1-Year Targeted Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program

The Cape Cod Foundation's 1-Year Targeted Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program is designed to enhance the operational capabilities of nonprofit organizations on Cape Cod. Aiming to address post-COVID challenges, this highly competitive grant focuses on strengthening internal systems and fostering collaboration among nonprofits. By supporting projects that promote sustainability, diversity, and strategic development, the Foundation seeks to empower organizations to effectively fulfill their missions and respond to community needs.

NOTE:  The Foundation is pausing applications for our Capacity Building Grant Program in 2025. We plan to launch a revised Capacity Building Grant Program in 2026, which will be responsive to community needs, input from past grantees, and impact data.
Overview
The Cape Cod Foundation’s Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants are highly competitive. Our strategy includes awarding fewer, larger grants to increase community impact moving forward. It is not our intent to use discretionary funds as a continuous source of annual revenue for any one program or organization. This requires detailed grant proposals and comprehensive expert review. We have made every effort to design an application process that is transparent and efficient.
Targeted Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program Overview
Even the strongest nonprofit organizations on Cape Cod face challenges that make it difficult to strengthen and expand their ability to fulfill their missions. With the COVID-19 crisis, helping nonprofit organizations survive and thrive has never been more needed-- especially as the demand for their services has grown. 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, knowledge, operation, and management practices. The Foundation’s Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program will help grantees become more effective, farreaching, 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 workCollective 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
The Targeted Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program will support applicant project(s) such as, but not limited to:

• 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 partnershipsFinancial 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 endsStrategic collaboration, such as shared staffing models
Governance, policies, and procedures
Equipment, software, technology, or facilities enhancements to better realize organizational missionHuman resources, including efforts to promote staff retention and to promote staff/volunteer/board development needed to achieve capacity building project goals

Eligibility

Types of Organizations That May Apply:501(c)(3) public charitiesOrganizations serving a charitable purpose that have a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) public charityFaith-based organizations. We 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.We will only fund projects that exceed the school’s budgetOther government agencies with project-based proposals.There is no limit on operational expenses that you can include in your request. This includes equipment, staff expenses, overhead, administration, facilities, etc.

Ineligibility

The Cape Cod Foundation will generally not consider proposals to fund the following:Debt reductionProjects that will be completed prior to grant awardCapital campaignsEndowment buildingMonuments and memorials