Impact 100 Grant

Impact 100 is an annual grant initiative led by United Way of Greater Kansas City to support nonprofit organizations across its six-county service region. The program aims to identify and fund 100 high-impact nonprofit organizations working in healthcare, youth opportunity, financial security, and community resiliency. These organizations must meet high standards of fiscal responsibility, governance, and community impact, and must be designated as 501(c)(3) entities operating within the geographic scope of United Way’s mission. The goal of the Impact 100 program is to invest charitable donations from the community into organizations that demonstrate clear alignment with United Way’s focus areas and community needs. The process begins with an application open to eligible nonprofits. Applications are evaluated by a panel of Community Advisory Members, including United Way staff, corporate and nonprofit professionals, volunteers, and advocates. These panels assess organizations based on scoring metrics related to community alignment, financial health, and program effectiveness. Their recommendations are further reviewed by the United Way Community Impact team and ultimately approved by the United Way Board of Trustees. Funding provided through the Impact 100 is unrestricted, in line with United Way's trust-based philanthropy model. This approach allows grantees the flexibility to allocate funds according to their most urgent needs, rather than within constrained programmatic budgets. Funding levels vary and are determined based on the scores from the application review, demonstrated organizational need, budget capacity, and alignment with underserved geographic or demographic areas. Final allocations are also shaped by United Way’s commitment to ensure broad and equitable service coverage. Only one application is accepted per organization, though collaboration is encouraged, provided there is a lead nonprofit identified. Projects or informal groups are not eligible to apply independently. Organizations that are not selected in a given year are welcome to reapply in future cycles. Impact 100 operates on a one-year grant cycle, requiring annual reapplication for continued funding consideration. In addition to financial support, grantees in the Impact 100 benefit from enhanced visibility and engagement opportunities with United Way’s corporate partners and donors. Participation includes speaking engagements, community tours, volunteer activities, and other public outreach efforts to strengthen nonprofit visibility and foster community connection. Questions regarding the program can be directed to the United Way of Greater Kansas City team. The application timeline, deadline, and any supplementary documentation requirements are communicated annually through the program announcement and application materials.

High priority is placed on community need, fiscal responsibility, and service reach; ensure alignment with one of the four focus areas.