Capacity Building Initiative Requests for Proposals

The John Rex Endowment is focused on helping organizations meet the health and well-being needs of children and youth in Wake County. We have created the Capacity Building Initiative (CBI) because we believe this internal organizational work is critical to help build the strength and resilience of our local nonprofit sector so that the children and youth of our community have the quality services and support they need to thrive.

It is our hope that nonprofits working for the benefit of children and youth in Wake County will take advantage of these resources to make important infrastructure and strategic improvements. CBI proposals will be accepted during all three funding cycles: the Summer Award Cycle, the Fall Award Cycle, and the Winter Award Cycle. Deadlines for notification of intent to apply or letters of intent (see RFPs for specific instructions) are the 2nd Tuesday in February, June, and October.
 
Three types of support are available through the CBI. 

1.  Organizational Assessment grants allow organizations to undergo an assessment of current capacities and for board and staff to reach a shared understanding of the organization’s strengths and challenges.  

2.  Capacity Building grants provide funding for organizations to plan for or implement strategies identified through a completed organizational assessment process for the purpose of increasing their effectiveness and sustainability. Organizations must have completed a comprehensive organizational assessment that meets John Rex Endowment requirements to apply for a Capacity Building grant. Organizations that have not been awarded a John Rex Endowment organizational assessment grant should use the eligibility checklist to determine whether you can apply for a capacity building grant.  

Here are some example ways you might think about capacity building and how it can help your organization navigate the road ahead:

  • Shared Leadership – Leadership change is inevitable and it is particularly important to be prepared as organizations are called to operate most efficiently and effectively during tight economic times. A shared leadership model helps reduce the burden on a single executive by creating organizational structures and processes that support sharing of information, responsibility and accountability.
  • Financial Sustainability – The ability of an organization to maintain its financial capacity over the long term can be improved by thoughtful short and long-range planning. It isn’t just about getting money—it is about strategically identifying what resources are available and needed to sustain the work that needs to be done.

3.  Strategic Restructuring assessment/planning grants support two or more organizations assessing the feasibility of and implementation needs for alliances or integrations, such as consolidated administrative functions, shared staff positions, or mergers.  
 
Working with Consultants

The John Rex Endowment values the contributions consultants can make to the capacity building work of organizations. Our document ‘Working with Consultants’ details our requirements for selecting a consultant as well as resources that can assist organizations in developing an effective working relationship with consultants.

The John Rex Endowment does not screen consultants and will not make any specific endorsements or recommendations.

That said, the John Rex Endowment has created a directory that includes area consultants that provide services to nonprofit agencies. Consultants were identified through agency contacts and public listings and invited to be listed in this directory. Only consultants who provided authorization are included here; further, we recognize that we may not have identified all consultants providing services in the area. Thus, this directory is not a complete list. Information presented has not been screened for accuracy.

To be added to this directory, to recommend a consultant to be included in this directory, to edit your directory listing or any other questions should be directed to Kate Shirah (kate@rexendowment.org).