Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund Grant

The Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund Grant aims to enhance the capacity of community-based organizations led by people of color in New York City. Established with $2.5 million from the City Council, this fund supports organizations to address critical needs through various capacity-building projects. Eligible organizations can apply for funding ranging from $35,000 to $45,000 based on their budget size, with a focus on sustainable development and community engagement.

BACKGROUND
In 2014, the Hispanic Federation (HF), Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), New York Urban League (NYUL), and Asian American Federation (AAF) formed an alliance to provide capacity-building support to Black, Latino, and Asian-led community-based organizations (CBOs) throughout New York City’s five boroughs. These four organizations, along with the Black Agency Executives, developed this initiative to generate new levels of support for the city’s organizations. As a result, the New York City Council allocated $2.5 million to establish the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund (CCNSF). This initiative has supported 600 capacity-building projects for nonprofit organizations to date. Thanks to continued support from the New York City Council, we are pleased to announce the release of the Request for Applications (RFA) for a tenth round of awards.
The first New York City Council fund of its kind, CCNSF aims to build the capacity of New York City nonprofits in recognition of the fact that organizations led by people of the community are best equipped to meet the needs of the community. CCNSF is also intended to promote learning among CBO leaders.
Applications will be reviewed, and awards will be determined by the partner agencies in three separate funding streams, whose allocations were determined by U.S. Census data. An organization may apply to only ONE partner agency, even if it serves more than one ethnic group.
Awarded organizations will be required to participate in a minimum of three technical assistance seminars on the subject of organizational development and may be visited by CCNSF staff and/or Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) staff for project monitoring, to showcase progress, and for delivery of additional technical assistance.
ELIGIBLE PROJECTS
The purpose of the CCNSF capacity-building program is to help organizations identify and address their most pressing organizational needs. Organizations can apply for funding in one of seven areas. Organizations MAY NOT apply for a project under an area that they previously were funded for through CCNSF:
Management information systems design and development - This includes securing and/or designing software and building related staff skills necessary for managing work more effectively (e.g., tracking client demographic data, service utilization, and progress toward outcomes).Financial management and planning - This includes assessment, planning, and development of financial systems, as well as staff skill-building to improve reporting systems and enable organizations to identify the most cost-effective services.Evaluation and outcomes system development - This includes efforts to implement systems to keep information related to client needs, referral sources, and services provided; implement systems to measure and/or service recipient satisfaction and/or service recipient outcomes; develop programmatic success measures; and develop evaluation capacity.Leadership development - This includes leadership succession planning; creation and implementation of volunteer management/recruitment plan; management/leadership training for staff; training for board of directors; and creation of board policies.New program planning and development - This includes conducting a needs assessment of community needs and assets, planning of new programs through research on effective practices, and staff development in support of the new initiativesStrategy and organizational development - This includes efforts to create a staff performance review process; a strategic or operational/annual plan; a communications or marketing plan; and a fundraising or donor development plan.Collaboration and strategic alliances - This includes efforts to establish partnership agreements, create action plans to collaborate with other agencies, and develop a plan for organizational mergers.
TOTAL AWARDS
Under this RFA, CCNSF will make awards of up to $35,000 for organizations with organizational budgets between $150,000 to $500,000 and awards of up to $45,000 for organizations with budgets that are $500,001 to $3.5 million. Community-based organizations with budgets over $3.5 million are NOT eligible to apply. Funding during one year of the program will not guarantee funding in subsequent years. However, successful implementation of a CCNSF grant may contribute to favorable consideration for renewed funding. In the event that additional funding becomes available, organizations will have to re-apply with a new project and proposal.

Eligibility

Registration in PASSPort and HHS Accelerator is mandatory, and for those who are not enrolled in PASSPort and/or pre-qualified in HHS Accelerator, please complete both prior to applying.Have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and a history of at least two years as an incorporated nonprofit, including faith-based institutions.Be current in registration with the Charities Bureau of the New York State Office of the Attorney General.Be a New York City-based, direct social service organization that serves primarily (75%+) New York City residents (i.e., not an association or a re-granting or referral service).Have experience serving and currently serve communities where 51% or more of the population are people of color.Have a demonstrated record of outreach to communities of color for recruitment of the executive director or CEO and members of the board of directors.Have an operating budget of at least $150,000 and a maximum of $3.5 million. Have demonstrated commitment to equal employment opportunities.Have demonstrated commitment and capacity to deliver culturally competent services.

Ineligibility

Organizations that utilize fiscal sponsors/conduits are not eligible. Organizations with budgets OVER $3.5 million will NOT be eligible.