Impact Community Action
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
IMPACT Community Action was designed to address the specific social and economic problems facing low-income people with direct funding of community action programs. As a result, funds for IMPACT Community Action programs were required to make “maximum feasible participation” (MFP) of people living in low-income communities within Franklin County a priority. EOA policymakers rightly determined that people living in acute financial stress knew best what programs and policies would help others like them to achieve economic sustainability and self-sufficiency. IMPACT is uniquely tasked by both their history and federal law to conduct community needs assessments that identify and prioritize the local conditions and determinants of poverty. These assessments, the cornerstone of IMPACT Community Action planning efforts, increase understanding of the complex root causes of Franklin County’s poverty and identify services and strategies that will create positive impact for families.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Emergency Assistance
The Emergency Assistance Department provides supportive services that deliver crisis intervention strategies to stabilize households and strengthen self-sufficiency.
Our Emergency Assistance Programs/Services serve Franklin County households that are at or below 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and most households must have a qualifying emergency to receive assistance.
In 2016, more than $91,302 was leveraged to help 539 households with transportation assistance, furniture assistance, rental assistance, utility assistance; water, electric, gas, state identification assistance and bereavement assistance.
Re-Entry Program
IMPACT's Re-Entry Work Readiness Program, helps restored citizens capitalize on their second chances by addresses the critical barriers to their successful re-entry into the community. Our program is designed to develop and strengthen core competencies pertaining to their attitude as it relates to resuming/establishing their roles with their families and communities; their aptitude as it relates to further developing and identifying their gifts and talents; and their accountability as it pertains to their financial responsibilities.
Our Re-Entry Work Readiness Program employs a holistic approach and uses tailored curricula, including Mis-Socialization of Men and Women, Love Notes: Establishing and Maintaining Healthy Relationships, and Social Skills (which is a gender-neutral adaptation of the Thinking For A Change curriculum) to help restored citizens who are within one year of release, build emotional intelligence, transferable skills and self-esteem through introspection, course work and group dynamics.
ROADS 2 WORK
The ROADS 2 WORK Program is offered in partnership with Capital Transportation, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, and Franklin County Department of Jobs and Family Services. The program is a pilot program that allows candidates to earn a stipend and overcome personal barriers, while preparing them for a Commercial Drivers License Certification.
The CDL program has three parts:
1) Overcoming personal barriers
2) Preparing for the CDL Certification Exam
3) Introduction into the Trucking and Logistics Careers
Vocational Training and Certification (VTAC) Construction Trades Program
The Vocational Training and Certification Program (VTAC) provides a mixture of classroom instruction and hands on work to help prepare participants for the construction field.
In order to be eligible for the VTAC Construction Program, participants must successfully complete the Employment Plus program and recieve a referral from their Self-Sufficiency Coordinator. Participants accepted into the program are eligible for a stipend of $100 per week. Program participants will also receive case management services.
Financial Services
Financial Services provides cognitive tools and techniques and behavioral strategies to reduce economic dependency, increase household sustainability, and lay the foundation to building personal and communal wealth. In collaboration with several businesses and community partners, the program hosts educational workshops, tax-preparation services and filings for State benefits.
Economic instability is at the root of poverty. Sound financial management and planning are the keys to success. In collaboration with several business partners, financial institutions, and state and local government agencies, IMPACT’s Financial Services Program provides one-on-one assistance with personal finance management, household budgeting, and financial planning.
Our goal is to empower families and individuals to take control of their financial well-being and to set them on the road to financial freedom. Our Financial Services Programs, including Money SMART and Financial Literacy Experience (FLEX), provide the cognitive tools, techniques and behavioral strategies to help reduce economic dependency, increase household sustainability and lay the foundation to building personal and communal wealth.
Achieve More and Prosper (A.M.P)
The The Achieve More & Prosper (A.M.P.) Program is an initiative designed for youth and young adults, ages 16 to 24, who currently are not enrolled in school and are not employed.
