Since our inception, Allegany Franciscan Ministries has invested in the capacity of nonprofit organizations and their staff and leaders. Allegany believes that more just, equitable, and caring communities need strong, resilient nonprofit organizations. We also recognize that organizations led by, and supporting or providing services for, historically marginalized communities have been and are significantly under-resourced.
Allegany Franciscan Ministries defines organizational capacity building as the development of an organization’s core skills and capabilities to allow it to fulfill its mission more efficiently and effectively. Nonprofits and community organizations, and their staff and leaders, have diverse and evolving capacity needs, and no single static activity or resource will address them. Allegany has funded capacity-building organizations, collaboratives, specific projects, and cohort-based training, as well as directed funding to individual nonprofits through specific grant programs to support partners’ capacity-building needs. We have also designed and co-created specific capacity-building and leadership development initiatives.
In 2024, following a year of discernment and research that included convening focus groups of BIPOC leaders in the nonprofit sector, Allegany is launching a new strategic initiative to invest in organizations and their leaders. Our long-term goal for the nonprofit Capacity and Leadership Initiative is to support nonprofit and community organizations in Florida and their leaders to ensure they have the resources, opportunities, and capacity to thrive as they fulfill their missions.
This initiative will focus on leaders and organizations that reflect and serve Black, Indigenous, People of Color, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities through increasingly deliberate and coordinated capacity building and leadership efforts. It will utilize a DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) lens and will incorporate the financial, human, and social capital Allegany has available.
Some opportunities will be available across the state of Florida; others will be limited to the six counties historically served by Allegany Franciscan Ministries: Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Hillsborough, and Pinellas.
The Nonprofit Capacity & Leadership Initiative includes a variety of support programs for people at different levels of leadership, training opportunities, and convening.
We will continue to listen to partners and adapt our investments to meet their identified needs. Our mission, vision, and core values will guide our planning, establish the basis for evaluation, and facilitate continued critical reflection and long-term organizational learning
Yes, Allegany’s board and staff team considered our vision, mission, and values, working both to understand who we are and what we have accomplished, and to think about what community issues align the most with what matters to us and what we do best. Through this process, we identified and adopted Nonprofit Capacity & Leadership Initiative as a new strategic priority focus.
Yes, cohort opportunities are a part of our current offerings for nonprofit capacity-building which are aligned with our commitment to support the organizational health and resilience of the nonprofits serving our communities. We believe these opportunities will help address organizational concerns and help propel your organization to the next level. To learn more, see our Capacity Building Cohorts web page.
A report is required at the end of the grant period. For larger grant sizes or multi-year grants, the Organization may be required to complete one or more additional reports. Reports will either be a verbal report to be completed with the Allegany staff person overseeing the grant or a written report submitted through Allegany’s online grant portal. Reporting will include organizational updates, challenges encountered/lessons learned, and an accounting of grant funds. Reporting schedule information for your organization’s awarded grant can be found in Allegany’s online grant portal in your grant agreement.
Questions?
Contact Brittney Frazier with questions about our Nonprofit Capacity & Leadership Initiative.