Nonprofit Effectiveness Program
Currently, LVCF is in the third cohort of Nonprofit Effectiveness during the 2020-2021 cycle. In this cycle, LVCF funded a cohort of organizations are led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and that serve Lehigh Valley’s Black and Brown communities. LVCF aims to build the capacity of these organizations due to historical lack of funding to support BIPOC organizations and the demonstrated impact of these organizations. Targeted funding for organizational capacity-building is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of these important organizations. The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation initiated this grant opportunity in recognition of the important role that BIPOC-led organizations have in providing culturally-responsive services and programs to the Lehigh Valley community.
In addition to the grant, the cohort has participated in a community of practice. The 2021 Nonprofit Effectiveness Program Community of Practice is a community of health, well-being and practice among leaders of Asian, Black African Heritage, and/or LatinX descent. The Community of Practice provides the space to deepen relationships, share knowledge and develop skill sets. Leaders in the Community of Practice Program work individually and collectively to increase their capacity for success within the nonprofit sector. The 2021 Community of Practice reframes the outcomes of success in the non-profit sector – defining success as collaboration. Black and Brown leaders, in sessions and in a practicum, build collective agency that models the principle of abundance and the power of cooperation.
Below are the partner organizations, along with a list of funded projects:
2020-2021 Grantees & Project Titles:
| Organization Name | Project Name |
| Afros in Nature | Afros in Nature Financial Viability Plan |
| Black Heritage Association of the Lehigh Valley | Allentown Digital Inclusion Initiative |
| Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem | Great Leaders Initiative |
| Cohesion Network | Project Sustainability |
| Martin Luther & Coretta Scott King Memorial Project Inc DBA Freedom Memorial | MLKCSK Infrastructure Build Out Strategic Plan |
| Pratyush Sinha Foundation | Mindful Education System |
| Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley | Fund Development Plan |
| Resurrected Community Development Corporation | RCDC Staff Compensation Study |
History of Grantmaking Program Model
In 2017, LVCF initiated an in-depth research process in order to inform an intentional transition in how the foundation was using foundation-directed funding. Through this process, LVCF discovered that there was a gap in funding in the Lehigh Valley to support capacity building. While foundations rely on strong, healthy organizations to achieve progress in solving the region’s most pressing issues, there was a lack of grant dollars to support the many challenges that nonprofits routinely face, from major staff transitions to board development to technology implementation.
In recognition of this gap in support for organizational capacity building, the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation launched the Nonprofit Effectiveness Pilot, which provided funding and resources to nonprofits to provide targeted support. The pilot began in 2018 and was designed to help strengthen nonprofit effectiveness, enabling organizations to do their work better and enhance their impact. The model included grant funding for a capacity-building project, an organizational assessment, and also cohort-based organizational development training and peer-to-peer engagement through a Community of Practice.
At the current time, LVCF has completed three full funding cycles of the model funding a total of 21 different organizations distributing nearly $370,000. Additionally, in 2019-2020, which was the second year of the program, LVCF partnered with Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation to provide the model to four grantees that TRHWF selected. In the third year of launching the model, during the current 2020-2021 cycle, LVCF funded 9 BIPOC-led organizations, in addition to funding a joint project to assess how best to create a connected capacity building model in the Lehigh Valley. Throughout the last three years, LVCF has gathered data formally and informally in order to evaluate the pilot to understand the impact and discover learnings. Past grantees, along with their funded projects can be viewed below.
After reviewing the evaluation data from the pilot period, LVCF plans to launch the 2021-2022 Capacity Building Program making key shifts in the model goals, structure, and process to build on the pilot. View information about the current program – click here.
Previous Grantees and funded projects are listed below:
2020-2021 Grantees & Project Titles:
| Organization Name | Project Name |
| Afros in Nature | Afros in Nature Financial Viability Plan |
| Black Heritage Association of the Lehigh Valley | Allentown Digital Inclusion Initiative |
| Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem | Great Leaders Initiative |
| Cohesion Network | Project Sustainability |
| Martin Luther & Coretta Scott King Memorial Project Inc DBA Freedom Memorial | MLKCSK Infrastructure Build Out Strategic Plan |
| Pratyush Sinha Foundation | Mindful Education System |
| Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley | Fund Development Plan |
| Resurrected Community Development Corporation | RCDC Staff Compensation Study |
| Humanitarian Social Innovations | Regional Coordinated Nonprofit Capacity Building: Fact-Finding Phase |
| Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley | Regional Coordinated Nonprofit Capacity Building: Fact-Finding Phase |
2019-2020 Funded Projects
| Organization Name | Project Name |
| Bethlehem Area Education Foundation | Data Management Tool |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley | Creating a Sustainable Business Model |
| Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center | Planned and Individual Giving Fundraising Plan Development and Implementation |
| Communities In Schools of the Lehigh Valley | Communities In Schools Intranet |
| Community Bike Works | SOS2: Smarter Operations and Staffing, Year 2 |
| Humanitarian Social Innovations | Sustainable Growth for Maximum Community Impact |
| Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) | Development & Marketing of LVCIL Consulting Program |
| Third Street Alliance for Women & Children on behalf of the LV Regional Homelessness Advisory Board | Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board Capacity Building |
| Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley | Mining, Measuring & Managing Data to Increase Volunteer Engagement & Traffic |
| Young Women’s Christian Association d/b/a YWCA Allentown | YWCA Allentown’s Strategic Plan for Empowerment, Equity, and Social Justice |
In 2019-2020, through a partnership with Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation, both LVCF and Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation funded the following projects:
| Organization Name | Project Name |
| Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley | HCLV Capacity Building – Manager of Operations |
| Safe Harbor Easton | Organizational Culture and Core Values at Safe Harbor Easton |
Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation fully funded the following projects:
| Organization Name | Project Name |
| Equi-librium | On Firm Footing: Ensuring Long Term Success and Viability |
| Easton Area Community Center | EACC Smart Operations – Staff Optimization and Development |
2017-2018 Grantees & Project Titles:
| Organization Name | Project Name |
| Bethlehem Area Education Foundation | Five Year Strategic Plan (2020-2025) |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley | Minority Recruitment Initiative |
| Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center | Sabbatical Preparedness and Implementation Grant |
| Communities In Schools of the Lehigh Valley | Communities In Schools Intranet |
| Community Bike Works | SOS: Smarter Operations and Staffing at Community Bike Works |
| Easton Area Community Center | EACC - Smart Operations- Staff Optimization and Development |
| Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley | HCLV Staff Development and Program Assessment to Advance Effective Case Management Services Delivery |
| Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) | LVCIL Consulting Program |
| Third Street Alliance for Women & Children on behalf of the LV Regional Homelessness Advisory Board | Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board: Strengthening our Strategic Collaborations |
| Young Women’s Christian Association d/b/a YWCA Allentown | Cultural Competency and Racial Justice Training |