The program will offer program participants paid work experiences, career-specific certifications, work readiness training, computer literacy, financial literacy, life skills and employability coaching.
Comprehensive Case Management Employment Program (CCMEP) Foster Care Youth Program
The CCMEP Foster Care Program is designed for youth and young adults, ages 16 to 21, who are currently in foster care or have aged/emancipated out and are currently enrolled in school.
The program consists of comprehensive case management which will assist program participants in the area of paid work experiences, career-specific certifications, work readiness training, computer literacy, financial literacy, life skills, educational support, access to post-secondary education opportunities, and employability coaching.
The Career Tracks Include:
• Entering Employment
• Post-Secondary Education
• Vocational Training
• Military Enlistment
CONNECTIONS
Workforce Development/CONNECTIONS Program provides cutting-edge training to help dislocated and disadvantaged workers secure and maintain employment through an accelerated two-week curriculum that includes computer literacy, résumé writing, mock interviewing, academic course work and financial literacy. Program graduates receive one-on-one job coaching to hone their interpersonal and technical skills to increase their marketability to potential employers.
Phase #1: Computer Literacy and Math Boost Training
Phase #2: Work Readiness Training
Phase #3: Job Coaching
The Drive to Thrive Program
The Drive to Thrive Program is a matched savings program for low- income individuals to leverage their savings to gain an asset through vehicle ownership. The program is funded by CSBG, U.S. Saving Bank, IMPACT Community Action.
Participants have a goal to open up a bank account and save $500, IMPACT will match program participants $1,000 towards the purchase or down payment of a vehicle!
Program is eligible for Franklin County residents age 18 and older who are at below 125% of Federal Poverty guidelines and must be able to work full-time.
Drive to Thrive Individual Development Accounts and Financial Literacy training move people to self-sufficiency!
Individual Development Account
$500 2:1 Matched Savings
Establish consistent savings practices
Removal of Self-Sufficiency Barrier (Lack of Transportation)
Establish the ownership of an asset
Financial Counseling
Where we work
Awards
Nonprofit of the Year 2021
The Columbus Foundation
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of people no longer couch surfing or doubling up with others as a result of the nonprofit's efforts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Social and economic status
Related Program
Emergency Assistance
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This is number of individuals who received eviction prevention assistance through ERA funds 1 and 2
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
IMPACT Community Action works each day to see that All Communities and Neighborhoods are equitable and thriving in Franklin County.
The promise of IMPACT Community Action is reflected in three Goals:
Goal 1 Individuals and families with low incomes are stable and achieve economic security.
Goal 2 Communities where people with low incomes live are healthy and offer economic opportunity. Goal 3 People with low incomes are engaged and active in building opportunities in communities.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
IMPACT Community Action conducts a community needs assessment every 3 years which identifies and prioritizes the local conditions and determinants of poverty in Franklin County. These assessments, help our team identify services and strategies that will create positive impact for families, individuals and communities.
IMPACT involves individuals with low incomes as a key aspect of our planning efforts. We Advocate, Mobilize and Serve low income people and carry out our anti-poverty mission by developing partnerships and providing resources that help people and communities thrive.
We offer a wide variety of direct services that help people improve their own lives. IMPACT relies on strong and innovative community partnerships to maximize resources and coordinate community and individual prosperity.
We understand how important policy work done in the State of Ohio, and in local government settings is to the opportunities everyday people have for escaping from and preventing poverty in our midst. That’s why we combine our direct service approach with active advocacy efforts on issues that impact us all.
• Partnerships: Objective #1 - By December 31, 2021, IMPACT will build strategic partnerships at least 10 that are mutually beneficial to the agency's mission, vision and values.
• Pathways to Prosperity: Objective #2 - By December 31, 2021, IMPACT will develop 5 new meaningful programs and services that will help customers achieve self-sufficiency and prosperity.
