Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative Grant - Sustained Collaboration Fund- Exploratory Grant

The Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative Grant supports organizations in Los Angeles County through the Sustained Collaboration Fund, aimed at fostering strategic partnerships. This exploratory grant allows nonprofits to engage in structured discussions for potential collaborations, enhancing their capacity and sustainability. With funding ranging from $20,000 to $40,000, organizations can hire consultants to facilitate these discussions, ensuring informed decisions that align with their mission and benefit the community.

NOTE: The NSI's sustained collaboration grants are open year-round (rolling deadline). We request organizations connect with one of our Directors to confirm eligibility and receive access to our application.
Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative Overview
The Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative (NSI) is an LA-based fund that invests in nonprofit resiliency during moments of organizational transformation. The NSI is supported by 20 different foundations, including the California Community Foundation.
Partnerships bring new vitality to an organization. They create opportunities which can help build capacity to sustain your mission and scale your vision. Nonprofit leaders are often tasked with achieving organizational sustainability, but what if we were to relieve them of that burden and instead focus on mission sustainability? This reframing may be the difference between the status quo and innovation. This is the power of partnership and the power of navigating moments of great organizational change from a position of strength and strategic vision.
The NSI helps nonprofits based in Los Angeles County explore and implement formal partnerships leading to greater organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Known as strategic restructuring (SR), these partnerships typically culminate in agreements to combine some (or all) aspects of the organization, ranging from jointly managed programs and back-office consolidations to shared ventures or full-scale mergers. The goal of the NSI is to normalize strategic restructuring by establishing an environment where service providers, funders, and consultants understand and regularly engage in the activity as a strategy for enhancing impact.
Funding
Exploratory Grants typically range between $20,000 – $40,000. The funds are designated towards the cost of engaging third-party consultants to support a thoughtful exploratory process.

Eligibility

To be eligible for NSI funding, the lead applicant organization must be based in and/or primarily serving Los Angeles County. Your selected consultant must have previous experience in facilitating strategic restructuring negotiations.You are not required to use a consultant from the NSI consultant roster, but it is intended to serve as a resource for those seeking an experienced facilitator.