Capacity Building Grant

The Capacity Building Grant by the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana aims to enhance the operational capacity of nonprofits in Clark and Floyd counties. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 support initiatives like governance improvement, leadership development, and strategic planning. By fostering continuous improvement, this program ensures organizations can effectively serve their communities. Eligible organizations must be 501(c)(3) public charities in good standing. For more details, visit the official program summary.

Background
The Community Foundation of Southern Indiana’s Capacity Building Grants Program focuses on improving organizations’ operating capacity so that they may continue to provide their essential services to the community.
A capacity building grant is intended to allow an organization to highlight their vision and strategic planning efforts in order to grow and sustain their operations. Capacity building is not a one-time effort to improve short-term effectiveness, but rather a continuous improvement strategy toward the creation of a sustainable and effective organization.
The year-round program is intended to serve nonprofits in both Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana, with funding requests between $5,000 – $25,000 accepted quarterly.
Eligible Types of Projects:
Funding for specific activities or projects designed to strengthen an organization’s governance, leadership, technology, programmatic evaluation, and administrative capacity. Examples of such activities include, but are not limited to:

• Systems Assessment
• Assessment of management and governance systems
• Efficiency Evaluations
• Evaluation of program and/or service effectiveness
• Strategic Planning
• Organizational strategic planning
• Development
• Board and/or staff development
• Planning
• Fund development planning
• Succession Planning
• Organizational succession planning
• Tech Upgrades
• Upgrades to organizational technology
• Upgrading Systems
• Establish or upgrading a volunteer management system
• Communications
• External communication strategy planning

Note: In rare cases, physical infrastructure projects may be essential to building the capacity necessary for a sustainable business model. This might include upgrades required for licensing, certification, or a quality or service rating that opens up access to revenue streams essential to a sustainable business model.
For a complete list of program details, eligible projects, and restrictions, please click here.

Eligibility

Who Can Apply? Organizations that:Are a 501(c)(3) public charity in good standing with the IRS, or charitable projects that are fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) public charity in good standing with the IRS.Serve Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana.Have a request that will strengthen the organization’s efficiency, effectiveness, and/or sustainability.Organizations that have received grants through other CFSI competitive grant programs within the last 12 months are eligible to apply for this program so long as they are in good standing and compliant with their current grant agreement.