On November 6, a sell-out crowd of 225 women gathered at the Austin Film Society to chat over cocktails and nibbles, hear from experts in the field of philanthropy, and select the winner of Impact Austin's newest grant, the Social Innovation Grant.
It was a night of fun, education, and impact.
Organizational Updates
Christina Gorczynski, celebrating her first anniversary as Impact Austin’s Executive Director, shared what’s happening with the organization–everything from new grant management software and a new website to the opportunity to register for a Grant Review Committee or nominate someone for the Board of Directors. Christina also welcomed Nicole Genovese, Impact Austin’s new office manager.
Celebration of Leadership
A handful of new members who exhibited extraordinary leadership over the past year were recognized: Lav Chintapalli, Joanna Nolte, Jessica Odeyemi, Anju Mahendroo, Melissa Patel, and Linda Yang. Val Kirk was recognized for going Above and Beyond, Impact Austin’s highest honor, and the award will now be named in her honor! Read more about these Impact Austin “superheroes”.
Social Innovation Grant Presentations and Voting
We heard two passionate and compelling presentations from the finalist collaboratives for the SIG award:
The Innocence Initiative, a collaborative of five organizations––MEASURE Austin, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Hearts 2 Heal, Lone Star Justice Alliance, and Community Advocacy and Healing Project––to address the adultification of Black girls in Central Texas.
AVANCE-Austin, a collaborative with the Economic Growth Business Incubator (EGBI) and the Thinkery to launch the AVANCE Innovative Moms Program (AIM), a comprehensive training program with resources to stimulate the creation of new Latina-owned businesses.
Impact Austin members voted and chose The Innocence Initiative to receive the $110,000 Social Innovation Grant. The whole crowd celebrated with them as they received their check.
Learn more about The Innocence Initiative and how they will be using the grant funds.
Panel on The Changing Face of Philanthropy
Our very own Simone Talma Flowers facilitated a thought-provoking panel on the changing face of philanthropy with Dianne Chipps Bailey (Managing Director, National Philanthropic Strategy Executive, Bank of America) and Andrea Pactor (Interim Director, Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Lilly School of Philanthropy, Indiana University). The panel covered topics including: How are giving circles like IA impacting trends in philanthropy? What does research tell us about the motivations of donors? What are the trends in collective giving? What is the connection between philanthropy and joy?
After the panel, we stood, stretched, and learned the Philanthropy Yoga Pose, developed by Dianne Chipps Bailey just for us!
