Marillac Mission Fund: Capacity Building Grant - Standard Capacity Building Grant (CBG) Program

The Marillac Mission Fund provides funding for capacity building grants aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of nonprofits focused on vulnerable populations. Eligible organizations must have a history of receiving MMF funding and be located in the St. Louis area. Grants can support various improvement activities including strategic planning and resource development, with a maximum award of $25,000 per year. This program seeks to empower nonprofits to better serve their communities and advocate for those in need.

NOTE:
Before applying, the nonprofit leadership staff and board should first discuss the grant purpose, expectations and process for requesting capacity building support.
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
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.
The Standard CBG grants are intended to help nonprofits within the MMF focus areas make long-term improvements in their management, governance, or organizational capacity. Applications for capacity building activities could include:

• Strategic planning
• Financial assessment, planning & management, including cash flow, budget development, financial controls
• Evaluation assessment and planning
• Program Development
• Communications and marketing, including Website development, public relations, brand development, use of social media
• Resource development and fundraising
• Human resources, including professional development, succession planning, staffing structure, assessment, and retention
• Information systems management, including technology enhancements – not hardware
• Board development including assessment, recruitment, training, and structuring
• Restructuring and building relationships with other nonprofit organizations to strengthen service delivery, merge/closure, share resources, etc.
• Leadership development including executive coaching
• Funding

The CBG award limit is up to $25,000 for a one year grant period. This can be combined with a responsive grant application.

Eligibility

Eligible organizations must have received at least one year of MMF grant funding.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).We seek programs that respect and protect the dignity of each person, especially those that are experiencing poverty and vulnerability.The Standard CBG Program is intended to provide funding support for consultant fees and directly related costs, e.g., material resources, travel, overnight lodging that is essential to the project. Support can include training fees, information technology, staffing, and other costs directly related to capacity building activities.Maximum annual budget of $5 million or less.Minimum annual budget of $75,000 per year for the last three (3) years.

Ineligibility

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
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)
Operational emergency funds
Research: academic, scientific and medicalExamples of expenses that are not eligible for support under this program are as follows:    Engagement of consultant to implement programming related to the project
Lodging for Employees or Board Members
Software that is more than 15% of total amount requested.
Printing of general program-related materials, i.e., annual reports
Financial deficits
One-time events that do not build long-term capacity (such as fundraising events or conferences).