In 2024, approximately 60 Riverside and San Bernardino counties nonprofits participated in IEHP Foundation’s inaugural Collaborative Capacity Building Grants program, including a 10-course business management training for nonprofit leaders and a $5,000 general operating support grant.  

Based on feedback from hundreds of nonprofit leaders through dozens of community listening sessions, IEHP Foundation launched the Collaborative Capacity Building Grant in May 2024 with the first cohort of 29 San Bernardino County nonprofits. Due to the initial cohort’s success, the Foundation provided the opportunity to 30 Riverside County nonprofits in July 2024. 

The program was designed to strengthen organizations’ business operations and infrastructure, ultimately leading to greater sustainability and increased capacity to expand their services and advance health equity in their communities. This was a unique opportunity for nonprofits with an annual budget of less than $500,000 to receive free business training and a $5,000 grant for building up infrastructure such as professional services, software, equipment and other general operating and non-programmatic expenses.   

While participants appreciated the funding, the opportunity to learn from experts in the field and connect with other nonprofit leaders offered even more value.  

“Bigger than the money was the information,” said Cory Hollaman, executive director of 2020 Vision Youth, which received one of the spring 2024 grants. “We were able to network, gain information from the classes and apply this new knowledge to our organization and board.”  

When Felicia Guzman, founder and executive director of Adrian’s World, a nonprofit dedicated to helping children with special needs, discovered she was accepted to the program, she shed tears of joy. “It wasn’t about the money, said Guzman. “It was the idea of someone believing in us.” 

The 10-course program led by our partners at Caravanserai Project covered a wide range of topics, including financial management, technology and monitoring and evaluation; however, some group favorites included budgeting best practices, board development and succession planning.

Ashley Hill, Founder and Executive Director of Magdalena’s Daughters, a sex trafficking prevention nonprofit, found the succession planning course to be insightful and helpful in thinking about the organization’s sustainability. 

“I don’t plan on leaving or retiring anytime soon,” said Hill. “But it is still important to have that succession plan because of the impact and continued legacy of Magdalena’s Daughters, and that’s extremely important to me. It’s something I am going to implement right away.”  

The program’s goal was for the leaders to improve their overall business management knowledge to strengthen the infrastructure and operations of their organization and serve their communities better. The biggest gains in knowledge for both cohorts were in succession planning, compliance/risk management, board development and customer service.  

All participants indicated that they learned information to help them lead their organization more effectively, and many had already implemented the knowledge they had gained.  

At CCS Education and Wellness, they followed the advice offered in the financial management classes and used their funds to hire a bookkeeper and invest in software.  

“We are also working to grow our board and find individuals with experience in grant writing to help with applying for and receiving more grants.”  Chief Operating & Finance Officer Sherry Shockey-Pope of CCS Education and Wellness. 

The grants greatly impacted many organizations, which rarely receive general operating support. The funds were primarily used for direct program support, staff training and development, marketing, communications, and technology. Coupled with the training and the funding, some organizations utilized the grants towards innovative leadership development. 

We Are One United, a youth development nonprofit based in Palm Springs, invested in communication training to enhance their team’s storytelling and public speaking skills. 

“These experiences have greatly improved their communication skills, allowing them to more confidently share our organization’s story and outcomes, positively impacting donor relations and community engagement,” said executive director Quana Hall-Beverly. 

The Seed Program, which provides on-campus support for foster youth, greatly appreciated the flexibility of the unrestricted grants to be used towards key infrastructure such as computers.  

“Unlike most grants, it wasn’t tied to a specific program, which gave us flexibility in allocating the funds where they were most needed, said Marylou Posadas, Seed Program cofounder. “Thanks to this grant, we were able to purchase the necessary equipment for our organization, which, in the long run, will help us establish our ​operations and infrastructure ​moving forward.” 

Participating organizations included a mix of founder-led nonprofits with strong community ties and newer organizations starting from the ground up. Many leaders were extremely thankful for the opportunity to receive no-cost business training, often seen as a luxury for many nonprofits.  

“The most valuable part of this grant process was the opportunity to learn,” shared Yolanda Roberts, founder and executive director of A Daughter’s Voice Ministries, a women empowerment organization based in the High Desert. “The opportunity to learn how to organize, plan, and execute the process helped me tremendously. We are putting things in place on the board and in the organization that I did not know we needed.” 

However, the most essential aspect for many was connecting and learning from fellow nonprofit leaders to improve their collaboration and serve the region better collectively.   

Data collected from participants indicated they feel more connected to other nonprofit leaders in the Inland Empire and are more familiar with the nonprofit work across the region after completing the program.  

“What I found most beneficial was learning best practices from nonprofit and organizational leaders, said Joe Anzora, senior program coordinator for Riverside Medical Clinic Charitable Foundation. “While also building a sense of community among other local nonprofit organizations in the region.”   

Due to the cohorts’ success in 2024, IEHP Foundation will provide the Collaborative Capacity Building Grant for 25 organizations in 2025. Applications will open on January 17. Make sure you are signed up for IEHP Foundation’s email list to receive the latest updates and grant opportunities.