Capacity Building Fund
Program Goals and Objectives
With deep regret, TSNE is suspending grantmaking for the Capacity Building Fund, one of the organization’s two grant programs. Support will continue to be provided to current and active grantees. However, if you would like to learn more about how the program operated, an overview is maintained below.
The Capacity Building Fund objectives were both simple and complex. The program annually funded several self-defined groups of non-profit organizations, or networks, for the purpose of planning and implementing shared learning projects that build organizational capacity.
Network projects enabled each member organization to gain knowledge that enhances its ability to meet its goals. The network defined shared outcomes for learning derived from the people who directly benefit from them.
If a coalition applies to create a learning project among all or some of its coalition members, the member groups, not the coalition staff, would define what learning is important to them.
Finally, all networks needed to be able to answer the “so what” question: What is the ultimate shared purpose of the learning beyond creating better individual organizations?
Overview of the Capacity Building Fund Model
How Are Groups of Organizations Funded?
The deadline for submitting a Letter of Intent to Plan for the current grant cycle has passed.
CBF grants are awarded in a 2-phase process as explained below.
Overview of the Process. Approximately 15 learning networks received a grant of $2,500 to $5,000 in late November last year to facilitate the planning and development of a 12- to 18-month colearning process that leads to greater organizational capacity and progress towards shared learning goals.
Shared learning experiences eligible for funding may range from enhancing technology to an executive director’s peer learning circle, from a joint organizing project to learning how to share expenses or develop an ongoing community of practice (a group that convenes regularly to share knowledge and skills and learn from each other). A key objective of a CBF grant is that the shared learning strengthens the involved organizations while also increasing their capacity to effect change together.
General Guidelines Overview. To apply for a Planning Grant, at least 5 organizations must define why they want to learn together, what they want to learn, and to what greater end purpose they are engaging in the learning. They are asked to thoroughly review the guidelines for submitting a Letter of Intent. Groups who receive Planning Grants will not necessarily receive full Implementation Grants to execute their plans.
To be considered for an Implementation Grant, applicants must receive a Planning Grant. Planning grantees must submit their plans detailing the goals, structure and processes of their learning projects. Approximately 6 to 10 learning networks receive $20,000 to $25,000 toward implementation of their plans. This funding is part of Third Sector New England’s strategy for capacity building for the non-profit sector in our region.
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What Is a Planning Grant and What Is It For?
Non-profit organizations are rarely compensated for the time devoted to planning programs or new initiatives. Although designing a joint learning project may seem simple, there are actually many steps to ensuring that the learning is based in something that stakeholders really want to learn--and that learning will be applied both within the participating organizations and for the network as a whole.
The Planning Grants are intended to help underwrite the cost of bringing organizations and networks together to plan the why, how and what of their learning programs. Some groups may choose to pay for staff time used in the planning process. Others may want to pay for a consultant or expert facilitator or planner to help walk them through the steps of planning. Still others may want both.
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What Defines a CBF Network?
Any network of 5 or more organizations that comes together to design a joint learning experience (peer or expert led) may apply for CBF support. An ad hoc, informal network can be convened for the purpose of this grant, or the network can be pre-existing in the form of a collaboration or a coalition.
The members of the network must agree on:
- A lead organization and an identified person who will coordinate the planning process and convene the learning group
- Learning goals and outcomes for learners
- Committing to a 3- to 4-month planning process, including a CBF training on how to develop a learning program, that may lead to a larger implementation grant
In addition to the criteria above, groups receiving implementation grants must agree to:
- Implement a 12- to 18-month plan of learning that mixes expert and peer training, tailored learning for each participant organization, and the development of a peer-to-peer mentoring/information sharing network
- Designate a lead organization with an assigned point person who will attend quarterly meetings to share progress, learning and barriers with other networks and CBF staff
- Participate in a self-assessment and evaluation with assistance from the CBF staff
Lead organizations must commit to:
- Meetings with the other coordinating organizations to share plans and learn about evaluation at the beginning of the process and the halfway point
- Periodic site visits from the CBF staff during the course of the grant
- Completion of 6-, 12- and 18-month reports and data required to process evaluation results
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Who Does the Capacity Building Fund Support?
The CBF is interested in groups of organizations that can define how they are engaging people to work toward a “common good” in their communities or beyond in such areas as:
- Economic security and justice
- Civil rights and other basic human rights
- Accessible, equitable health care
- Accessible, affordable housing
- Accessible, equitable education
- Community-based and environmentally-sound transportation
- Environmental sustainability for all
- Arts-focused creative engagement
- Nonviolence
- A cross-section of organizations uniting on any combination of the above issues
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What Types of Learning Are Funded?
Non-profit management assistance often emphasizes function and structure and adhering to business protocols. Some organizations (and consultants and capacity builders) become so focused on “the right management” or tools that management functions overwhelm programs and the focus on mission.
On the other hand, many mission-focused organizations need help with the management basics: fair and equitable human resource management, fund development, financial management, technology and growth management.
In addition, the constant change in the socioeconomic-political landscape continues to present challenges and opportunities for our constituents and organizations and there is a constant demand for nonprofits to both adapt to and manage change.
Given these realities, the primary areas of capacity for the CBF are:
- Program: mission and constituent focused
- Management: effectiveness
- Adaptive and Generative: mission-effective, continuous learning
Some Examples
Some examples of types of learning within the 3 capacities include (these lists are not meant to be exhaustive):
Program Related
- Mission, vision and values
- Strategic assessment and planning
- Program design
- Program evaluation
- Governance and leadership development
- Executive coaching/transition
- Facilitative leadership skills
- Process skills and expertise
- Team building
- Collaborative skills
- Constituent and stakeholder inclusion
- Diversity
- Fund development
- Community-impact/evaluation
- Ongoing learning
- Communication skills (e.g., active listening, ability to offer and accept criticism)
Management Related
- Organizational structure
- Decision-making systems
- Roles and responsibilities clarity
- Internal/external communications clarity
- Ethics, policies and behavior/action parameters
- Financial management and operations
- Human resource management and training
- Volunteer management
- Technology and information systems
- Facility planning and management
- Fund raising
- Public relations/marketing
- Legal and regulatory issues
- Contracts management
- Public accountability systems/reporting
- Conducting meaningful, strategic meetings
Adaptive and Generative Capacities
- Individual, team and organizational quality of inquisitiveness “creating the better widget”
- Systems thinking
- Critical thinking and research
- Environmental scanning and mapping--external focus
- Diversity that leads to institutional change
- Network development skills (what this funding directly supports)
- Collaborative or community problem-solving
- Collaboration and/or coalition building
- Community outcomes (shared) versus individual organizational outcomes
- Capacity mapping as a part of organizational assessment
- Change management
- Strategic alliance and restructuring
- Ongoing leadership development (staff, constituent, community)
- Personal and group mastery and ongoing growth and development
The CBF learning objectives are to:
- Practice, learn from and contribute to research on the effectiveness of learning networks for:
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Building the capacity of nonprofits
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Building shared capacity of the participating groups to effect change at a level that individual organizations could not achieve alone
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Building a broader network of social change organizations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island interested in ongoing learning, skill-building and networking to build a body of knowledge that will sustain a movement for change
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Build skills in the area of group assessment and participatory evaluation
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Disseminate lessons learned from each round of funding to further capacity builders' own learning
Remember, TSNE is not a foundation. This funding is part of an overall TSNE strategy to build capacity that calls for a mix of direct support, training, one-on-one consulting and our own ongoing learning and dissemination of information to other capacity builders. The CBF reserves the right to fund those projects from which the most learning will also be leveraged for TSNE and the field as a whole.
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