Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants: Implementation

The St. Croix Valley Foundation offers Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants to enhance the effectiveness of local nonprofits in Minnesota and Wisconsin. These grants provide up to $100,000 to support organizations in areas such as systems implementation, strategic planning, and professional development. By investing in capacity building, the foundation aims to strengthen the sustainability and resilience of nonprofits, enabling them to better meet community needs and foster long-term growth.

The St. Croix Valley Foundation serves six counties bordering the St. Croix River through local partnerships and place-based philanthropy. We serve:

• Minnesota: Chisago County, Washington County

Wisconsin: Burnett County, Pierce County, Polk County, St. Croix County
Partnered with local community affiliates led by volunteers who help guide grantmaking, grow local endowments, and connect donors to opportunities close to home.
Every day, nonprofits across the St. Croix Valley meet urgent community needs while balancing limited resources, growing demand, and constant change. The Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program was created to support you — with flexible funding for the people, plans, and systems that keep your organization strong.
​Whether you’re planning for the future, implementing new systems, or collaborating with partners to meet regional needs, these grants are designed to help you build strength for the long haul.
​Funded through the Nonprofit Stability Collaborative Fund, this program invests in the long-term health and sustainability of our region’s nonprofits — so together, we can build a stronger, more resilient Valley.
What We Fund
Capacity building is an investment in your organization’s ability to grow, sustain impact, and adapt—whether through refinement, expansion, collaboration, or even sunsetting—in service of your mission and the greater good. The Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant Program supports organizations at different stages of readiness through four distinct avenues of funding.
​Experiences – Learning and professional growth for nonprofit leaders and staff. Planning – Strategic assessments and planning to chart a path forward. Implementation – Putting a clear capacity-building plan into action.System-Wide Infrastructure – Shared tools and collaborations that strengthen the entire sector.
Impelementation- Putting a clear capacity-building plan into action
Examples: Launching a new CRM or financial system, upgrading operations, expanding fundraising or communications, implementing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) initiatives, temporary staff or consultants, professional services for organizational change.

Eligibility

Organizations must:
Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in existence for at least five years.Have a current IRS Form 990 on file.Be well-established and organized in a way that supports their mission and daily operations.Be located in SCVF’s six-county service area: Chisago and Washington (MN); Burnett, Polk, St. Croix, and Pierce (WI).

Ineligibility

Private foundationsGovernment entitiesSectarian religious programsFiscal sponsorshipsCapital projectsOrganizations headquartered outside the region seeking expansion