Community Development Block Grant Program
Past Academy Agenda: August 2019 City of San Diego Nonprofit Academy Agenda
An award-winning partnership between the City of San Diego and The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego, the City of San Diego Nonprofit Academy is a free, two-day training program designed to strengthen the effective management and organizational capacity of nonprofits in San Diego.
The goal of academy is not only to grow existing nonprofits but also to increase the quantity, quality and diversity of nonprofits competing for City contracts to perform valuable social services.
The City of San Diego Nonprofit Academy, which is offered twice a year at USD's School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES), supports nonprofit organizations in their development of effective and sustainable processes by providing:
Core Courses | Sample Elective Courses |
---|---|
Program Design and Development | Volunteerism |
Organizational Leadership and Governance | Nonprofit Governance and Contract Compliance |
Budgeting and Finance | Financial Basics |
Evaluation and Impact |
Social Innovation and Human Centered Design |
Developing Strategy | Partnering with the City |
The City is seeking attendance from first time attendees who work for an IRS-registered 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), or a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations providing services within the City of San Diego and may have an interest in applying for City grants. Attendees should plan to attend both days of the academy.
Registration opens Thursday, May 7, 2020. For up-to-date information about the Nonprofit Academy and other related programs, individuals may add their name and contact information to the CDBG email distribution list.
The City of San Diego encourages academy attendees to apply for City grants. The City’s Economic Development Department and Commission of Arts and Culture fund eligible local nonprofits with missions and projects that enhance our economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for San Diegans.
The Economic Development Department has a competitive application process to award funding through both its Community Development Division (CDD) and its Business Expansion, Attraction and Retention Division (BEAR).
The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture offers funding opportunities to arts and culture nonprofit organizations. For information regarding its opportunities, please visit the Funding for Arts and Culture Nonprofits section of the Commission for Arts and Culture site.
Additionally, the City Council Offices offer City Council Community Projects, Programs, and Services (CPPS) funding to public agencies or nonprofit organizations for one-time community, social, environmental, cultural, or recreational needs which serve a lawful public purpose. Interested organizations should contact their local Council Offices for information on funding availability.
About 150 attendees representing 100 nonprofits participate in each academy. In post-academy surveys, 75 percent of respondents indicated they had better understanding of City funding opportunities, and 70 percent had taken steps to implement new practices.
Qualified CDBG applicants increased 33 percent from FY2017 to FY2018. Of 33 nonprofits awarded FY2018 grants, 14 were academy participants, including Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (JCNI).
Founded in 1995, JCNI aims to revitalize Southeastern San Diego through programming focusing on physical redevelopment, education-to-careers training and the local economy. In FY2017, it received $276,334 in CDBG and leveraged funding for its Writerz Blok Youth Workforce Training Program (below), which provides an intensive, employer-informed, “earn and learn” program that prepares disconnected youth/young adults for employment through education, design-sector skills training and work experience. Graffiti, with Writerz Blok, is being used to transform the streets of blight into promise for a community.