20 Years of Women Making a Difference
By Sharon Jones Schweitzer
“When women come together, they can do anything! I think Impact San Antonio demonstrates just that,” said Rose Mary Fry, founding member of Impact SA.
For 20 years, Impact San Antonio has sustained and grown a philanthropic model that, at its heart, is the power of women working together to have a significant and long-term impact in our community. Impact San Antonio, a nonprofit women’s collective grant-making organization, empowers women as donors and decision-makers. Impact SA maximizes grant funds by devoting 100 percent of each membership contribution of $1,000 to the grant pool.
Impact San Antonio was founded in 2004 with just 25 women. Since awarding the first grant of $25,000 to the ARC of San Antonio in 2005, it has grown to 500-plus members annually. It regularly awards High-Impact Grants of $100,000 in five focus areas: Arts and culture, education, environment, Preservation and recreation, family, and Health and wellness. Impact SA has awarded over $6.4 million in grants, 130 grants to 90 organizations to date.
What started as a small women’s giving circle has become one of the largest women’s philanthropic organizations of its type in our region. Founding members were inspired by the ‘power of women’ model, working together to do big things and to have a long-term impact, said Kelly Hutchinson, founder of Impact San Antonio.
“I think we have truly had an impact on our community, the nonprofits that operate in our community, and on our members,” said Lora Watts, past president and longtime Impact San Antonio member. “Many of our members feel more connected to one another and our community. It’s been an inspiring and educational process for many of us.”
Impact San Antonio is now considered a major funder for nonprofits. “I think the work that Impact San Antonio is doing is transformative in many ways,” said Cassandra Parker-Nowicki, executive director of the Carver Community Cultural Center and 2021 recipient of a High Impact Grant. “The impact this organization is having throughout the greater San Antonio area is extraordinary.”
As we head into the next 20 years of grantmaking, Impact San Antonio remains committed to expanding its brand of philanthropy in San Antonio. “We recognize that the needs of our community persist, and we are committed to doing even more to meet those needs,” said Sharon Jones Schweitzer, president of Impact SA. “We’re not done yet.”
