The Capacity Building Project
GUIDELINES
JULY 2014
Funded by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust
Overview
The William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust funded The Capacity Building Project is a
grant program for mid-sized cultural organizations to foster professional practices
and growth. Through The Capacity Building Project, The Cultural Council will
provide an organizational assessment to determine the most needed areas of
professional development and capacity building. The Cultural Council and chosen
cultural organization will design a customized training plan to address those needs.
A mid-sized cultural organization is defined by the budget size, annual audience
size, proficiency and stability of the staff and board leadership. Mid-sized cultural
organizations are selected through a competitive process and may currently be
funded under the Category CII Grant Program for Mid-sized organizations.
Purpose
The Capacity Building Project is designed to support cultural organizations from
Palm Beach County with stable budgets that provide outstanding cultural
programming and meet specific criteria necessary to complete both phases of this
grant program.
Phase I consists of an Organizational Assessment and Prioritization. Phase II consists
of Customized Capacity Building.
Goal
At the end of the grant period, successful grantees will be on track to grow into a
major cultural institution in Palm Beach County. The Cultural Council’s mission of
service to the community is carried out by assisting and improving the capacity of
the cultural organizations. This grant program provides an opportunity for these
organizations to examine, learn and take action to develop sustainable solutions to
the challenges they face in the cultural industry.
Process
Cultural organizations that meet the eligibility requirements will complete the
application. The Capacity Building Project Panel will select 2-3 organizations for this
grant program. The mid-sized cultural organizations selected for this program will
create an action plan and timeline with the Cultural Council. During the grant
period, which will be determined, Next Level Grant Program grantees will participate
in an assessment and customized capacity building activities. This program may
address one or more areas of concern: Governance, Management, Finance,
Development, Human Resources, Contractors/Volunteers, Programming and
Marketing. Upon completion, grantees will be expected to complete a final report.
Eligibility
The Capacity Building Project is open to established nonprofit cultural organizations
located in Palm Beach County who meet the minimum requirements:
o 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission of arts & culture
o In operation for at least five (5) years in Palm Beach County
o Current member of the Cultural Council’s Annual Membership Program
o Operating budget between $200,000 and $1 million
o Demonstrate board and staff commitment
o Demonstrate the need for organizational capacity building
o Demonstrate the willingness to participate in an intensive training that may
last up to 2 years
Note: Next Level Grants do not exclude cultural organizations from applying for
other Cultural Council grant programs.
Funding
The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, through the generous support of the
William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, will work one-on-one with the cultural
organizations to determine the grant award. The grant award will be based on the
individual assessment and the customized capacity building activities up to a
maximum award of $12,500. The Cultural Council and grantee organization will work
together to determine the actual award based on assessment and capacity building
expenses. Please Note: The Cultural Council will pay for the Nonprofits First, Inc.
certification tool as part of the assessment and the fee should be included in the
budget request.
Requirements for Phase I - Organizational Assessments and Prioritization
o Must be conducted by an outside professional consultant who is skilled and
experienced in implementing an effective organizational assessment process.
o Must involve both board leadership as well as staff in the assessment process.
o Must assess each of the following six key areas of organization infrastructure
to identify strengths and challenges or areas for improvement.
 Mission, Vision and Strategy – Does the organization have a clear mission
and are the strategies in alignment with this mission?
 Governance and Leadership – Does the organization have strong
governance and foster leadership?
 Fund Development – Is the organization financially sustainable?
 Internal Operations and Management – Does the organization have a
strong internal system?
 Strategic Relationships – Does the organization have strong and positive
relationships with external stakeholders and message to the community-atlarge?
 Program Delivery and Impact – Is the organization effective in its delivery
of programs and services, and is evaluation of impact integral to the
organization?
The assessment must include a review of organizational documents (legal
documents, financial documents, and other important management
documents) in addition to gathering key stake holder input.
Requirements for Phase II - Customized Capacity Building
Consultant Qualifications and Criteria
An outside consultant is required for organizational assessment grants and must be
selector prior to the application. The Cultural Council does not endorse or
recommend any particular consultants or consultant firms. If the cultural
organization should need assistance in identifying a consultant, the Council will
provide a list of consultants.
Each consultant conducting organizational assessments under this grant program are
expected to meet the following criteria:
o Comply with the State of Florida regulations and licensure requirements
o Has a minimum of three years of nonprofit experience (as staff, board,
volunteer or consultant)
o Has a minimum of two years of recent experience in a nonprofit consulting
role
o Has demonstrated skill in conducting comprehensive organizational
assessments for nonprofits
o Has demonstrated effectiveness in working in a consulting role with
nonprofits
In addition, the Cultural Council has created a guide that details its perspective on
working with consultants as well as resources that can assist organizations in
managing the process of engaging and working with consultants.
The Consultant will produce a written document that describes the process
completed and recommended areas for improvement and defines the focus for
Phase II– Customized Capacity Building work, including:

