{"id":23027,"date":"2025-01-13T14:32:33","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T22:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10053\/what-is-capacity-building-support\/"},"modified":"2025-05-23T13:14:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T20:14:20","slug":"what-is-capacity-building-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/what-is-capacity-building-support","title":{"rendered":"What Is Capacity-Building Support for Nonprofits?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:2%\" class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container explainer-heading gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-3 gb-3-col-equal\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-2 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column gb-is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/learning-center-icon-new.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23311\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/learning-center-icon-new.png 500w, https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/learning-center-icon-new-300x240.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column gb-is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"381\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/explainer-logo-for-detail-page.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23078\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/explainer-logo-for-detail-page.png 750w, https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/explainer-logo-for-detail-page-300x152.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column gb-is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\" style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<p><strong>Capacity<\/strong> refers to the resources and capabilities an organization needs to conduct its work effectively. <strong>Capacity-building support<\/strong> is given to help a nonprofit become more sustainable or expand its capacity to be more effective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This kind of support promotes a nonprofit\u2019s long-term sustainability and effectiveness. It can come in the form of grants, donations, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/what-are-in-kind-contributions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in-kind support<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Capacity-building support addresses nonprofits\u2019 needs such as infrastructure, tech, leadership development, communications, and strategic planning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why do nonprofits need capacity-building grants?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Staff burnout. A program that could greatly benefit a community \u2013 if only the community knew about it. Outdated technology that\u2019s slowing down service delivery. Too-small facilities. These are just a few of the challenges that can plague under-resourced nonprofits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a nonprofit is constantly fundraising and executing projects, it\u2019s hard to take a step back and assess what is needed to be most effective and to sustain operations over the long term\u2014and harder still to actually address those needs, unless there is support to do so. Capacity-building support is aimed at filling this gap, giving nonprofits the resources to learn, strategize, update their infrastructure, and grow so that they can fulfill their mission for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What does capacity-building support cover? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Capacity-building support covers things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strategic assessments to determine what the organization needs to be sustainable or to grow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A strategic planning process to guide the organization\u2019s next chapter or long-term growth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Investments in technology or facilities \u2013 such as up-to-date fundraising software or expanding the kitchen at a food bank.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leadership development and training.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organizational development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Board development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hiring coaches, facilitators, or trainers for staff professional development or to assess and improve organizational culture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Developing a strategic communications plan to spread the word about the nonprofit\u2019s good work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Networking and building relationships with other nonprofits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the difference between capacity-building support and general-operating support or project support?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/what-is-program-or-project-support\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/what-is-program-or-project-support\">Program or project grants<\/a> rarely cover the fundamentals needed to sustain and grow an organization. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/what-is-general-operating-support\">General-operating support<\/a> <em>can<\/em> be used to build a nonprofit\u2019s capacity. In fact, Community Wealth Partners\u2019 report on <a href=\"https:\/\/communitywealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Making-Capacity-Building-More-Equitable-Field-Guide.pdf\">making capacity building more equitable<\/a> argues that \u201cmultiyear, unrestricted grants <em>are<\/em> capacity-building grants.\u201d Their contention is, \u201cWhen you give organizations full power to decide how to spend the funds, they can invest in areas they know are priorities.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, when funds are already stretched thin, it\u2019s all too easy for long-term concerns to get back-burnered in the face of immediate needs. Dedicated capacity-building support can make a huge difference in enabling a nonprofit to invest in the equipment, training and planning that will allow it to effectively fulfill its mission now and in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What types of capacity-building support can nonprofits receive?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Capacity-building support can come in several forms: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As a <strong>grant<\/strong> or <strong>cash donation<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the form of a funder-organized convening or training for their grantee partners, such as a networking or professional development event for multiple grantees working in the same field.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support can also come in the form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/what-are-in-kind-contributions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>in-kind support<\/strong><\/a><strong>,<\/strong> such as an accountant offering pro-bono training to a nonprofit\u2019s finance team, or a donor who owns an office building sharing office space with the nonprofit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where can I find grants for capacity building? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sources of capacity-building support include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Existing funders.<\/strong> Longtime or especially dedicated funders of your organization are good prospects to approach for capacity-building grants. They know and value your organization\u2019s work, and chances are they would like to see the organization continue for the long haul and increase its impact over time. Communicate with dedicated funders about what your organization needs to survive and grow.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Funders that have nonprofit capacity-building programs.<\/strong> Some funders have dedicated initiatives to help nonprofits grow their capacity. These types of funders regularly fund nonprofits\u2019 strategic assessments, staff retreats, nonprofit convenings, and the like. For example, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-a\/archstone-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Archstone Foundation<\/a>, which has a mission to improve the health and well-being of adults 65 and older and their caregivers, makes <a href=\"https:\/\/archstone.org\/what-we-fund\/capacity-building\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">capacity-building grants<\/a> to help organizations work more efficiently and effectively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some<strong> community foundations<\/strong> offer capacity-building support in the form of educational events and trainings for staff at community nonprofits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How does a nonprofit determine what it needs to build capacity? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It takes time and effort to determine what an organization really needs to become sustainable or to scale up. Organizations can do this through internal evaluations or self-assessment, or can work with an outside consultant on a strategic evaluation or assessment. The Ford Foundation has created an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fordfoundation.org\/work\/our-grants\/building-institutions-and-networks\/organizational-mapping-tool\/a-few-frequently-asked-questions-regarding-the-omt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Organizational Mapping Tool<\/a> that can help nonprofits with self-assessment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nonprofit staff usually have a good idea of what the organization needs to sustain itself or to grow. Thoughtfully assessing this, and communicating about it to funders, requires some resources that an initial capacity-building grant can provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You might also want to check out:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/debate-multiyear-general-operating-support-vs-project-support\">Debate: GOS vs Project Support<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/what-is-general-operating-support\">What is general operating support?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/what-is-program-or-project-support\">What is program or project support?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/explainers\/what-is-multiyear-funding\">What is multiyear funding?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\">Staff burnout. Frequent turnover. Amazing programs that hardly anyone knows about. Outdated technology that\u2019s slowing down service delivery. These are just a few of the challenges that can plague under-resourced nonprofits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":true,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"content-sidebar","footnotes":""},"categories":[26779],"tags":[26780],"ppma_author":[32648],"class_list":{"0":"post-23027","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-explainers","7":"tag-ip-explainer","8":"author-ipstaff","9":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"IP Staff","author_link":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/author\/ipstaff"},"authors":[{"term_id":32648,"user_id":470,"is_guest":0,"slug":"ipstaff","display_name":"IP Staff","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"IP Staff","writer-profile":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","linkedin":"","instagram":"","twitter":"","facebook":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23027"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":213186,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23027\/revisions\/213186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23027"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=23027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}