Funder drop-in: Funding capacity building

In collaboration with The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF).

About this event

Please note: our funder and philanthropist drop-ins are for staff and trustees at grant-making organisations, and individual philanthropists on topics of interest to the sector.

Event: Funder drop-in: Funding capacity building - Strategies, evaluation, and impact communication

Capacity building is essential for strengthening organisations and ensuring long-term sustainability, yet it often remains underfunded compared to programmatic work. This event brings together thought leaders and practitioners to explore how grantmakers can effectively support capacity building, what this means for monitoring and evaluation, and how organisations can communicate the impact of these investments to both internal and external stakeholders. 

Drawing inspiration from sector insights, we’ll unpack why funding operational and capacity needs is critical, how to measure success beyond traditional program metrics, and practical approaches for demonstrating value to funders and partners.

In this session, we'll ask:

• Why is funding capacity building and operating expenses as important as programmatic funding? 
• What challenges do organisations face when seeking grants for capacity building? 
• How should monitoring and evaluation frameworks adapt when measuring capacity-building outcomes? 
• What indicators or qualitative measures can demonstrate organisational growth and resilience? 
• How can nonprofits effectively communicate the impact of capacity-building grants to funders and internal teams? 
• What strategies can grantmakers use to balance accountability with flexibility in capacity-building investments?

Join us to gain actionable insights and connect with peers committed to building stronger, more sustainable organisations through strategic grantmaking.

We will be joined by:

• Jim Cooke, Head of Practice and Learning, The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF)
• Tris Lumley, Open for All Director, NPC

The Chatham House Rule applies during this event.