Impact100 of Northwest Florida awards five $100,000 grants to Okaloosa, Walton nonprofits

Devon Ravine, Northwest Florida Daily News
·3 min read
Members of Impact100 of Northwest Florida pose for a photo during the 2021 annual meeting. On Sunday, the group awarded five grants of $100,000 to nonprofit groups in Okaloosa and Walton counties.
Members of Impact100 of Northwest Florida pose for a photo during the 2021 annual meeting. On Sunday, the group awarded five grants of $100,000 to nonprofit groups in Okaloosa and Walton counties.

Impact100 of Northwest Florida awarded $100,000 grants to five nonprofit organizations in Okaloosa and Walton counties during the group's annual meeting Sunday at the Sandestin Hilton.

Established in 2012, Impact100 of Northwest Florida is a group of women who each contribute $1,000 per year with the idea of making a $100,000 "transformational" grant to local nonprofits working to better the community. One hundred percent of member donations go directly to the grants, and members evaluate grant applications and vote on grant recipients each year. This year, Impact100 of Northwest Florida had 532 members, and was able to award grants in each of its five categories.

Stage Crafters Community Theatre member and director Nancy Kruzek surveys the work area where stage props and decorations are created for the group's theatrical productions. Stage Crafter's recently received a grant for $100,000 from Impact100 of Northwest Florida to help the theater company purchase the property where its warehouse and rehearsal building stands.

In the Arts and Culture category, Stage Crafters Community Theatre received a grant to help purchase the property where the group's rehearsal and warehouse space is located. Stage Crafters, now in its 50th year, has been renting the property on Robinwood Drive from the City of Fort Walton Beach at a substantially reduced rate for 41 years. Recently, the city decided to raise the rental rate of the property from $100 per month to $2,000 per month. The grant will allow Stage Crafters to purchase the property outright and secure a permanent home for the group.

The Crestview Area Shelter for the Homeless was awarded a grant for the first phase of its Impact Village Opportunity Zone. The money will help CASH create a tiny home community with an educational focus. CASH served more than 900 people in 2021 and more than 800 in the first quarter of 2022. Community support and rental income will help sustain the project, which will also include a greenhouse, a pole-barn and a small facility for laundry.

"Our target audience lives at/or below 50% of HUD Median Income level," reads the grant application. "This project is tiny, but mighty, with wide implications."

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Impact100 helps four nonprofits help the community with $100K grants. Who are the recipients?

Pyramid Inc. in Fort Walton Beach received a grant in the Environment, Recreation and Preservation category with its project entitled "Outdoor Recreation Equity for Individuals with Disabilities."

The agency serves more than 100 individuals, ages 18-74, with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Pyramid will use the grant to renovate an existing courtyard into a usable outdoor learning area. The space will include an all-season, covered structure, accessible ground surfaces, a sensory water wall, adaptable outdoor furniture and swings, and fencing to help provide Pyramid students with opportunities to participate in outdoor recreation and learning activities in an accessible, safe environment.

Salvation Army Lieutenant James Milner stands inside the organization's aging canteen truck in this Daily News file photo. The Salvation Army was recently award a $100,000 grant to replace the 30-year-old vehicle.
Salvation Army Lieutenant James Milner stands inside the organization's aging canteen truck in this Daily News file photo. The Salvation Army was recently award a $100,000 grant to replace the 30-year-old vehicle.

In the Family category, The Salvation Army was awarded a grant to purchase a new mobile kitchen for disaster and community assistance, replacing its 30-year-old canteen vehicle. The new vehicle will allow the agency to provide hot meals and resources to those in who are in need, as well as allow the organization to have quick response time to disasters.

"We foresee being able to reach the entirety of both Okaloosa and Walton counties, with the ability to bring food, water, clothing, necessities, etc.," reads the grant application.

A service dog watches the Niceville High School Junior ROTC color guard during the graduation ceremony for eight teams who completed their Healing Paws for Warriors training in this Daily News file photo. Healing Paws for Warriors recently received a grant of $100,000 from Impact100 of Northwest Florida to purchase a vehicle to help take advantage of the nonprofit's community and veteran outreach opportunities.

In the Health and Wellness category, Healing Paws for Warriors was awarded a grant to purchase a vehicle capable of towing the organization's trailer. The veteran-founded nonprofit matches combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma with rescue dogs trained to be ADA-certified service dogs. The grant will help the organization make the most of its community and veteran outreach opportunities.

Since its creation, Impact100 of Northwest Florida has granted $4.1 million to nonprofit agencies in Okaloosa and Walton counties.

The group's mission is "to financially support non-profit organizations in Okaloosa and Walton counties by empowering women as philanthropists and leaders, by bridging the geographic areas of our region, and by leveraging the talents of diverse women to be a positive force for good in our communities."

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Impact100 Northwest Florida gives $500,000 to Okaloosa, Walton groups