Impact100 Essex Equity Grants

Impact100 Essex’s Equity Grants program provides unrestricted funding to support local nonprofits led by Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) that serve Essex County, New Jersey. This initiative recognizes the systemic funding disparities that exist for BIPOC-led organizations and aims to support smaller, community-based nonprofits that are deeply connected to and guided by the constituents they serve. These grants are designed to strengthen organizations that are rooted in the community and play a critical role in advancing equity and justice. Equity Grants range from $10,000 to $20,000 and are intended to support an organization’s mission-driven work rather than specific projects. This funding is unrestricted, allowing organizations the flexibility to allocate resources as needed to support operations, growth, and impact. Funding is targeted to nonprofits that demonstrate meaningful engagement with communities of color, including mechanisms for gathering community input and incorporating it into decision-making and services. To be eligible for an Equity Grant, applicants must be nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status or have a fiscal sponsor that holds this designation. Organizations must be led by boards and executive staff that are at least 50% BIPOC, must be delivering services in Essex County, New Jersey, and must have been operational for at least two years. Additionally, applicants must have an annual operating budget of no more than $500,000. Organizations that do not meet these criteria are not eligible for consideration. The Equity Grant application opens August 1, 2025, and closes on September 8, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Applications must be submitted through Submittable. A virtual information session will be held on July 30, 2025, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. ET to support prospective applicants. Interested nonprofits can register for this session by contacting grants.eg@impact100essex.org. Application materials, including a preview of the 2025 Equity Grant application in Microsoft Word and PDF formats, are available on the program’s website to assist in preparation prior to the submission window. Grants will be announced on October 31, 2025, and recipients will be invited to a local celebration event in December 2025. Additionally, all 2025-26 grantees will be recognized at the organization’s Annual Meeting and Celebration of Grantees, scheduled for April 29, 2026. The Equity Grants program prohibits the use of funds for lobbying, partisan or religious activities, debt reduction, interim or bridge funding, retroactive funding, endowments, scholarships, fundraising, re-granting, or grants to individuals. All applications must align with these guidelines to be considered.