Back to grant types Capacity Building grants Capacity Building grants are designed to strengthen the organizational capacity of 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity organizations by fostering sound leadership, strong boards, professional development for staff, technology, evaluation, strategic planning, communications, and sustainability. Capacity Building grantees2024 grantees Back to top ^ Priorities & focus Grantmaking FAQs Sponsorships Awards Capacity Building Grants Funding amount: $100,000 – $250,000 Funds disbursed: starting Dec. 13, 2024 | Application opens: twice annually Download application preview – for reference only [PDF] > What are Capacity Building grants? Capacity Building grants are designed to strengthen the organizational capacity of nonprofits by fostering sound leadership, strong boards, professional development for staff, technology, evaluation, strategic planning, communications, and sustainability. Rather than funding a charity’s specific program or singular service, Capacity Building grants look for opportunities to support an organization’s focus on internal effectiveness and long-term stability. These one-time, short-term grants will be awarded to charities that demonstrate a specific capacity gap and who are aligned with our strategic priorities and focus areas. Beginning in 2025, applications are open twice each year. Learn more about our grants cycle > Capacity Building grant examples The following list provides examples of broad categories and specific organizational needs that may be eligible for Capacity Building grants. This list is not meant to be exhaustive and additional capacity needs may qualify for these funds. Board governance & leadership development Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training Equity audits and assessments for Board, leadership and staff Orientation and training development Organizational structure and succession planning design Performance management and coaching Recruitment and pipeline development Sabbatical for executive leader* Succession planning and staff pipeline Workplace training and skill building *Sabbatical requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Organizations would generally need to have a sabbatical policy in place. Collaboration development Cooperative mission alignment assessment Facilitated co-creation amongst partners Strategic partnership and coalition development Communications & marketing Branding, collateral development, and web redesign Strategic communications development, including target audience analysis Data & evaluation Building case studies, reports, and lessons learned Streamlining internal audit controls Structuring data sets Financial planning & fundraising Budget assessments and feasibility study execution Fundraising strategy development Revenue pipeline planning Short-term and long-term financial forecasting Human resource planning Culture and internal strengths and weaknesses evaluation Human resources policies, process, and infrastructure assessment Job classifications and compensation structures analysis Information technology planning & digital security Audit of technology needs Cybersecurity safeguard training Database design Equipment and technology upgrades Operating systems Human resources, finance, or grant management software purchase and/or implementation Infrastructure development Legal compliance development Material items, leasing space, and transportation purchasing Strategic planning Community landscape and stakeholder needs assessment Plan implementation Capacity Building grantees The first round of Capacity Building grantees has been selected. Read the announcement on Currents or visit the grantee page to learn more about the organizations receiving funding and the work that will be supported.