To enhance the management and governance capacity among organizations working to involve underrepresented Californians in public policy decision making.
One of the four core principles guiding Irvine’s grantmaking is investing in organizations to help them better fulfill their missions. The Foundation seeks to provide grantees with the time and resources necessary to improve the capacity and effectiveness of their organizations through strategic planning, evaluation and board and staff development.
Investing in Grantees
In this vein, Irvine launched the Strengthening Organizations to Mobilize Californians initiative. Community-based organizations often devote so much of their time and energy to accomplishing their mission that they under-invest in building their own organizational capacity. The initiative helped these organizations identify priorities, options and resources for capacity building that was tailored to their particular needs.
In 2007, Irvine launched the initiative with $1.7 million in funding and named TCC Group as the initiative’s manager. Participating grantees completed the Core Capacities Assessment Tool, or CCAT, which provided valuable information about each organization's strengths and areas for development. Based on the CCAT findings and input from participants, TCC Group designed a series of capacity-building and networking opportunities. Initiative activities included regional trainings, peer exchanges, an annual convening and a website with related resources.
Foundation Partners
During the development of the initiative, Irvine grantees expressed an interest in connecting with and learning from a broad set of peer organizations. In response, Irvine reached out to other foundations supporting similar work to invite their grantees to participate in peer exchanges and meetings. The initiative included grantees of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
This initiative also made available funds for six grantees that demonstrated readiness for and an interest in engaging in a deeper and more individualized capacity-building effort. In 2007, Irvine provided three-year grants, ranging from $75,000 to $150,000, to the six organizations listed below. The initiative concluded in 2010.
Lessons Learned
A comprehensive assessment was conducted by TCC Group based on surveys of the participating organizations, focus groups with executive directors and senior staff, and conversations with the funders. The findings are summarized in the following report: Strengthening Organizations to Mobilize Californians: Lessons Learned from a Major Initiative to Build the Capacity of Civic Engagement Nonprofits.
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