The Cape Cod Foundation is currently accepting applications for its 1 Year Targeted Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program to support strong Cape Cod nonprofits that are at a point of critical change or growth.
Donor Name: The Cape Cod Foundation
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/13/2023
Size of the Grant: $15,000-$25,000
Details:
The Cape Cod Foundation’s Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants are highly competitive. Their strategy includes awarding fewer, larger grants to increase community impact moving forward. It is not their intent to use discretionary funds as a continuous source of annual revenue for any one program or organization. The Foundation has an obligation to be good stewards of its resources, so they work hard to ensure that they make fair and appropriate decisions. This requires detailed grant proposals and comprehensive expert review. They have made every effort to design an application process that is transparent and efficient.
The Cape Cod Foundation aims to support nonprofit organizations by working in partnership with them to enhance their internal infrastructures through the Targeted Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program. The Cape Cod Foundation defines nonprofit capacity building as: intentional efforts to increase organizational ability to effectively fulfill its mission and build long-term sustainability, through strengthening an organizations’ core systems, skills, resources, and knowledge, operation, and management practices. The Foundation’s Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program will help grantees become more effective, far-reaching, and efficient in the fulfillment of their missions through the following types of impact:
- Organizational Impact: Organizations will experience a measurable increase in knowledge, resilience, skills, and systems to expand and sustain the impact of their mission-based work
- Collective Impact: Organizations will experience a measurable increase in the depth, trust, and quantity of strategic relationships between themselves and other Cape Cod nonprofits to strengthen their individual and collective ability to collaboratively address issues impacting residents of Cape Cod
Targeted Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants are typically $15,000 to $25,00 and will support:
- Equipment, software, trainings, consulting, and/or staff expenses that are essential to the implementation of a grantee’s capacity building project(s). Applicants may work with any consultant of their choosing. Executive Director and/or designated representative(s) participation in peer learning network meetings with a cohort of other grantees via attendance at the following meetings below. The peer learning network aims to increase relationships, collaboration, and knowledge sharing among organizations:
- 1.5-hour grantee award launch meeting
- 1 hour mixer between 2023 Targeted Capacity Building Grantees and Targeted Capacity Building Grant Program alumni
- 2-hour peer learning network meetings hosted on a rotational basis at grantee sites when possible
- optional 30 minute tours of grantee sites, immediately before or after the peer learning meeting
- The total estimated time commitment per Executive Director and/or designated representative(s) to participate in peer learning meetings, including optional grantee site tours is 14.5 hours and excluding optional grantee sites tours is 12.5 hours. Applicants are welcome to build in staff participation time as a line item expense for your project budget.
- Executive Director and/or designated representative(s) participation in activities to support The Cape Cod Foundation to evaluate the impact of the program. This will include, but is not limited to: pre/post surveys, an annual report, and/or virtual or phone check-in(s).
Eligible Projects
- Implementation of goals within an already developed strategic plan
- Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives with a preference for those that involve collaboration with other nonprofits and/or cross sector partnerships
- Financial sustainability and strategic development, including diversification of revenue streams and reimagining fundraising activities (note: funds cannot be used specifically for implementing fundraisers)
- Streamlining processes through workflow improvements
- Staff expansion for organizational growth with a clear plan for sustainability of position after funding ends
- Strategic collaboration, such as shared staffing models
- Advocacy initiatives
- External communication strategies
- Governance, policies, and procedures
- Equipment, software, technology, or facilities enhancements to better realize organizational mission
- Human resources, including efforts to promote staff retention and to promote staff/volunteer/board development needed to achieve capacity building project goals.
Eligibility Criteria
- 501(c) (3) public charities
- Organizations serving a charitable purpose that have a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) public charity
- Faith-based organizations. They will consider proposals if:
- Services benefit all, regardless of religion;
- Services provided are not religious in nature; and
- There is no proselytizing associated with the service.
- Civic organizations. Proposals must be project-based and of a charitable nature; the organization must have a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization.
- Public and private schools. They will only fund projects that exceed the school’s budget; applicant must have a letter of support from the fiscal head of the school.
- Other government agencies with project-based proposals. Applicants must have a letter of support from the fiscal head of the agency.
For more information, visit Cape Cod Foundation.
