Application Process

Impact100 Cleveland awards grants to nonprofits in greater Cleveland that address the focus area stipulated in our Eligibility Criteria. Eligible nonprofits may apply for grant funding. We recommend reading our eligibility criteria before proceeding and reviewing our webinar recording and resources from the nonprofit info session.

The Grant Committees ultimately select five finalists, one in each focus area, to compete for the available Impact Grants at our Annual Meeting.

Focus Areas:

• Arts & Culture: Cultural programs, participation in the arts, arts education

• Education: Educational opportunities for children and/or adults, especially those that address lingering educational disparities affecting our community

• Family: Strengthening and enhancing the lives of children and families, including seniors

• Health & Wellness: Improvement of people’s mental and/or physical well-being

• Environment, Preservation & Recreation: Conservation and preservation of natural resources; environmental justice; parks and recreation; agricultural sustainability; environmental education and climate action

Grant Timeline - 2026 Cycle

• RFP Posted: January 12, 2026

• Grant Funding Announced: January 27, 2026

• Informational Webinar: January 29, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. ET

• Expression of Interest Opens: February 2, 2026 (rolling basis)

• Required Expression of Interest Deadline: February 27, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET

• Application Deadline: April 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET

• Notification of Site Visit: July 1, 2026

• Meet the Finalists Event: August 10, 2026

• Annual Meeting / Notification of Awards: October 1, 2026

• Award Start Date: December 1, 2026
  

Things to Know Before Applying

• It's not about who you know in Impact100 Cleveland!

  • It’s about the quality of your application, how well you describe your initiative and how it will make a difference in our community. Dozens of Impact100 Cleveland members serve on our review committees and participate in our impartial review process. Every grant application is viewed on its own merit and any reviewer’s bias is disclosed and managed accordingly.

• Impact100 Cleveland members are exposed to and educated about your nonprofit’s mission

  • Even if you are not selected as a current year grant award finalist or recipient, our Impact100 Cleveland committee members learn about your mission and programs for the first time through the application review process. This can lead to bringing new supporters – and potential donors – to your organization.

• Site visits are a key component of our review process

  • Our Impact100 Cleveland members relish the opportunity to have in person exposure to our potential grant recipients. It enhances their understanding of your mission and programs and increases their knowledge of the various needs in our community. Our nonprofits often remark that our process helps them ‘to be better’ and to clearly articulate their mission, goals and objectives.

• We offer tools and trainings for the grant application process

  • Impact100 Cleveland hosts information sessions and workshops for nonprofits to learn more about our model and mission, grant cycles, and application process. It is our goal to help all nonprofits in our 7 county region to know about us and have access to the tools necessary to submit the best application possible.

for more information email grants@impact100cleveland.org

Quick Links:

• Eligibility Requirements

• 2026 RFP

• Resources from the Grant Info Session

• Expression of Interest + Grant Application