Grant Funding Secured for Ascend NBS’ Clients by Year
The Challenge + The Approach + The Results
Challenge
A brand-new organization, receiving 501(c)(3) status in 2019, Ascend NBS® started working with Community Connect Center in 2020. Community Connect Center, seen as the heart of an immigrant community, is not just a place to find assistance but a home for people who have been displaced and find themselves living on the margins. With a small budget and little revenue, they couldn’t pay their Executive Director and had an all-volunteer staff. They faced high demand for services in their New American community but lacked the funding to meet those needs. They attempted grant applications on their own but were unsuccessful.
Approach
Ascend NBS® assessed the organization’s readiness and identified the critical information, documentation, budgets, and strategy needed for strong grant submissions with greater funding potential. Ascend NBS® worked with Community Connect Center to design a strategy and define specific tasks to improve its infrastructure. Over the next six months, Ascend NBS® identified potential funders and developed and refined the narrative sections of grant applications, while Community Connect Center strengthened its financials, organizational strategy, goals and objectives, and budgets.
Results
After one year, Community Connect Center’s grant revenue increased by 87%, and after year two, revenue from grants increased by 200%. Community Connect Center is now regularly approached for partnerships with state and local governments, nonprofits, churches and ministries, schools, and employers to support New Americans in the Fargo–Moorhead area.
Challenge
Capital IDEA Houston, established in 2009, is the only comprehensive workforce development program in the Houston area. They sponsor select, high-demand careers that pay a living wage with benefits and opportunities for advancement for people of color. They hadn’t been able to increase their budget or expand services over the past few years due to a lack of funding for capacity building. They had a skeleton staff committed to the mission but overworked and underpaid. Their funding lacked diversity, and the board was concerned about the heavy reliance on government funding. Most funding was allocated to programming, leaving little opportunity for organizational growth.
Approach
Ascend NBS® conducted new research prospecting for general operations dollars, built general operations into every grant to cover administrative expenses and salaries, and designed a strategy for growth based on input from individuals across the organization.
Results
With our assistance, Capital IDEA was able to increase its general operations funding, hire seven new employees, and secure software that improved data collection and reporting. This led to streamlined processes and operations through standard operating procedures, the use of interns, volunteers, and contractors for smaller projects, increased investment in infrastructure, and board training focused on fundraising, relationship building, and organizational visibility within the city. Most importantly, staff members are now able to take real, much-needed vacations to recharge.
