Capacity Building Grants of up to $5,000 per organization have been awarded to eleven nonprofit organizations that serve Richmond residents. Grants were made in four capacity-building categories: Mission, Vision and Strategy; Governance and Leadership; Strategic Relationships; and Internal Operations. Funded projects include strategic planning, executive transition, volunteer management, and computers and data security, among others.
The need for capacity building grants was high with nearly 50 applications reviewed by the RCF Community Investments Committee through a rigorous and transparent process. In response to feedback received through its annual Community Engagement Survey, RCF offered a Pre-application Workshop and consultation for this round to help nonprofits prepare their applications.
The Fall 2011 Capacity Building Grant Recipients are:
Community Alliance for Learning was awarded a capacity building grant to continue and expand Writer Coach Connection in West County classrooms that serve Richmond students through outreach and volunteer management/coordination. WCC recruits, trains, and organizes community volunteers as writer coaches to work with students one on one, in class, on the students' writing assignments. www.writercoachconnection.org
Girls Inc. will develop its Board of Directors through leadership training--focusing fiscal and risk management, strategic planning, fund development, and Board relations. Girls Inc. of West Contra Costa County (Girls Inc, WCCC) has served over 6,000 girls of West County for over 37 years. Girls Inc offers programs to help and inspire all girls to become Strong, Smart and Bold. www.girlsinccontracosta.org
La Cheim School will implement a training program interwoven with a marketing plan to establish important community networks and relationships to increase referrals and build capacity to best serve a changing mental health population. La Cheim has provided educational and mental health programs since 1974. Through therapeutic, caring, and supportive relationships with youth and their caregivers, La Cheim improves the health and lives of children and families. www.lacheim.org
Pacific News Service/New America Media will build the capacity of its Richmond Pulse youth media outlet through acquisition of computers that will enable the outlet to have regular access to its own dedicated computers for reporting and multi-media production. PNS has worked to create platforms for youth voices for more than 20 years. Richmond Pulse began last fall as an online media outlet and training program for youth to report on community issues in Richmond. www.newamericamedia.org www.richmondpulse.org
Read-Aloud Volunteer Program will design and develop a new website to attract volunteers, individual supporters, funders and community partners. In the 2010-2011 school year coordinators and volunteers of RAVP provided over 4,000 reading hours to schools in San Pablo and Richmond. www.ravp.org
Richmond PAL will purchase licensing agreement for a web-based case management system that offers powerful search, dashboard and flexible reporting with on-demand technology. RPAL provides a safe and nurturing environment for youth through programs while building positive relations between Police Officers and the community. www.rpal.org
Richmond Youth Media Productions, Inc. will implement a strategic planning process to facilitate executive succession/transition, as well as accounting management software and training for new leadership. RYMP, under mentorship of experienced media professionals, provides a place where young Richmond people learn video production skills while producing programs that improve the quality of their lives and the lives of others in their community. www.richmondyouthmedia.org
STAND! For Families Free of Violence was awarded a capacity building grant to support the last two phases of a strategic merger and post-merger interaction activity. With over 34 years of experience providing innovative leadership in Contra Costa County, STAND! offers comprehensive services for victims of domestic violence and child abuse. www.standagainstdv.org
West Contra Costa Public Education Fund (The Ed. Fund) will develop a marketing/communications strategy and plan to increase awareness of its programs and activities, so that those in need know of the services available, and in order to create an opportunity for potential donors to learn the value of the organization. The Ed. Fund advocates for excellence in education, and supports/facilitates high-quality learning experiences, community investment in education, and student access to educational opportunities. www.edfundwest.org
West County College Access Network (WCCAN) will facilitate the building of a network of college access program service providers and create a strategic plan and common agenda for the group. WCCAN aims to address at a systems-level, the historically low number of students seeking and attaining a post-secondary degree.
Youth Enrichment Strategies (YES) was awarded a 2012 Capacity Building Grant to consolidate existing databases and data management functions--used to track diverse groups of constituents and applications--into one, multi-user, cloud-based platform. YES enriches the lives of underserved youth, their caregivers and families in Richmond by deepening relationships through experiences in nature. www.yesfamilies.org