Short-term and or no/low cost improvements and activities. These include
one-time activities than have specific purposes or preparation or planning
activities that must be done in order to tackle the more complex capacity
building work.

Long-term and /or higher cost improvements and activities. These include
capacity building activities that are complex in nature and will require a
significant investment of time and/or financial resources to undertake.

All recommendations with in each of these sets should be organized by
priority and level of impact.
Expectations of Grantees
The Council’s philosophy is that nonprofit capacity building work is not easy work
and there is no single solution. However, the return on investment to the
organization is a direct result of the time and effort invested by the cultural
organization. Grantees are expected to approach this work with the understanding
that, even with the use of a consultant, staff and board members should be
adequately prepared for their role and responsibilities to ensure the benefits are
realized.
Grant Progress Meetings
Cultural organizations that are selected to participate in this program will be
expected to meet with the Council staff to discuss the grant at these times during
the life of the grant:
 Beginning of Phase I – Discuss Organizational Assessment Consultant
 Middle of Phase I – Discuss Organizational Assessment Outcomes
 End of Phase I/Start of Phase II – Discuss Prioritization and Plans for Phase II
 Middle of Phase II – Discuss Capacity Building Progress
 End of Phase II – Program Wrap Up
Application Process and Timeline
Applications deadline is September 30, 2014 5:00PM.
Next Level Grant Panel Review completed by October 30, 2014.
Grant Awards announced November 30, 2014.
Earliest grant start date January 1, 2015.
The Capacity Building Project
APPLICATION
Funded by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust
PART I
CULTURAL ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
Applicant Organization:
Project Contact:
Email:
Title:
Phone:
Address:
City, State Zip:
What date did the Cultural Organization earn its 501(c)3 designation?
What is the Cultural Organization’s Mission? (Limit 100 words)
Briefly describe the organization’s growth and stability over its years of operation.
(Limit 200 words)
Briefly describe the primary population served by the organization and the primary
programs and services offered. (Limit 200 words)
Detail the years that the Cultural Organization has been a member of the Cultural
Council:
How many CEC Meetings has a representative of the Cultural Organization attended
in the past 5 years:
PART II
ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT MOTIVATION
What is motivating your organization to undertake this organizational assessment?
(Limit 100 words)
Why is this good timing for your organization to undertake an organizational
assessment? (Limit 100 words)
What is your organizations’ readiness to change? In other words, are your board and
staff fully focused on and committed to following through on areas of improvement
that will be identified through the organizational assessment? (Limit 100 Words)
 Provide a letter signed by the Board of Directors and the Executive Director
indicating the date in which the proposed organizational assessment was
discussed and approved.
PART II
CAPACITY BUILDING MOTIVATION
Prior to engaging in a formal organizational assessment, indicate what areas are
thought to need improvement by the organization and provide a brief description
and the rationale of the need in that area. If an area does not need improvement,
leave blank.
 Mission, Vision and Strategy:
 Governance and Leadership:
 Resource Development
 Strategic Relationships
 Internal Operations and Management
 Program Delivery and Impact
ATTACHMENTS
 Letter of Commitment signed by the Board Chair
 Most recent Financial Audit Report
 Current Financial Statements
 Last Year’s Final Operating Budget
 Current Operating Budget
 Annual Report
 Organizational Chart
 Bios of Leadership Team
 List of Board of Directors