• Policy & Advocacy: Objective #3 - By December 31, 2021, IMPACT will focus on 3 public policy areas that will help low to moderate income families achieve prosperity.
• Positioning: Objective #4 - By December 31, 2021, IMPACT will raise awareness of activities within the community in order to gain support and resources for organization.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
IMPACT Community Action is capable to reach our goals
IMPACT Community Action is viewed as a trusted source within Franklin County for solving challenges brought on by poverty which are faced by the communities we serve. IMPACT is required to maintain a tripartite board structure, with mandatory representation from the low-income community, local elected officials, and public and private sector stakeholders. This composition brings differing perspectives and skill sets to the governance of IMPACT Community Action and increases accountability to the community. The voice and engagement of individuals with low incomes is essential to the oversight of local programs.
IMPACT measures and reports on results as required by the CSBG Act. IMPACT uses Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) to establish goals, monitor progress, and report on the results achieved. National performance indicators are used to track and manage our progress and make innovations or adjustments to better serve our clients.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Today’s poor, working poor and the so-called new poor defy the stereotypical characterizations of the past. They represent a diverse cross section of our community that includes our family, friends, neighbors, members of our congregation or perhaps at some point even YOU.
Despite their skills, experience or education…day in and day out we see hard-working people who are struggling to take care of themselves and their families. Our customers are people whose spirit has been crippled, people who at first glance seem to have lost hope.
But when they come to IMPACT and are treated with dignity and respect, we find a quiet strength, a sense of resiliency, and a glimmer of hope that wants to believe that the vision of prosperity for all, also includes them.
By providing hope-inspiring help, we have witnessed the transformation in the people that we serve. We have seen how their transformation has inspired their family, friends and community. Their restoration and their renewed sense of hope have inspired us and the work that we do.
$393,290 in combined benefits to 3,138 low income households through our Winter and Summer Home Energy Assistance Programs. 971 People received barrier removal assistance which include transportation, Rental Assistance, and car repair.
501 individual tax returns were completed with $691,136 in federal refunds and $99,544 in earned income tax and child credits for citizens in Franklin County. 136 single family/apartment units were weatherized in Franklin County.
1,430 households received energy-efficiency solutions which includes light bulbs, power
strips, low flow shower heads, or appliance replacements. 163 Adults were trained in life skills and career training. 36 Participants received certifications in Construction Trades. Out of 1031 participants in the lifetime of IMPACT’s Re-entry Program, 1,000 did not recidivate. This is a 12% recidivism rate. This program saved Ohio $3,636,800 in 2018 and $30,158,470 over the course of the Re-entry program.
What's next. IMPACT will be moving our corporate Headquarters to a larger facility which will allow all of our departments and programs to be housed together and at a better convenience to the community. We are also going to explore social enterprise opportunities with our IMPACT cafe, for workforce development training in the area of hospitality and food service.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Impact Community Action
Board of directorsas of 10/14/2021
Bishop Robert Keyes
Refuge Baptist Church
Term: 2018 - 2019
Ann Healy
Woodforest Bank
Eric Brandon
City of Columbus
Ernest Perry
Ohio Health
Ashon McKenzie, ESQ
Celebrate One Columbus
Matthew Smydo
Columbus Dept. Education
Matthew Glover
PNC Bank
Robert Dejarnette
Ohio Housing Finance Agency
Marketta Franklin
American Electric Power
Henry Davis
Nationwide Insurance
Darrea Ragland
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Carla Williams-Scott
City of Columbus
Angela Wright
Robyn Judge
Fifth Third Bank
LaShaun Carter
Franklin County Childrens Services
Maude Hill
Homeport
Sharyn Rigsbee
SR Realty
Glynis Jackson
Community Rep
Dalyn Dunn
Peace Missionary Baptist Church
Mahdi Taakilo
Helping Africans in New Directions
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/13/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.