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Foundation for Greatness

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Advancing equity together

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We believe in the power of community-centered organizations. And we know that too often community-centered organizations, particularly those led by people of color, are on the frontlines pushing for change – with or without sufficient funding and resources. Community-centered organizations hold themselves accountable to communities by incorporating their feedback into services and involving them in the organization’s governance. Community-centered nonprofit leaders understand the community’s aspirations and challenges and have the clearest insights about how to respond. 

Getting behind the priorities of communities of color and following the lead of those closest to the work is where we see NFF’s greatest value and potential for creating positive change. A nonprofit ourselves, we are a lender, consultant, and advocate for the nonprofit sector. Through all of our work, our goal is to advance racial equity in how funding flows in the nonprofit sector. 

To do this, we work with community-centered organizations, networks, organizers, funders, and financing partners that support community-led solutions. With NFF's full suite of financing, consulting, and advocacy capabilities, we are able to pair our resources with those of our partners to collectively advance more equitable outcomes. 

We are excited about this partnership because it addresses the structural inequities in government contracting. Typically, the absence of upfront payments in government contracts forces us to rely on loans to finance our work. However, with the support of Hilton and NFF, this partnership has given us more financial flexibility, sustaining our efforts and allowing us to focus on delivering better outcomes for the community.

Angelica Frias
Vice President of Action & Engagement, Center for Nonprofit Management

Securing a space has been the number one priority for Sure We Can. For the past few years, we've been under the threat of eviction. NFF has been angelic in terms of being able to support that dream. We want to expand programing to bring more art here, more repair activities, and repurpose the space for different uses. We want to see educational groups. We want to see plays. We want to see paintings, and murals. We want to see community meetings, rallies, all this kind of stuff. In order to make sure that can happen safely and with a lot of positivity, we want to prepare the space for these new contexts and new ideas … with NFF's support and the support of others where we can really start to envision the future. 

Ryan Castalia
Executive Director, Sure We Can

We are proud to work with Nonprofit Finance Fund and support organizations who are helping those most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. We have to come together to help those who need it most right now, and supporting nonprofits that provide critical safety net services in underserved neighborhoods is a crucial priority.

Joan Steinberg
Global Head of Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley

NFF helped us define what it looks like for our small nonprofit to be financially secure and stable. In the few years we’ve worked together thanks to the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, we’ve dramatically improved our financial well-being by understanding and advocating for full-cost funding and nurturing the funding relationships that make the most sense for our vision and mission. NFF has helped us clarify and pursue a smart financial strategy to support our artistic ambitions.

Lauren Shadford
Executive Director, Voices in Contemporary Art

The spirit of co-creation and learning between NFF and our Oregon nonprofit partners has resulted in capacity-building work customized to our nonprofits' needs and delivered in a way that is truly relevant and accessible to a range of organizations.

Candy Solovjovs
Director of Programs, Meyer Memorial Trust
Illustration of a person in a purple dress holding a ribbon as another person in a suit cuts it with oversized scissors

Pushing for an end to racist funding practices

  • Nonprofits, especially those led by people of color, are hampered by a dysfunctional and inequitable funding system.
  • Nonprofits can be lead advocates to help inform the critical role funders will play in addressing the legacy of disinvestment in and systemic racism and hostility to communities of color.
  • All communities must have access to and be able to control their own resources and determine their own path forward.
Illustration of 3 people holding a ladder for a 4th person with a telescope. A 5th person, holding a map, points to the left.

Building relationships based on trust and responsiveness

  • We are listening and responding to nonprofits’ needs and looking to meet those needs in a way and timeline that the community-centered nonprofit decides.
  • Our priority is advancing grassroots, community-led solutions – wherever and however we can best support leaders’ visions with lending, consulting, or advocacy.
  • We’re working with local and national partners and as an equitable intermediary to offer our services to organizations that have been systemically barred from accessing funding opportunities.
Illustration of a person observing a blueprint of a lightbulb. A person to the right points to a 6-foot actual lightbulb.

Committing to racial equity in who we are and how we work

  • We have created a Social Innovation and Equity Council to help the organization fully embed equity into our own internal and external practices and have engaged our entire staff in an ongoing social justice curriculum and employee resource groups.
  • We are diverse professionals with backgrounds in nonprofits, philanthropy, finance, community organizing, social work and beyond, who center empathy and bring passion, creativity, and strong national and local perspectives to our work.
  • We are holding ourselves accountable to our commitment to racial equity with measurable goals, including that half or more of our lending and deep consulting services will directly support organizations led by and serving people of color.

Stories

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Housing / Nonprofit Sector Blog

Announcing BEACoN: Building Equitable Assets for Communities and Nonprofits

| Announcing BEACoN: Building Equitable Assets for Communities and Nonprofits
Nonprofit Sector Story

Black Nonprofit Chief Executives of Philadelphia

Leading Locally | Black Nonprofit Chief Executives of Philadelphia
Human Services Story

A Step to Freedom

Providing safe transitional living spaces and comprehensive support services | A Step to Freedom
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What we've learned

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Where We Go From Here Video Series

Where We Go From Here Video Series

We're asking leaders of nonprofits and philanthropy what keeps them up at night, what brings them hope, and how they are responding to the biggest crises we face today.

California Pay for Success: Final Reflections

California Pay for Success: Final Reflections

This report makes seven recommendations about how to advance racial equity by better centering communities of color in outcomes-based funding projects.

L.A. Early Care and Education Provider Financial Analysis

L.A. Early Care and Education Provider Financial Analysis

NFF partnered with the California Community Foundation and First 5 LA to study the challenges faced by 26 early care and education providers in Los Angeles.