Consumer Health Foundation

In addition to grants, for the past eleven years we have been committed to strengthening the work of our partners in the nonprofit sector through capacity building assistance.  The goal is to help our partners institutionalize knowledge, skills, and relationships aimed at building healthier communities in which everyone has a voice.

What is the eligibility criteria for our capacity building programs?

Current or former CHF grantees that have adhered to all previous grant agreement guidelines, including the submission of final reports.
Other select nonprofit organizations, usually nonprofit clinics, working to improve the health status of low-income communities in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Region.

CHF’s Current Capacity Building Efforts

We have developed a range of capacity-building programs, known collectively as our technical assistance toolbox. It includes work in the following areas:

Organizational Development: Strategic Planning, Board Development, etc.

We work with Mosaica and other consultants to offer individualized assistance to grantees in a variety of areas on an as-needed basis.  Recent engagements include:  building the nonprofit infrastructure of a new and emerging group so it can become a viable, sustainable organization; strategic planning with a small organization that was ready assisting a grassroots group transitioning a volunteer to a professional organization, engaging the board of a grantee that was transitioning a founding executive director to a second executive director.

Financial Management

We work with our grantee partners, both small and large, on fiscal management issues, offering group as well as one-on-one assistance through Mosaica, a multicultural, nonprofit consulting firm. We also work with The Nonprofit Finance Fund, using their Nonprofit Business Analysis, for some of the larger organizations we support.  This analysis produces valuable, comprehensive information on the fiscal health of an organization and is particularly helpful for groups that may be planning for expansions, capital campaigns, etc.

Communications

We offer both group and on-on-one communications training in partnership with Burness Communications, a firm that specializes in health and works with local, national and international organizations.  Our most recent trainings focused on developing and delivering effective messages.

Technology Mini-Grants

We have made targeted investments in technology for small and large nonprofits that are ready to purchase and implement strategic solutions that will elevate the work of the organization and also possibly benefit the nonprofit sector overall.