Impact100 Announces $188,000 in Grants for 2026

Impact100 Whakatipu has officially opened Expressions of Interest for its 2026 funding round, inviting local charities and community organisations to apply for transformational projects requiring funding of $100,000 or more.

This year, Impact100 Whakatipu supporters will collectively distribute $188,000 to initiatives that create meaningful, lasting impact in the Whakatipu Basin.
The annual giving programme brings together women from across the region who each contribute $1,000, pooling their donations to create substantial grants of at least $100,000 to support local charities in the Whakatipu.

Expressions of interest are now open to registered charities working in areas such as mental wellbeing, youth development, arts, conservation, community resilience, education, and social support. Projects must demonstrate strong local impact and meet critical needs in the community.

The 2026 funding round follows another significant year for Impact100 Whakatipu, including the awarding of two $100,000 grants in 2025 to develop a social supermarket through the Salvation Army Queenstown and the Sir John Kirwan Foundation for its MITEY programme supporting mental health in our primary school aged children.

The opening of this year’s funding round also marks a leadership transition for the organisation. After helping guide Impact100 through a period of strong growth and increasing community impact for the last five years, Chair Clare Irons is stepping down from the role.

Taking over as Co-Chairs are Yoko Kakuma and Katherine Schuitemaker, who will jointly lead the next phase of the organisation’s development.

“Impact100 Whakatipu has become such a powerful example of what collective giving can achieve,” said the incoming Co-Chairs. “When women come together with shared purpose, we can fund projects that create real and lasting change for our community. We’re excited to continue building on that momentum.”

Since launching in the Whakatipu, Impact100 has granted more than $1.1 million to local charities, helping fund projects that support the wellbeing of both people and place across the region. The end of 2026 will see that total rise to $1.3M invested in our community.

Expressions of Interest are now open, closing 19 June and application details are available on the Impact100 website www.impact100whakatipu.org