Impact 100 Jersey Coast Opens Applications for 2026 $100k Grants

Women’s Giving Collective Invites Nonprofits Serving Monmouth & Ocean Counties to Apply for Transformative Funding


SHREWSBURY, NJ – March 1, 2026 – Impact 100 Jersey Coast (JC) is now accepting applications for its 2026 Core Grant Cycle, offering local nonprofits the opportunity to receive a $100,000 grant to fund high-impact projects serving vulnerable populations of Monmouth and Ocean counties.

As the organization enters its second decade of collective giving, Impact 100 JC builds on a milestone year in which it surpassed $3.6 million in total grants awarded since its founding in 2015. Powered entirely by women members – each contributing an annual donation of $1,000 to a pooled grant fund – the organization awards large-scale grants designed to help nonprofits expand services, launch innovative programs, and address unmet community needs. 

To be a part of the 2026 grant class, women need to make their donation by March 15:  Join – Impact 100 Jersey Coast, or apply for a full or partial Impact Sponsorship of the membership donation.

APPLY FOR A $100K CORE GRANT!

Apply for the $100k Grant

Nonprofits must first complete a short eligibility screener in order to receive the online grant application.    Eligibility closes April 1 or when 60 eligible applicants are reached.  The grant application is due May 14.  Visit the grants section of our website to complete the eligibility form and to learn more about the grant process.   This year,  the annual operating budget of the applying organization must be a minimum of $200,000 (not $100,000 as previously required) in the most recent and current fiscal year.

In 2025, Impact 100 Jersey Coast awarded three $100,000 Core Grants to:

  • Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank – to establish a free dental clinic for low-income, uninsured residents
  • Move For Hunger in Neptune – to expand recovery and distribution of surplus fresh and shelf-stable food
  • The Center in Asbury Park – to launch a life-coaching wellness program for at-risk community members.

In addition to Core Grants, Impact 100 Jersey Coast also awards smaller, unrestricted $10,000 mission awards to the runners-up, and offers separate “Ignite” grants for smaller nonprofits that are not eligible for the Core Grant.

Join Impact 100 Jersey Coast

By becoming a member of Impact 100 JC, you are joining a community of women united in a common cause: to provide high-impact grants to exceptional nonprofit organizations serving Monmouth and Ocean counties. Your tax-deductible donation of $1,100 provides $1,000 towards the Impact Grant Fund, while the additional $100 covers membership activities.  Make your tax-deductible donation today at  Join – Impact 100 Jersey Coast.

JOIN NOW!

$100k Grant Awarded to Move For Hunger

Impact100 Jersey Coast Awards $100,000 Grant to Move For Hunger to Address Food
Insecurity in Monmouth and Ocean Counties


MONMOUTH & OCEAN COUNTIES, NJ — Impact100 Jersey Coast has awarded a $100,000 grant to Move For Hunger, a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing food waste and fighting hunger, to support expanded food recovery and delivery efforts across Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Move For Hunger works at the intersection of food recovery and transportation, partnering with farms, food companies, distributors, and a national network of transportation providers to redirect surplus food—such as short-dated inventory and rejected loads—from landfills to local food banks and pantries at no cost to receiving organizations.

Food insecurity in Monmouth and Ocean Counties has increased by 25% since 2019, with approximately 121,500 residents now facing hunger, while nearly 38% of food produced nationwide goes to waste. This grant will enable Move For Hunger to deliver 160,000 pounds of food locally, including 100,000 pounds of fresh produce and protein, while eliminating transportation barriers by leveraging donated and discounted trucking services.

Deliveries will be matched to real-time requests from local food banks and pantries to ensure efficient and responsive distribution. Move For Hunger will also host a community-based educational event in 2026 focused on food waste, hunger awareness, and expanding local recovery partnerships.

“Food should never be a luxury,” said Adam Lowy, Founder and Executive Director of Move For Hunger. “This support allows us to move more food, more efficiently, to neighbors who need it most—while preventing perfectly good food from going to waste.”

Support from Impact 100 Jersey Coast advances shared priorities of addressing unmet community needs, directly serving underserved populations, and delivering measurable, high-impact outcomes. 

Together, Impact100 Jersey Coast and Move For Hunger are working to strengthen local food systems and build a more food-secure future for communities across Monmouth and Ocean Counties. “Impact 100 Jersey Coast is honored to partner with Move For Hunger to expand access to fresh, nutritious food across Monmouth and Ocean Counties,” said Lori Mallon, Grantee Liaison for Move to Hunger at Impact 100 Jersey Coast.

