Sunflower Foundation is pleased to announce the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for its 2023 Capacity Building Grant Program: Strengthening Our Sector: Stronger Nonprofits for a Healthier Kansas.
Nonprofit organizations are vital to improving the health of a community, but many do not have access to the funding streams required to sustain their work. The foundation has long recognized the importance of helping these organizations build their capacity so they can, in turn, help more Kansans.
Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the foundation has provided nearly $12 million in direct funding to support the critical capacity needs of more than 330 nonprofit organizations across the state. With the release of this latest RFP, the foundation is once again showing its commitment to helping build the organizational capacities of nonprofits that are focused on improving individual and community health across Kansas.
“Capacity building is not just an investment in a nonprofit’s ability to effectively deliver on its mission now and in the future, it’s also an investment in the health of a community,” said Billie Hall, President and CEO of Sunflower Foundation.
The goal of the funding initiative is to augment the capacity of eligible nonprofit organizations, allowing them to more routinely meet their goals, build and sustain their day-to-day operations, mobilize partners, enhance systems, secure resources, grow influence and increase their visibility to better serve their clients and communities. The foundation hopes to increase its reach across Kansas and expand beyond the organizations that typically receive funds through its core program areas.
Nonprofit organizations whose primary focus is improving individual or community health – or the social, structural and economic drivers that contribute to health outcomes – are eligible to apply. The grants are intended for organizations working in collaboration with cross-sector partners to serve critical health or social issues and address community challenges to enhance local systems of care.
Up to $25,000 per applicant is available, based on the applicant’s proposed plan to deploy funds. While recipients will have flexibility as to how they choose to invest the funds they receive, grant deliverables will be linked to proposed structural improvements within their organizations. These improvements could include:
- Enhancing business functions (accounting, bookkeeping, data management, etc.);
- Amplifying communications (website design, social media, brochures, etc.)
- Diversifying revenue streams (developing targeted plans for fundraising and donor development);
- Increasing capacity for grant writing/grant management;
- Strengthening leadership and team culture and enhancing staff/volunteer recruitment and retention;
- Supporting board and staff development;
- Strengthening advocacy/public policy skills;
- Building and sustaining day-to-day operations.
Priority will be given to applicants that:
- Effectively demonstrate they are meeting a need that is critical to individual or community health in a place where few or no other organizations are addressing this need;
- Have been historically overlooked by other grant opportunities due to lack of capacity and/or reduced access to resources or connections;
- Consistently face limited options for long-term revenue streams because the services they deliver, while critical, do not fit into a service-fee model or similar method for routine reimbursement;
- Do not currently have significant resources, endowments or other assets; and
- Agree to be participate in a Sunflower-supported learning collaborative(s) focused on capacity building.
To be eligible, organizations must meet the following criteria:
- Be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code;
- Be an instrumentality of state or local government, provided Sunflower Foundation support will not supplant work that would be considered core responsibilities of a government agency/organization; and
- Embrace diversity and inclusion across multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, and socio-economic status.
Sunflower Foundation grants can support only services provided in Kansas or for Kansans. If an organization is based in or provides services in another state, prorated support of the proposed work will be considered if documentation is provided to verify the percentage of services provided in Kansas or for Kansans.
See the full Capacity Building RFP to learn more.
Applications must be submitted online in Sunflower Foundation’s grant management portal. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. CST, Oct. 19. Funding announcements are anticipated on or before Dec. 22