications are required to join the FRC?
A. FRC members should be comfortable reviewing financial statements and analyzing general financial performance. They should have access to, and be proficient using, Excel and Word. While experience in accounting and finance is helpful, a solid general business background will also provide the necessary skills.
 
Q. What is the time commitment for a member of the FRC?
A. Overall FRC Members put in a total of 10-15 hours between February and early May. The process starts in February with a virtual training session and a review of the applications to make sure all of the required financial documents have been submitted. The heart of the financial review process starts in March when each FRC member performs their financial review of applicants. This review includes a simple spreadsheet, an informational outline (with short bullet point responses) highlighting key findings from the documents provided, and a 2-4 sentence summary of the basic findings. In April, the full committee has one virtual meeting to discuss the reports as a group. Members also attend virtual Insightful Visits and participate in the final GRC meeting to select the grant finalists. FRC Members are only required to attend the last GRC meeting, but are invited to all of the GRC meetings, and encouraged to participate if their schedule permits.
 

Mentor Program

Q. What is the Mentor Program?
A. Mentors are members with more than one-year of experience with Impact Grants Chicago. Mentors are assigned a new member as their "mentee" and responsible for making them feel welcome, informed, connected, and engaged in our mission.
 
Q. How many women will I be mentoring?
A. As a Mentor, you will be assigned 3-10 women; depending on how many new members and Mentors sign up each grant cycle.
 
Q. How would I start as a Mentor?
A. Once you are assigned a new member, you will email her to introduce yourself and ask her if she would like to connect (e.g., phone call, email, coffee). You will be provided with a welcome email template that you can customize.
 
Q. What if new members ask questions about Impact Grants that I cannot answer?
A. We suggest you familiarize yourself with the information on the website including the Membership FAQs and Volunteer sections. If answers are not found, please email info@impactgrantschicago.org.
 
Q. What other duties does a Mentor have?
A Mentors set-up at least one in-person event so that the women they are mentoring can meet for a coffee, a happy hour, a walk or another social activity you choose. You may also connect with new members at Impact Grants Chicago events so that you can welcome them in person and make them feel comfortable. You will also be asked to personally email them information about Impact Grants Chicago events. Templates or information to use in your email communications will be provided.
 
Q. Can I work with other Mentors to plan a group activity?
A. Yes. Group activities are a great way to have new members meet other members.
 
Q. How long is the term of the Mentor?
A. We ask that Mentors help their new members for a full grant cycle (June to May). Mentors will have the option to remain a Mentor the next grant year.
 
Q. Can I be involved in the Grant Review Process and be a Mentor?
A. Yes. Your role as a Mentor has a modest time commitment so you can be involved with other volunteer opportunities and/or the Grant Review Process.
 
Q. I have only been a member for 1 year, can I still be a Mentor?
A. Yes. We will help you learn more about Impact Grants Chicago and how to support new members.
 
Q. When will I be assigned my list of new members?
A. You will be assigned new members on a rolling basis as they join Impact Grants Chicago. Membership signup is primarily June 1 to December 31; most members join in October, November, and December.
 
 

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