Capacity Fund
Building our partners' capacity
SHIFT will support our partners in hiring consultants, trainers, or organizations that contribute to building capacity, knowledge and sustainability for a team or organization.
Please note: this fund is only for those who have received SHIFT funding since September 2022. This year, priority will be given to those who did not receive Capacity Fund in 2023-2024, though all eligible partners are welcome to apply.
Program overview
SHIFT believes that social transformation is not possible unless teams and organizations are well supported and equipped with the resources, skills, and capacity to implement or leverage their work.
Over the past years, we have provided in-kind support to our funded project teams on a case-by-case basis. We supported teams by facilitating their access to training, covering the costs of consultants, and catered to other organizational needs.
To improve the clarity and availability of this offer, we are initiating the Capacity Fund, a program that will allow our project teams to make requests throughout the year.
Next deadline: November 14th 2024, at 9:00am.
Supporting stronger teams
The Capacity Fund is for you if:
- You are already part of the SHIFT Learning Community through a previously funded project, and are still aligned with SHIFT’s values and mission.
- You are seeking support with accessing training or consultants to support your team’s or organization’s sustainability.
- You are open to the possibility of shared learning with other SHIFT Learning Community members, as part of our goal of connecting our teams to one another towards a stronger social transformation ecosystem.
Mutualizing learning
SHIFT also believes that sharing and collectively utilizing knowledge, lessons learned, and insights can contribute to the advancement of socially transformative actions. Our wish is to facilitate connections between values-aligned groups and bring them together to amplify their respective work.
In this context, we will be looking for opportunities to mutualize learning through shared training, shared learning, and community building.
This means, for example:
- When multiple applicants indicate similar needs, we will attempt to connect them.
- If we know of a training course that can support more than one group (depending on the nature), staff may conduct direct outreach to other project teams to invite them to participate.
Program details
All the information you need to apply to the In-Kind Capacity Fund.
The total amount of funding available is $20,000. Project teams may request up to $2,000 per year.
This fund is not intended for use in individual coaching or supervision, attending conferences, or for events. Training and workshops must be provided to the whole team or benefit the whole organization, to support the capacity of the team in working towards social transformation.
The Capacity Fund can be used to pay for consultants and access training around:
- Fundraising
- Governance (including Board of Directors training)
- Registering an organization
- Evaluation
- Leadership Coaching
- Financial management
- Accessibility
- Anti-Oppression
- Mediation
- Other necessary professional development
Please note: SHIFT requires receipt of a signed contract between the service provider and our partner in order to process payment
In cases of emergencies or fast turnarounds, other arrangements can be made with SHIFT’s Funding & Evaluation Coordinator. In such cases, contact Richenda.
- Your team or group has previously received funding from SHIFT in the last two years (since September 2022), and has remained active since (you have taken interns, received further funding, collaborated with SHIFT staff, used the space for events, etc.).
- Your work is still aligned with SHIFT’s mission, values, and basic criteria.
NOTE: projects that have received Deep Investment funding are not eligible to apply to the Capacity Fund.
To submit a request, fill out this form. We encourage potential applicants to reach out to their SHIFT point person before completing an application.
- There is no specific deadline for the Capacity Fund. You are free to submit anytime throughout the year, but applications will only be evaluated every three months by our Fund Disbursement Hub: in November, February, May, and August.
- The next deadline is November 14th at 9:00am!
- For urgent requests (ex: mediation for active conflict), please submit the form and send an email to Richenda, the Funding & Evaluation Coordinator, to flag your request and discuss possibilities for payment structures and faster evaluation.
Support for applicants
At any time you can send email or book an appointment with our Funding and Evaluation Coordinator.
You may also reach out to your SHIFT point-person.
