Category Archives: Uncategorized

Denver Nonprofits Get an Interest-Free Boost

Originally published in Next City , January 12, 2022 No-interest loans can help nonprofits stabilize, explore new revenue sources, and become more sustainable. That’s why NFF partnered with The Denver Foundation, Rose Community Foundation, and Colorado Gives Foundation to support organizations providing critical services in Denver with zero-interest financing that they could apply toward any part of their operations. &hellip

BMe, Rising Together: A “Fam” of Black Nonprofit Leaders

It should come as no surprise that the organization founded by Trabian Shorters – who coined the term Asset-Framing to describe people by their aspirations instead of the challenges they face – is intentional about the language it uses. BMe’s members aren’t part of a network, they’re fam. They’re people first, nonprofit leaders second (or third).   BMe offers Black community leaders a space “to break &hellip

How to Fund Place-Based Partnerships, if We Want Them to Work

Originally published in Nonprofit Quarterly , October 27, 2021 During the early days of COVID in March 2020, members of Rocky Mountain Partnership, a place-based partnership dedicated to driving economic and social mobility for its community members, flexed their collaboration muscles to coordinate a response to quickly evolving community needs in the Denver area. Long-standing &hellip

How to Choose a Lender for Your Charter School (Hint: It’s a Lot Like Being in a Relationship!)

A loan from a community development finance institution (CDFI) can finance a new facility, allow you to hire new staff, or ensure you have enough cash on hand to run your school effectively while you wait for reimbursement from a government grant. But not all loans are created equal, and choosing which lender to work &hellip

What we can do with $450,000

It costs $450,000 per year to keep one woman jailed in New York City. That startling statistic came up in a gathering of human services organizations that serve women involved in the justice system. They had come together with NFF to share and deepen their strategic financial management knowledge to support mission delivery and advocate for &hellip

Building a World Where Everyone Can Afford a Home

Like the woman it was named for, Florence Mills Apartments makes a striking impression. On the corner of Central and Jefferson in south Los Angeles, this modern-looking affordable housing complex rises four stories above the ground. Brightly-colored murals depicting Florence Mills, a jazz singer and Black rights activist, shine from two of the building’s walls. &hellip

Practical tips for a smooth nonprofit audit (even when it’s over Zoom!)

So what is an audit, exactly? An audit is an independent examination of the accounting records of an organization – either for profit or nonprofit. In an audit, an independent professional accounting firm with no vested interest in the organization being audited checks all of the organization’s financial transactions and statements to determine whether that organization’s financial &hellip