The unrestricted funding that LISC provides to our community partners is undeniably crucial for advancing their missions. But investing time and resources in organizational capacity building for equity is equally important. Striking the right balance ensures that our partners have not only the financial resources but also the tools and support they need to achieve their goals.

Capacity building for equity can mean many things. It may involve introducing new grant sources and helping organizations build relationships with potential funders. It can include coaching and nurturing emerging leaders, identifying cost-saving resources and tools to improve efficiency, and enhancing knowledge by connecting organizations with subject matter experts or providing training in essential nonprofit skills such as board governance and financial management. Capacity building for equity requires actively participating in all aspects of the work and working hard alongside the organization. The overarching goal is to help build strength within organizations, so they’re ready and able to meet their communities’ needs today and well into the future.

Yet as one community partner aptly notes, "'capacity building' is a loaded term." For many communities, especially BIPOC communities, capacity building efforts highlight a power imbalance between intermediaries and the communities they aim to support. Too often, intermediaries act as "experts," offering solutions without fully understanding or respecting the unique skills, knowledge, and strengths these communities already possess. Sometimes, the resources meant to empower the community benefit the intermediaries more than the community. Intermediaries often can access larger amounts of administrative funds, which allows them to hire staff and pay them competitively and offer robust benefits while many CDCs and community organizations cannot

Typically, on-the-ground organizations spend more on programming, with lean operational support and no cash reserves. To put it simply, intermediaries are in a privileged position and don’t have to deal with the continual uncertainty that comes with the daily grind of working in a grassroots organization that needs capacity building for equity. We must understand and acknowledge these dynamics and consciously work to avoid the power imbalances they foster.

Read the full article about capacity building for equity by Tatia Ash at LISC.