Capacity Building Grant - Comprehensive Organizational Assessment & Reports (COAR) Grant Program

Capacity Building Grant - Comprehensive Organizational Assessment & Reports (COAR) Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Marillac Mission Fund
Amount: Up to US $12,000
Last Updated: March 26, 2026

Summary

The Capacity Building Grant - Comprehensive Organizational Assessment & Reports (COAR) Grant Program by the Marillac Mission Fund aims to enhance nonprofit infrastructure and leadership. This initiative supports organizationally-ready nonprofits by providing funding for core capacity building, fostering sustainable practices to better serve vulnerable populations in the St. Louis area. The program emphasizes organizational assessments to evaluate strengths and weaknesses, ultimately facilitating growth and positive change.

Overview

NOTE: Before applying, the nonprofit leadership staff and board should first discuss the organizational readiness for the assessment process, grant purpose, expectations and process and timing for requesting and implementing the capacity building project. The COAR applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year and grant decisions are made within six to eight weeks. Marillac Mission Fund What We Fund Marillac Mission Fund is a St. Louis-based charitable foundation that supports and partners in efforts to care for and encourage the wellbeing and dignity of people experiencing poverty through funding grants, community engagements, research, and advocacy. Our Grant Award Committee conducts environmental scans and literature reviews to affirm current focus areas and identify critical unmet issues in metro St. Louis. Focus Areas for Funding In support of our concern for persons experiencing poverty and vulnerability, we provide funding for projects in the following four focus areas, as well as Advocacy & Coalition-Building in those four focus areas: Older Adults Living IndependentlyImmigrants & RefugeesVeterans (only accepting applications from existing grantees)Human Trafficking PreventionAdvocacy & Coalition-Building Capacity Building Grant Funding core capacity building support for organizationally-ready nonprofits can lead to higher performing, more sustainable organizations that create greater program impact for those served, especially persons who are poor and vulnerable. The Marillac Mission Fund (MMF) believes that through their unique ability to care for, engage and empower people to be active on their own behalf, nonprofit organizations serve as catalysts for positive, substantive change in the conditions that improve the quality of life and empower individuals and communities to advocate for themselves. The Organizational Capacity Building Grant Program (CBG), is designed to provide support for improvements in key organizational functions within grantee organizations aligned with the MMF’s mission and focus areas. Comprehensive Organizational Assessment & Reports (COAR) Grant Program The goal of the COAR program is to strengthen nonprofit infrastructure and leadership. Nonprofit organizations grow and mature through a series of stages in their life cycle – from “simple” at start-up through a “moderately complex” growth stage and on to a “highly complex” organization. One type of capacity building is the organizational assessment. The organizational assessment provides a systematic analysis of the current state of the organization in its key capacity areas. The assessment can help nonprofit leadership and staff take an in-depth look at where the organization stands in its developmental journey and how it can improve its management and governance practices to sustain and grow its work in the future. Moving successfully through the lifestyle stages requires that organizations not only operate its programs well, but also continue to strengthen other aspects of infrastructure, from board and human resources to fundraising and planning. The assessment evaluates strengths as well as areas that need improvement. This work sets the stage for the board and staff to lead the organization to the next level of growth and development in the future. MMF approaches this work through a systems-theory, cultural equity lens. With the help of a specially trained cohort of consultants experienced in organizational development, the MMF Comprehensive Organizational Assessment & Report (COAR) grant program is available for agencies serving any one of the MMF focus areas. These are shorter (4-6 months) capacity building projects designed to jump start change.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Any applicant organization must:Have 501(c)(3) or other nonprofit status. Be located in the 15-county St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area in which we fund.Be willing to avoid participating in, contributing to, or promoting activities contrary to Catholic Church Moral Teachings.Follow MMF Outcome Indicators and Activities. Please see the MMF User's Guide for examples.Support one of the Fund's focus areas of Immigrants & Refugees, Older Adults Living Independently, Veterans (existing grantees only), Human Trafficking Prevention, or Advocacy & Coalition-Building (within one of four previous focus areas).Eligible nonprofit organizations must have been in operation for at least three years and have annual revenue of at least $75,000, excluding in-kind donations and services.We seek programs that respect and protect the dignity of each person, especially those that are experiencing poverty and vulnerability.

Ineligibility

What We Do Not Fund:As of May 2023, Marillac Mission Fund is no longer accepting applications from organizations only serving Monroe County, IL Major capital expenditures such as construction, acquisition or renovation of facilities, equipment or major technology Endowments, scholarships, or tuition Projects where the Foundation would be the principal source of support Grants to individuals, units of government or government agencies Annual appeals, membership drives, or fundraising campaigns Event sponsorships Partisan political advocacy or for lobbying purposes Programs or projects that result in duplication of services Organizations or projects that use grant funds to make grants to other organizations Projects that fall outside the ethical and religious directives of the Catholic Church (see Catholic Moral Teachings) Loans Operational emergency funds Research: academic, scientific and medicalExclusions:One-time events that do not build long-term capacity (such as fundraising events or conferences)