2026 IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area Grant Finalists Announced
Twenty local nonprofit organizations have been selected as finalists for the 2026 IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area grants, with projects designed to strengthen arts and culture, education, the environment, families, and health and wellness across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Thirteen of the 20 finalists will each receive a $101,000 grant at the IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area Annual Meeting on October 11, 2026. With a record 1,313 members this year, IMPACT 100 will award a total of $1,313,000 to local nonprofits.
This marks the organization’s 23rd year of grantmaking. Since its founding, IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area has awarded 177 grants totaling $18.7 million to nonprofits serving Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Here are the 2026 finalists and the projects they hope to bring to life.
Arts Culture and History
Ballet Pensacola
Project: A Holiday Classic Restored: Updating The Nutcracker Costumes and Lighting
Ballet Pensacola plans to refresh its beloved production of The Nutcracker with new costumes, scenery, LED lighting, dance towers, and stage accessories. The upgrades would enhance the audience experience while helping preserve this holiday tradition for future generations.
Learn more about Ballet Pensacola
Pensacola Children’s Chorus
Project: Driven to Sing: Connecting Choir and Community with Transport and Performance
Pensacola Children’s Chorus proposes purchasing a 15-passenger vehicle and portable performance equipment to improve transportation access for young singers and expand free community concerts. The project could transport as many as 65 children each week while bringing music to more underserved neighborhoods and public spaces.
Learn more about Pensacola Children’s Chorus
Pensacola Museum of Art Guild
Project: Best in Show: Projecting the PMA into the Future
The Pensacola Museum of Art Guild hopes to bring a William Wegman retrospective exhibition to Pensacola while improving visitor technology and accessibility. Funding would support the exhibition, audiovisual equipment, permanent gallery seating, art shipping, graphics, and interactive educational materials.
Learn more about the Pensacola Museum of Art
University of West Florida Foundation and WUWF
Project: WUWF Mobile Live Events Access and Preservation Project
WUWF plans to expand its ability to produce live audio and video from community events while preserving the region’s arts and cultural history. The project would add mobile production equipment, sound and video systems, and a dedicated vehicle to transport staff and gear.
Learn more about WUWF Public Media
Education
Naval Aviation Museum Foundation
Project: Flight Adventure Deck: Elevating the Future
The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation proposes modernizing the Flight Adventure Deck to strengthen middle school STEM learning and connect classroom lessons with real-world aviation. Plans include upgraded flight simulators, gaming computers, a video wall, a Smartboard, inclusive student furniture, and secure storage.
Learn more about the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation
Santa Rosa Education Foundation
Project: Little Red School House: Expanding Access, Increasing IMPACT
The Santa Rosa Education Foundation wants to expand its Little Red School House teacher supply depot, where Santa Rosa County educators receive free classroom materials. The project would add a mobile supply trailer for remote schools, improve the facility’s HVAC, flooring, lighting, and storage, and purchase more classroom supplies and distribution equipment.
Learn more about the Little Red School House
Pensacola MESS Hall
Project: Moving Science After School
The Pensacola MESS Hall proposes expanding an after-school STEM program for 200 elementary students, with an emphasis on children who have limited access to hands-on science experiences. Funding would provide a 12-passenger van, classroom equipment and furniture, vehicle insurance and branding, and staff to deliver the program.
Learn more about the Pensacola MESS Hall
Umbrella Learning Academy
Project: Regulation Station: A Secure Sensory and Social-Emotional Learning Center
Umbrella Learning Academy plans to create an indoor sensory-regulation space where neurodivergent students can safely use movement and physical activity to reduce anxiety and support learning and emotional regulation. The space would include a custom multi-level soft-play tower and ADA-accessible safety flooring.
Learn more about Umbrella Learning Academy
Environment and Recreation
Friends of Pensacola State Parks
Project: Rebuilding Long Pond Boardwalk
Friends of Pensacola State Parks proposes rebuilding 750 feet of damaged boardwalk at Big Lagoon State Park. The restored pathway would improve access for families, school groups, and visitors with mobility challenges while helping protect the surrounding marsh ecosystem.
