CONNECT with the CityCity of San Diego Nonprofit Academy
City of San Diego Nonprofit Academy
The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego, in partnership with the City of San Diego, recently hosted the San Diego Nonprofit Academy from June 28 to June 29, 2024. This award-winning educational program is designed to educate local nonprofit leaders on maximizing their operational efficiency to better serve the local community. The program also aims to strengthen small-to-midsize nonprofits, grow their impact and better position them to receive funding from the government and other philanthropic partners.
All featured core courses and electives are taught by leading nonprofit management experts. Topics include effective board governance, strategic thinking, financial management, program design, evaluation and personal leadership. Classes are held at the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) on the University of San Diego campus. For updates on future Nonprofit Academies, please click here.
Sample Nonprofit Academy Curriculum
| 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 |
Partnering With the City
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).
- CDD administers the City’s entitlement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. To learn more about CDBG, please visit the City’s Community Development Division site or email questions to cdbg@sandiego.gov.
- BEAR provides Economic Development Funding through Economic Development and Tourism Support (EDTS) and Citywide Economic Development Support (CEDS), which allocate Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue to promote San Diego as a business and leisure destination; and the Small Business Enhancement Program (SBEP), which supports efforts Citywide and in Microdistricts. For questions, please email sdbusiness@sandiego.gov.
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 that serve a lawful public purpose. Interested organizations should contact their local Council offices for information on funding availability.
City of San Diego Nonprofit Academy Highlights
- On March 28, 2019, the City of San Diego Economic Development Department and the University of San Diego Nonprofit Institute were honored with a California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) Award of Merit for Collaboration for the City of San Diego Nonprofit Academy. The award was presented at the 39th Annual CALED Conference in Anaheim, California.
- The City of San Diego Economic Development Department won a 2017 Gold Excellence in Economic Development Award for the City of San Diego Nonprofit Academy, a project in the category of Partnership with Educational Institutions of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The honor was presented at an awards ceremony on Sept. 19 during the IEDC Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Read the press release.)
- In December 2017, the IEDC Journal profiled the academy. Read the article "The Nonprofit Academy in San Diego: Building Strong Nonprofits to Drive Economic Development" on Page 37.
City of San Diego Nonprofit Academy Successes
Each academy has about 150 attendees representing 100 nonprofits. In post-academy surveys, 75% of respondents indicated they had a better understanding of City funding opportunities, and 70% had taken steps to implement new practices.
Qualified CDBG applicants increased 33% 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 that focuses 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.
