The Cape Cod Foundation recently awarded $200,296 to nine local nonprofit organizations to support capacity-building initiatives. The grants will support technology upgrades, new educational programming, hybrid delivery programs, facility and staff expansion, and strategic planning and development initiatives.
“Our ultimate goal is to help nonprofit organizations reach the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational maturity,” said Kristin O’Malley, president and CEO of The Cape Cod Foundation. “The stronger these organizations are, the better they can serve and enhance our community.”
O’Malley said the foundation has a pool of flexible discretionary resources to invest back into the community each year. In addition, funds raised through The Cape Cod Foundation’s Strategic Emergency Response Fund throughout the pandemic have been targeted for both immediate needs and rebuild and recovery efforts, increasing available resources for this round of grants.
To heighten impact, the foundation reimagined its grantmaking programs in 2020 and opened this new Targeted Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant program to nonprofit applicants in the spring.
“We made two critical changes in the program,” O’Malley added. “We’ve increased the amount awarded to each recipient to increase impact. We’ve also introduced a peer-learning component to bring unrelated organizations together to learn from each other and problem-solve collectively.”
O’Malley said the foundation funds all areas of community life, and the nonprofits who received grants this round serve the community in different ways.
The recipients are:
Cape Cod Art Center, $18,000
For facility expansion and enhancements to increase access and serve a greater number of diverse students, particularly individuals with disabilities
Cape Cod Children’s Place, Inc., $18,000
To launch its “Creating a Culture of Resilience” initiative, a regional, multisector, multi-year educational initiative to improve the mental health and wellness of children who have been impacted by trauma.
Cape Cod Museum of Art, $21,316
To catalogue, digitize, and protect its permanent collection to increase educational programming and fundraising potential
Housing Assistance Corporation, $25,000
To support an agency-wide case management systems and software assessment to create a holistic, comprehensive case management model
Love Live Local, Inc., $25,000
To foster strategic program and development growth through staff expansion and revenue development planning
Twenty Summers, $25,000
For strategic revenue development and board expansion efforts
WE CAN Corporation, $24,680
To build a strong, accessible, and scalable hybrid program delivery system
Wellfleet Preservation Hall, $18,300
To increase efficiency through software and hardware upgrades to allow more focus on programming
Wellstrong, Inc., $25,000
For staff expansion to increase services, revenue, evaluation, and impact
Those interested in learning more about or donating to the foundation’s Strategic Emergency Response Fund can visit capecodfoundation.org. More grants are planned throughout 2021.