Learn more about Friends of Pensacola State Parks
Keep Pensacola Beautiful
Project: Moving Beyond Trash: Reforestation and Invasive Species Removal
Keep Pensacola Beautiful plans to expand tree planting and maintenance in high-need neighborhoods and increase its ability to remove invasive species. The proposed grant would purchase two three-quarter-ton pickup trucks to support this environmental work throughout the community.
Learn more about Keep Pensacola Beautiful
Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program
Project: Stories from the Bay: Inspiring Stewardship Through Estuary Encounters
The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program wants to combine ecological restoration with community storytelling and outreach. The project would add a vehicle for field monitoring and engagement, produce short films about oyster and Carpenter Creek restoration, and help launch a flagship Oyster Festival.
Learn more about the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program
Winterfest of Pensacola and Five Flags Trolley
Project: IMPACT 100 All Access Express
Winterfest of Pensacola proposes purchasing a 28-passenger, air-conditioned and ADA-accessible trolley equipped with wheelchair lifts and ramps. The vehicle would help seniors and residents with disabilities take part in festivals and community events throughout the Pensacola Bay Area.
Learn more about Five Flags Trolley
Family
A HOPE and Snip Happens
Project: Safer Surgeries for Family Pets
A HOPE plans to equip its high-volume Snip Happens spay and neuter clinic with advanced surgical and patient-monitoring technology. The proposed equipment includes vessel-sealing workstations, oxygen concentrators, digital stethoscopes, IV fluid warmers, infusion pumps, and microchip scanners.
Learn more about A HOPE and Snip Happens
Pensacola Habitat for Humanity
Project: Building Promise: A Habitat-Family Promise Partnership
Pensacola Habitat for Humanity plans to partner with Family Promise of Escambia County to build a four-bedroom, two-bath transitional home for two families experiencing homelessness. The shared home would offer private sleeping and bathroom spaces while Family Promise provides support to help each family move toward permanent housing.
Learn more about Pensacola Habitat for Humanity
Life Options Clinic
Project: Parenting Education and Resource Building
Life Options Clinic proposes constructing a separate 2,500-square-foot building for parenting education classes and an expanded resource center. The additional space would help the organization respond to growing demand and serve more women and families.
Learn more about Life Options Clinic
South Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministries
Project: Driving Hope for Families
South Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministries plans to purchase an 18-foot box truck to collect more donated goods for its thrift store. Revenue from those sales supports assistance with food, clothing, housing, utilities, healthcare, prescriptions, and other emergency needs for local families.
Learn more about South Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministries
Health and Wellness
4EVR DEZ
Project: Beyond the Dress: A Resource Hub for Teen Girls
4EVR DEZ plans to establish a health and wellness resource center for teen girls in Northwest Florida. The hub would provide mentorship, confidence-building programs, and essential support services, while a branded delivery van would extend outreach into underserved communities.
Health and Hope Clinic
Project: Expanding Access to Dental Care
Health and Hope Clinic proposes a 400-square-foot addition to expand free dental care for uninsured adults. The new wing would include two dental suites, a dental lounge, patient check-in area, administrative office, and accessible bathroom, helping the clinic address unmet needs and reduce its patient backlog.
Learn more about Health and Hope Clinic
Sacred Heart Foundation
Project: The Willow Boutique, An Impactful Space
Sacred Heart Foundation plans to create Northwest Florida’s first dedicated oncology boutique and appearance-support center. Willow Boutique would provide wigs, head coverings, scarves, and compassionate assistance to women undergoing cancer treatment in a welcoming renovated space.
Learn more about Sacred Heart Foundation
The Seven Project
Project: Pedaling Beyond Limits
The Seven Project plans to add two Functional Electrical Stimulation cycles for people living with paralysis, spinal cord injuries, and other neurological conditions. The project would also provide electrode pads and 50 introductory cycling sessions to make the therapeutic equipment accessible to participants.
Learn more about The Seven Project
About IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area
IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area brings together women who want to create lasting change in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties through large, member-funded grants. Membership is open to women age 18 and older who make an annual tax-deductible contribution of $1,000 by March 1, with the full amount used to fund grants.