Revisions to Organizational Capacity Building Grants

 On October 22, 2008, the Rotary Charities Board adopted a new set of guidelines for organizational capacity building planning and multiple year grants. Planning grant applications are accepted at any time during the year. They are reviewed on a monthly basis by staff and the Board. The new requirements include:

Planning Grants for Organizational Capacity Building :

 Phase I: Board Training and Organizational Assessment

• Board training and an organizational assessment is a required first step in the planning grant process.

   

• The training and organizational assessment must be performed by NorthSky Nonprofit Network.

   

• The cost of Phase I is approximately $2,000, all of which can be covered by the planning grant.  Timing to complete Phase I is approximately 1-3 months.

   

 Phase II: Beginning to Address the Gaps

• The second phase of work is based on identified gaps in the organizational assessment and can be undertaken by a consultant of the organization’s choosing. Funding for Phase II will be provided by the balance of the Rotary Charities grant, the organization’s match, and other funding sources, if necessary.

   

• The completed benchmarks model and a proposal for Phase II must be submitted to Rotary Charities.  Review of the materials will be completed in one month. Timing to complete this phase is contingent upon the scope of work, consultant retained and staff/board availability.

   

• If the nonprofit does not pursue a multi-year organizational capacity building grant, a modified re-assessment will be administered one year after the grant.  Rotary Charities will fund the re-assessment.   

Please click here for a flow chart that illustrates the planning grant process.   

 Multi-Year Organizational Capacity Building :

•  Prior to applying for a multi-year organizational capacity building grant, the organization must have completed an organizational assessment by NorthSky Nonprofit Network . 

The rationale for revising the requirements for organizational capacity building grants comes from the experience we have gained in capacity building over the past five years of making grants.  By undergoing the organizational assessment and associated board training, nonprofits are much better positioned to prioritize their gaps and create a scope of work that directly addresses the highest priority issues.  By using a standardized tool, Rotary Charities will have consistent information and be able to understand the impact our investment has made.