Q+A WITH NPTAF:
A Shift Toward More Equitable Grant Partnerships The Nonprofit Technical Assistance Fund for Kent County is a collaborative program designed to help Kent County nonprofits with capacity building and technical assistance. Local grantmakers joined forces in 2004 to create the pool of NPTAF funding. Grand Rapids Community Foundation is a representative in the decision making body, and it holds, invests and administers the funds. Recently the NPTAF Advisory Committee has intentionally changed its approach and internal practices to advance racial, social and economic justice through the nonprofit sector. We interviewed Nicole Notario-Risk, NPTAF program manager, about the fund’s process and impact. DESCRIBE THE PURPOSE OF GRANT PARTNERSHIPS FROM THE NONPROFIT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FUND. Grant partnerships help organizations partner with consultants to do strategic planning and board development, as well as strengthen their processes and practices in information technology, fund development, communications and financial management. As of February 2021, 506 grants totaling $3.3 million have been awarded to 190 unique organizations in Kent County. As COVID-19 challenged organizations, NPTAF worked to release supplemental funding to help them access technology supports required for operating virtually. Moving forward, organizations will likely need to refine and adapt fund development strategies, engage in planning, keep strengthening their IT and explore the possibilities of strategic partnerships and mergers. HOW DOES NPTAF HELP OUR LOCAL NONPROFIT SECTOR GROW AND DEVELOP? Many philanthropic resources support programming. But organizations require strong operational infrastructure to provide high-quality programming and services. NPTAF offers a consistent, accessible and equitable funding resource for nonprofit organizations to obtain technical and organizational assistance. This helps efficiently and effectively meet our community’s growing needs. HOW HAS THE FUND SHIFTED ITS INTERNAL PRACTICES TO BECOME MORE EQUITABLE? We keep learning and growing through discussions internally and with our NPTAF partners. Many Black, Indigenous, person of color -led organizations have been committed to this community for many years, with fewer resources to do their work. We strive to adapt our procedures and policies to reduce barriers to NPTA fund access. Engaging internally to improve our grantmaking has certainly helped us put into practice what we have been asking of our nonprofit partners for years.
In the last five years—because many organizations struggle to become more authentically equitable organizations—we have provided specific resources and technical assistance so nonprofits can focus internally on DEI. To build our nonprofit community’s DEI capacity, NPTAF has engaged national experts to lead trainings for local consultants across sectors. We also had a pilot program, with a two-year listing in our consultant directory, to raise awareness about BIPOC consultants with DEI expertise. We seek to understand better the challenges local organizations might be facing engaging in this work in order to meet them where they are to provide appropriate diversity, equity and inclusion resources. WHAT SHIFTS HAVE YOU SEEN AS A RESULT OF THESE CHANGES? First, more BIPOC-led organizations are accessing the NPTA fund. Many such organizations and leaders have built up trust with those they serve over years of community work. Yet, they are funding the work from their own pockets due to lack of access to philanthropic networks. Second, we’ve seen more awareness and willingness to change among organizations whose staff and boards historically have not been representative of the individuals and families they serve. Though all start at different points, they have demonstrated a desire to create more equitable and representative organizations. A great example of this is a recent grant partnership with Belknap Neighbors, which convened an Undoing Racism workshop for multiple Grand Rapids neighborhood associations. H.G.F.
The NPTAF current funding partners include Amway, CDV5 Foundation, Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, Frey Foundation, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Jandernoa Foundation, Sebastian Foundation, Steelcase Foundation, Wege Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. A representative from each funding institution makes up the NPTAF Advisory Committee, which makes funding decisions. The funds are held, invested and administered by the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Learn more or apply for NPTAF funding at nptafund.org.
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To support diversity, equity and inclusion work, we discuss equitable decision making and fund longer-term diversity, equity and inclusion projects through our quarterly grant cycles. On our grant application, we’ve expanded the DEI metrics and standardized more questions to better understand how applicants use DEI in their organizations. We continually refine our communications and outreach strategy to ensure that diverse organizations and consultants can leverage NPTAF resources.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR APPROACH TO GRANT PARTNERSHIPS?