“By investing in Move For Hunger’s innovative recovery and distribution network, we are helping ensure that more local families, seniors, and children have reliable access to healthy meals – helping our neighbors thrive with dignity and security.”

About Move For Hunger
Move For Hunger is a national nonprofit organization that fights hunger and food waste by mobilizing the moving, relocation, and multi-family housing industries to rescue surplus food and deliver it to local food banks. Since 2009, Move For Hunger’s network has delivered over 72 million pounds of food, providing more than 60 million meals to those in need across the U.S. and Canada.
Learn more at www.MoveForHunger.org.

About Impact 100 Jersey Coast
Impact 100 Jersey Coast is a women’s collective giving circle that raises awareness of our community’s most pressing needs and funds transformational grants for high-impact projects addressing those needs.

For information regarding membership or applying for a grant: www.impact100jerseycoast.org

Spotlight on: Mercy Center

By: Jackie Jankewicz

Helping Single Moms Keep a Roof Over Their Heads

Single moms are the largest group coming to Mercy Center in Asbury Park for help. Take, for example, a woman we’ll call “Emma” who came to Mercy Center carrying her child who was crying with hunger. They had been living in a car. Emma had lost her husband to cancer, then her job, and finally her home. 

Until now, Mercy Center could not help Emma with emergency services and housing because she was not a victim of domestic violence. Mercy Center’s state funding only covers victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. But now, thanks to an Impact 100 Jersey Coast grant of $100,000, Mercy Center will be able to help “Emma” and others like her. 

Immediate Help, Personalized Solutions

The Housing Matters program will provide emergency shelter, and utility and rental assistance for up to 50 single moms and their children. Moreover, it will connect these families to Mercy Center’s wrap-around services, including housing navigation, social workers, trauma counseling, and immigration guidance. 



Impact 100 Jersey Cost Held Annual Meeting: ‘Make Your Impact’

The Two River Times featured pictures from the Impact 100 Jersey Coast 2019 Annual Meeting, where 440 Impact members gathered to listen to the five finalist presentations then voted on the four 2019 grantees. The grants in the amount of $110,000 each were awarded to COA, CASA, APMF and St. Mark’s.

Continue reading

Powerful Women’s Group Provides Transformational Change, IMPACT 100 JERSEY COAST AWARDS FOUR $110,000 GRANTS

Impact 100 Jersey Coast held its Annual Meeting on November 19th where the organization’s 440 members selected the four grant finalists to receive $110,000 each. The four selected were Asbury Park Music Foundation (Arts and Culture), Clean Ocean Action (Environment, Parks and Recreation), Court Appointed Special Advocates of Monmouth County (“CASA”) (Children and Families) and St. Mark’s Center for Community Renewal (Health and Wellness).

Continue reading

News: Impact 100 Jersey Coast Announces 5 Finalists for 4 Grants of $110,000

Community Magazine features Impact 100 Jersey Coast and its five 2019 grant finalists: Asbury Park Music Foundation (Arts and Culture), Clean Ocean Action (Environment, Parks and Recreation), Court Appointed Special Advocates of Monmouth County (“CASA”) (Children and Families), St. Mark’s Center for Community Renewal (Health and Wellness), and Senior Citizens Activities Network Inc. (“SCAN”) (Education).

Continue reading

News: Annual Wine & Martini Tasting Benefit Raises More than $50,000 for Impact 100 Jersey Coast

The Community Magazine’s May edition features Impact 100 Jersey Coast, which has raised over $50,000 as the beneficiary of the 16th Annual Salt Creek Grille Wine & Martini Tasting Fundraiser, where 100% of proceeds from the sponsorships, ticket sales and live auction items went directly to Impact 100 Jersey Coast and the Impact flag will fly from the waterfront restaurant throughout the entire year with the intent to create more awareness. Impact’s 2019 final membership count is also featured in the magazine.

Continue reading

News: Women’s Philanthropic Movement Reaches $1 Million Mark

Impact 100 Jersey Coast has reached an amazing milestone as it closed its record-breaking 2019 membership season. This fall Impact Jersey Coast will award four grants of $110,000 each – bringing its total funding to nonprofits in Monmouth County to more than $1.1 million! Interested nonprofit organizations in Monmouth County should visit the Impact website for more details.

Continue reading