3 Ways to Start Supporting Capacity Building
Ready to strengthen your grantees but not sure where to begin? We get it. The idea of adding "capacity building" to your foundation's work can feel like opening a floodgate—more complexity, more staff time, more budget questions from your board.
Here's what we've learned from foundations who've made this shift successfully: you don't need to revolutionize everything at once. Some of the most effective capacity building happens through small, strategic adjustments to what you're already doing.
Deepen Grantee Relationships
Oftentimes, a traditional foundation’s relationships with their grantees may feel transactional—grant agreements, reporting deadlines, program updates. This approach makes it nearly impossible to spot organizational challenges before they derail the programs you're funding.
What if you shifted just slightly? Instead of waiting for problems to surface in crisis calls, what if you created space to actually understand the people bringing these missions to life?
Try quarterly organizational check-ins, beyond your standard program reports. Institute informal quarterly conversations focused entirely on organizational health. We're talking 20-30 minutes, low-pressure, genuinely supportive.
Ask questions like:
"What operational issue is eating up the most time that should be going to program delivery?"
"If you could strengthen one aspect of your organization this year, what would it be?"
Make it crystal clear these aren't evaluations. Sharing challenges shouldn't affect funding decisions—in fact, it helps you become a better funder.
After 90 days of these conversations, look for patterns across your portfolio. Those common challenges? They're opportunities for efficient, portfolio-wide support that makes everyone's life easier.
Build Internal Buy-in
We know what some board members are thinking: "Isn't this mission creep? Shouldn't we focus on programs, not operations?"
Here's how to flip that conversation. Show them how organizational support actually protects and enhances their program investments rather than competing with them.
Document the Connection. Your board wants to see results, and honestly, so do you. Track the impact of your initial efforts with metrics such as:
Grantee satisfaction with organizational support
Enhanced overall portfolio performance
Grantee feedback on organizational confidence and capability
Then share those successes. Report back to your board and staff about what's working. These early wins build momentum for expanded capacity building efforts and show stakeholders that this investment is working.
Start building the case for grant adjustments. Share 2-3 compelling examples where organizational challenges have threatened programs they care about. Then explain how organizational support could have prevented those crises to build the case for unrestricted funding or a higher allocation for operating expenses.
Find Strategic Quick Wins
Think capacity building requires hiring new staff or launching major new initiatives? We've seen foundations create meaningful impact with surprisingly simple changes.
Address the Most Common Challenges: Remember those quarterly check-ins? If multiple grantees are struggling with the same operational issue—maybe board governance or fundraising—organizing one-off support sessions or workshops is a great start.
Peer Learning Opportunities: Your grantees are facing similar challenges. Why not connect them?
Host quarterly "Coffee and Challenges" sessions for executive directors
Create informal board chair networking opportunities
Facilitate shared learning on specific topics like financial management or strategic planning
Partner With Existing Experts: Rather than building internal expertise from scratch, partner with organizations that already have it. Platforms, like Resilia, provide scalable organizational support—24/7 resources, expert coaching, portfolio-wide insights, and real-time progress tracking that can be implemented quickly.
Where Do You Start?
Pick one approach that feels manageable for your foundation right now. Maybe it's adding those quarterly check-ins to your existing grantee relationships. Maybe it's connecting three grantees who are all struggling with board development.
The point isn't to do everything—it's to start somewhere and build from there. Your grantees need this support, and your board wants to see stronger portfolio outcomes. Capacity building helps you deliver both.
What would happen if your grantees had the organizational strength to fully deliver on the programs you're funding?
Resilia is the leading all-in-one capacity building platform for foundations, providing 24/7 tools, coaching, and real-time progress tracking to strengthen nonprofits at every level of the organization.
