Impact100 Essex Grants
We currently offer two types of grants:
IMPACT GRANT
A project-based grant of $100,000 awarded to one organization yearly for a transformational project addressing the needs of underserved communities in Essex County. For more information on Impact Grants, click here.
EQUITY GRANTS
Mission-based, unrestricted grants ranging from $10,000 - $20,000 awarded to local nonprofits led by Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC). For more information on Equity Grants, click here.
Note: Organizations may apply for both the Equity Grants and the Impact Grant. However, if your organization is awarded an Equity Grant, your organization is no longer eligible for an Impact Grant during the same grant cycle.
IMPACT GRANT
We are looking for projects that are:
Innovating, deepening or expanding your current work, leading to measurable, sustainable change.
Empowering, addressing under-met needs and an underserved constituency.
Strategic. Why this approach? Why will it be effective?
Timely. How is this project responding to current needs?
Spending the grant within two years, and evidence that all funding needs will be fully met.
Applicants Must:
Deliver services within Essex County, NJ.
Be a 501(c)(3) or have a fiscal sponsor who is one.
Have operated for at least three years.
Have annual revenues of at least $100,000.
Be able to provide your organization’s finalized financial documentation, either 990s for the past two consecutive years or certified financial statements for the past three consecutive years.
We do NOT fund
Lobbying, partisan or religious activities
Debt reduction, interim or bridge funding, retroactive funding
Endowments, scholarships or fundraising
Re-granting or grants to individuals
General operating expenses or overhead beyond allowable 20% of proposed project’s budget
How to apply for an Impact Grant:
1.
Create a free account with Submittable, if you do not already have one. If you need assistance getting started, click on this link.
2.
The Letter of Intent (LOI) will go live on November 10th, 2025. Use the green button below to access the LOI and submit by December 18th, 2025 at 11:59pm ET.
For your convenience, here are some additional resources and a preview of the questions from our LOI (2025-26 versions will be updated as available):
3.
Following the LOI, you may be invited to submit an application via Submittable. For your reference, here is last year’s application. Please note that the required financial documentation has changed and is not reflected in this sample.
2025-26 Impact Grant (IG) Timeline
November 10: IG LOI Opens
December 18: IG LOI Due
January 20: IG Application Opens (for those invited to apply)
February 20: IG Applications Due
March 18 - 25: IG Site Visits (for those advanced to semifinalist round)
April 10: IG Finalists Announced
April 29: 2025-26 Annual Meeting & Celebration of Grantees
EQUITY GRANTS
What we are looking for:
BIPOC-led organizations that are:
Managed by Board and executive staff at least 50% BIPOC.
Connected to their communities, particularly communities of color.
Delivering services within Essex County, NJ.
Are 501 (c)(3) or have a fiscal sponsor who is one.
Have operated for at least two years.
Have an annual operating budget of no more than $500,000.
Our Equity Grants:
Recognize BIPOC-led nonprofits are disproportionately underfunded compared to their White-led counterparts and colleagues.
Highlight organizations that engage with — and seek input from — the constituents they work with and serve.
Offer funding to smaller, community-based organizations best situated to advocate for and understand communities of color.
Provide unrestricted funding to support the growth of smaller nonprofit organizations.
We do NOT fund:
Lobbying, partisan or religious activities
Debt reduction, interim or bridge funding, retroactive funding
Endowments, scholarships or fundraising
Re-granting or grants to individuals
Read about our past recipients here.
How to apply for an Equity Grant:
1.
Create a free account with Submittable, if you do not already have one. If you need assistance getting started, click on this link.
2.
Prepare your application and apply via Submittable using the button below between August 1st and Sept 8th, 2025 at 6pm ET. For your convenience, you may view the 2025 application questions now and prepare, prior to your submission. Here are versions of the 2025 Equity Grant Application in Microsoft Word and PDF format.
2025 Equity Grants (EG) Timeline
July 30th, 4:30-5:30 pm ET: Virtual Information Session for Nonprofits
Please contact grants.eg@impact100essex.org if you would like to register for the Nonprofit Information session
August 1: EG Application Opens - Submittable Link goes live
September 8: EG Applications Due by 6 pm ET
October 31: EG Recipients Announced
December: EG Celebration (Essex County location TBA)
April 29, 2026: 2025-2026 Annual Meeting & Celebration of Grantees
Any questions?
For Impact Grant: grants@impact100essex.org
For Equity Grants: grants.eg@impact100essex.org