Revised 7/24/17

2017 Capacity Grants Program Definition Capacity Building: any capability, knowledge and/or resources that strengthens a nonprofit’s organizational performance, impact and effectiveness in achieving its mission Program Framework The Capacity Grant Program funds activities that help organizations be more effective by investing in internal improvements that enhance their ability to advance their mission. A requested activity should support the organization to advance their ability:  Management capacity. To ensure the effective and efficient use of organizational resources  Operational capacity. To implement all of its key organizational and programmatic functions  Adaptive capacity. To monitor, assess and respond to internal and external changes  Leadership capacity. To support organizational leaders create and sustain the vision, inspire, model, prioritize, make decisions, provide direction and innovate, in an effort to achieve the organizational mission Allowable Activities In general the most successful capacity-building projects:  will address issues that affect the organization as a whole rather than a single department or program  are focused on a single problem or issue  are appropriate to the organization’s current life cycle  are important to the organization's transition to support medium or long-term success in relation to its mission  can demonstrate an organization’s readiness and ability to embark on the project  have the ability to meaningful track and document change and impact resulting from the project.  Note: fiscally sponsored groups may ONLY apply for funds to support capacity building activities that lead to 501(c)3 status. No other activities will be funded Funded activities are not limited to but may include:  strategic planning and/or business planning  organizational assessments  board and staff development, mentoring/coaching  succession planning and transition planning  evaluation  fundraising and planning for financial sustainability  marketing and communications planning  financial management and improvement  human resources and training  volunteer management/systems  feasibility assessment and implementation of mergers and strategic alliance  preparations for 501(c)3 status  technology assessments and planning  some hardware and software acquisitions (upgrades that would be considered normal and necessary for operations are not eligible) 1

Grant details Allowable amount: Eligible organizations: Duration:

$1,000-$15,000 501(c)3’s; fiscally sponsored groups working towards 501(c)3 one year

Timeline - Proposed Capacity Grants 2017 Application Process  Application opens: by July 24, 2017  Application deadline: September 11, 2017  Reviews/Site visits: September to November 2017  Decisions date: November 29, 2017  Notification of Decisions: December, 2017 Contact Information  Michael DeChiara – Senior Program Officer for Capacity [email protected]  Margaret Everett- Program Administrative Staff [email protected]  General [email protected] or 413-732-2858

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