Funding Strategies to Accelerate Power-building Cohort

About

At NCG, we believe that funders should take full advantage of every tool in their grantmaking toolbox to advance their systems-change and equity goals. 501c(4)-aligned funding can accelerate movement building, strengthen our democracy, and advance racial equity.  

Funding Strategies to Accelerate Power-building is a 4-part learning and collaboration series that will help philanthropic grantmakers sharpen their power-building strategies by engaging in 501c(4) funding and complementary 501c(3) funding strategies. The series expands upon the inaugural series NCG hosted in 2022. Content includes the legal parameters of c(4)-aligned funding, promising tactics for both c(3) and c(4) funders, and an introduction to high-impact, timely opportunities to invest in the field. Additionally, the series will provide opportunities for participants to collaborate with other funders and make progress on a self-identified strategic goal. 

Series at a Glance 

The series will kick off in July 2023 with an in-person meeting in the San Francisco Bay Area. The three subsequent sessions will occur over Zoom between August and November.  

Each session will include learnings on specific topics related to c(4) funding, guest speakers from the field, discussion time, and teamwork with a coach. The cohort will include up to 12 foundations, sending 2 to 4 team members each. Participants will be assigned to teams, consisting of 2-3 foundations and an experienced coach. Coaches will be fellow foundation staff. Coaches will help each team set self-defined goals and help work towards action by the end of the series. Participants will receive a certificate of participation and may opt to continue working on their team project.  

The topics covered in each session include: 

• An introduction to c(4)-aligned funding and mapping the ecosystem 
• Methods of c(3) and complementary c(4) funding 
• Democracy-related issues impacting how field practitioners plan to approach their work in the coming years 
• Upcoming campaigns and opportunities for ongoing collaboration 

Outcomes 

The series is intended for private and public foundations that are interested in using c(4) funding or c(4)-aligned strategies to strengthen democracy and advance racial equity, power-building, and systems change. Foundation team participants will come away with: 

• A strengthened and shared analysis about the mechanics of c(4) structures and related funding strategies. 
• Clear goals for their initial step toward c(4)-aligned funding (e.g., participating in a pooled fund, developing internal processes to enable c(4) funding, recommending a new grant, etc.). 
• Opportunities to participate in one or more c(4)-aligned funder collaborations.  
• Understanding of how to support California leaders to sustain and scale their work on racial equity, democracy, and power-building. 

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