IEHP Foundation recently celebrated the second cohort of the Collaborative Capacity Building Grant. The program brought together 30 nonprofit organizations from across Riverside County, focusing on a wide range of social determinants of health, such as education, behavioral and mental health, food insecurity, addiction and rehabilitation services, senior and disability advocacy, and more.

The Riverside County-based nonprofit leaders completed a 10-course online business operations program to strengthen community-based organizations’ (CBOs) business operations and infrastructure to expand services and reach in their communities. Our partner, Caravanserai Project, designed the courses and provided small group personalized coaching sessions. Caravanserai Project once again provided these services in-kind through previously secured funding sources.

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 program’s success, the Foundation provided the opportunity to Riverside County nonprofits and CBOs. 

Fostering Belonging & Collaboration

After five weeks of virtual meetings via Zoom, the nonprofit leaders and program facilitators finally had the opportunity to meet face-to-face for the first time. During the graduation celebration, it became evident just how essential it is for leaders to connect in person and build relationships with each other to collectively ignite change throughout the region.

Sabrina Gonzalez, Executive Director of the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California, shared that she gained new knowledge and insight from the classes and facilitators, especially around financial literacy. However, the most meaningful connection was the interaction with the other leaders.

“While I knew a few in the cohort, it’s been great meeting so many other leaders from different organizations, said Gonzalez. “We are finding how to keep supporting and finding space for each other.”

The Importance of Investing in Capacity Building

IEHP Foundation Board Member and Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Geoffrey Leung addressed the participants and shared that strengthening the infrastructure of local nonprofits is crucial to the Foundation’s goal of advancing Vibrant Health throughout the region because of the critical role nonprofits serve in their communities.

“Our work is intentional. It focuses on supporting vibrant and healthy communities,” said Dr. Leung. “To have vibrant communities, we need to have a thriving and activated group of nonprofits, along with leaders that recognize the needs of the community and can provide the services and support.”

The Collaborative Capacity Building Grant is a unique opportunity for nonprofits with an annual budget of less than $500,000 to receive free business training. The course 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 found the succession planning course to be insightful and helpful in thinking about the sustainability of the organization.

“I don’t plan on leaving or retiring anytime soon,” said Hill with a smile. “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.”

Outcomes & Impact

In addition to the business training, the organizations received a $5,000 grant to build up infrastructure, such as professional services, software, equipment and other general operating and non-programmatic expenses.

Knea Hawley, Director of the newly established Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) Foundation, shared that the combination of the training, fostering relationships with other nonprofits and the general operating grant will ultimately benefit the students they serve.

“We are excited to use the grant funds to invest in additional training for customer relationship management software which will significantly improve day-to-day efficiency, said Hawley. “This training will provide the latest skills and knowledge to streamline processes, optimize workflow and better serve our community.”

Over 60 nonprofit leaders completed the collaborative capacity-building program through the spring and summer cohorts, and the Foundation awarded $295,000 in general operating grants to 59 community-based organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

After gaining essential leadership and business with development skills, we are confident that these organizations will be better equipped to expand their reach, services and resources to help inspire and ignite the health of the Inland Empire.