Thursday, March 28, 2024

Apply for a Strategic Consulting Grant for nonprofits

Organizational Development Grant deadline March 31

Posted

WENATCHEE - The Community Foundation of NCW, Icicle Fund, and North Central Accountable Community of Health (NCACH) are partnering to offer 13 organizational development grants for NCW nonprofits in 2023 and 2024. These $5,000 grants are designed for local nonprofits to collaborate directly with a consultant of their choice on a project to strengthen the organization’s ability to fulfill its mission and build towards long-term organizational resiliency.

If you are planning to apply, we highly recommend registering for the virtual workshop “Getting Good Guidance: Working with a consultant on nonprofit organizational development and capacity building” on February 10, from 9-11:30 a.m. For more information and to register: https://cfncw.org/getting-good-guidance/.

Types of Support: Examples of eligible projects include:

• Strategic planning

• Board development strategy

• Funding strategy

• Strategic growth and scaling

• Merger, collaborations, or strategic alliance exploration

• Communications strategy development

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) strategy

• CEO/Executive Director succession planning

 

Grant Limitations: Examples of projects that are outside of the scope of this grant:

• Capital campaigns

• Feasibility studies

• Staff training

• Technology investment

• Consulting activities that have occurred or been planned prior to receiving grant

Allowable Expenses: Grant funds are intended to primarily cover consulting fees. Should consulting fees be less than $5,000 for the desired scope of work, funds may be used towards meeting costs (venue, food, etc.) and staff time to engage in the organizational development activities. Organizations may choose to expand the scope of work beyond the $5,000 grant with other funding sources. No partial grants will be awarded.

Board Commitment: Strategic consulting engagements will require a significant investment of time and energy for staff and board leadership, typically over a 3 to 6-month period. Applicants will need to submit a letter signed by the Board Chair to confirm the organization’s commitment and readiness to take on the project. Organizations undergoing major upheaval (e.g., key leadership turnover, significant under-staffing, financial issues) or whose current capacity is otherwise limited should consider waiting until the 2024 grant cycle to apply as this will increase the likelihood of a productive and impactful process and outcome.

Consultants: Applicants will list at least 2-3 consultants they plan to interview for their project in the application. We have included a Directory of Nonprofit Consultants in NCW as a resource. The directory includes examples of the consultant’s past local clients to serve as references so that organizations can explore who might be a suitable match for their project needs. Applicants can also choose to work with someone outside of NCW. For a directory of consultants in the Pacific Northwest, check out 501 Commons’ Nonprofit Resource Directory.

 

Eligibility and Requirements: Organizations must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving and located in Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, or Grant counties. Charitable nonprofits, serving and located in Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, or Grant counties, that do not meet this criterion, can be fiscally sponsored by an organization that does.

Organizations who were recipients of “Strategic Consulting for Nonprofit Success” in 2021 are not eligible to apply in 2023 but will be eligible again in 2024. Grantees chosen in 2023 will not be eligible to apply in 2024.

After grant decisions are announced on May 1, grantees will have until June 30 to secure their consultant. Grants will be paid when the consultant, scope of work, and project timeline are confirmed. If the deadline is not met, funds may be allocated to another applicant on the waiting list. Grantees will be required to participate in a reporting process after the close of the grant.

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