Strengthening Nonprofits

Nonprofits need certain organizational resiliencies to be able to meet their missions, including strong leadership, financial management, technology, fund development and communications. Providing funding to help organizations invest in these vital building blocks creates a strong operational infrastructure that builds efficiencies, improves program delivery and increases impact.

Building capacity in the nonprofit sector is more important than ever, as we continue to see need rise in our communities.

• 95% of nonprofits in Connecticut report that demand for services has increased in the last five years.
• 40% of nonprofits state that demand has increased by more than 15%.
• 73% of nonprofit executives feel they do not have the resources they need to develop their own leadership.

Our approach focuses on:

• Funding key organizational development initiatives that lead to stronger, more adaptable organizations.
• Empowering nonprofits to seek assistance that they deem to be the right fit and are both culturally-competent and culturally responsive for their organizational needs.
• Centering organizations who are addressing disparities within our communities.
• Rejecting “readiness” myths which often further inequities in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.
• Prioritizing smaller organizations who meet the grant criteria.
• Grant award range is $5,000 – $10,000.

Efforts we support include:

• Training and professional development opportunities to help staff or board build on the assets they have and add new skillsets. The committee prioritizes training requests that are continuous and have been fully scoped in terms of topic and trainer.
• One-on-one coaching support with an expert in the field or professional consultant.
• Organizational development projects including strategic planning, financial management systems, evaluation, fundraising, programming or communications.
• Work that increases the inclusive representation of Black and Brown individuals in leadership positions on boards and nonprofit staff.

   

  Note: we cannot fund staffing requests or multi-year requests at this time.

What we look for in applications:

• Requests that clearly connect the specific project to the overall health of the organization and its overall impact in the community.
• Proposals which have already identified resources and consultants deemed a good fit for the organization and the organizational culture. We encourage applicants to solicit a bid in advance of the round to give the committee a sense of the overall cost.
• For statewide organizations, how much of your work takes place within our service area and how will the project specifically benefit the towns we serve? Additionally, for statewide organizations we suggest that the request amount is proportionate to the work taking place in our area.
• Project proposals that are focused on one priority, rather than applications that contain several capacity building components.

If you have specific questions about grant guidelines or if you are a first-time applicant, we encourage you to reach out to have an initial conversation about the grant round.