Capacity Building and Community Engagement Grant Program

Funder: California Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation

The Capacity Building and Community Engagement Grant Program aims to empower community-based organizations (CBOs) through enhanced training and support. By fostering a collaborative network, the program seeks to equip CBOs with the skills and resources necessary for effective engagement with state initiatives and addressing community challenges. This initiative focuses on serving hard-to-reach populations and strengthening local capacities, ultimately providing pathways for relief and resilience in vulnerable communities.

Purpose:
OCPSC seeks an awardee responsible for building a network of CBOs and a program that can enhance their capacity building training to enable organizations to be better equipped for engagement with the state and future challenges their communities may encounter.
Description:
The Capacity Building and Community Engagement (CBCE) Grant Program is designed to build strengthening capacity for CBOs. It will result in a network of funded partners who can support local, community-based organizations to thrive in an environment characterized by change and uncertainty. The Awardee for this RFA will be responsible for building a network of CBOs and a program that can enhance their capacity building training to enable organizations to be better equipped for engagement with the state and future challenges their communities may encounter.
As part of this grant program, the awardee will
Develop a local and/or collaborative network of community-based organizations and other entities, and Strengthen the capacity of CBOs and provide them with technical assistance on effective response to state programs.
Activities of the program may include the ability to form collaborative networks, leverage resources, and strengthen organizational capacity. These CBOs will also tie their work back to OCPSC’s ongoing priorities including:
Hard-to-reach, vulnerable communities and people otherwise missed by larger community- based efforts will be served by “trusted messengers”. OCPSC learned during Census 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic that, when funded, small CBOs can effectively conduct awareness and outreach.The activities and shared learning opportunities with this grant’s support will strengthen local capacity and relational connection between all partners, providing pathways for relief to impacted communities.OCPSC will learn and engage with communities regarding their unique community resilience for current and future priority issue areas.