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Announcing Our Inaugural Spark Award Recipients!

By Patricia Massey Hoke and Liana Humphrey

Women’s Impact Fund is excited to announce our inaugural Spark Awards for rest and renewal for local women social change leaders. These awards were approved by a unanimous vote of our membership earlier this month. The awards place Women’s Impact Fund at the forefront of an important evolution in philanthropy to support self-care and wellness in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector.

The eight recipients of a $5,000 unrestricted Spark Award are:

These inspiring local women are at the forefront of social change in our community, working on issues such as food insecurity, housing justice, reproductive rights, and education. They have demonstrated evidence of community-centered leadership and vision, have experience working in direct relationship with the community being served, and their work is transformative and impactful. We are honored to recognize them with an award and are in conversation about how to honor them in person in the fall once we launch our 2024-2025 program year. Read more about the recipients here.

Recipients will have full discretion to use the funds in any way they choose to cultivate their individual care, renewal, and healing. In addition to the award, they will also receive a one-year WIF membership to provide additional opportunities for connection, leadership, and growth. 

Mental health and staff turnover were listed as two of the top concerns among the local nonprofit community in a recent SHARE Charlotte study. Funding rest and renewal has recently been highlighted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. In addition to the impact of these awards, Women’s Impact Fund is also excited about expanding the conversation regarding investing in rest and renewal for social change leaders.

Please join us in congratulating the 2024 Spark Award recipients!

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Janet LaBar

Executive Director​
jlabar@womensimpactfund.org

With more than 25 years of experience, Janet has a proven track record of leading organizations and teams in developing strategies that foster thriving communities. Her career is dedicated to the well-being of the places she serves, and the people and businesses within them, positioning her as a trusted sounding board, critical thinker, and purposeful protagonist across corporate, government, education, entrepreneurial, and civic spheres.
Janet joined Women’s Impact Fund in June 2025 to guide one of Charlotte’s most respected, women-led philanthropic organizations into its next phase of growth and impact. In partnership with the Women’s Impact Fund team, Board, Advisors, members, volunteers, and key community partners, she will continue strengthening communities by maximizing women’s leadership in philanthropy through collective giving, education, and engagement.
Inspired by her family, teams who dare greatly, and people and communities striving to be their best selves, Janet’s impactful career includes leadership roles as President and CEO of Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, President and CEO of Greater Portland Inc, and Chief Performance Officer of Greater Phoenix Economic Council. As a first-generation Filipino American, her lived experience deeply informs her professional drive to create equitable economic growth and opportunity in the metro areas she’s served.
She holds a BA in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Phoenix. Janet and her husband James are proud parents to an older daughter, and a daughter and son who are twins.