A foundation can provide capacity building to all its grantees by giving every grantee access to a shared platform, peer community and on-demand resources, funding cohorts around needs many grantees share, and reserving 1:1 coaching and expert technical assistance for the grantees who want deeper help. Grantees choose their own path, and the foundation adds no new reporting form.
Why don’t consultant-per-grantee models reach the whole portfolio?
Consultant-per-grantee models depend on each grantee having time to scope a project, so they tend to reach a minority of a portfolio in any year. The grantees with the least capacity are often the least likely to apply for capacity-building help.
What are the three layers of whole-portfolio capacity building?
- Access for everyone: a workspace, AI tools, peers and on-demand learning for every grantee.
- Cohorts for shared needs: groups of grantees working on the same goal — fundraising, AI, leadership — each finishing its own deliverable.
- Depth where it’s wanted: 1:1 coaching and practitioner-led technical assistance for grantees who ask for it.
How does a foundation see results without adding reporting?
A foundation sees results through consent-based sharing: seat activation, participation, finished work and the outcomes each grantee chooses to share. In one Boston Foundation portfolio, 83% of grantees engaged within four months.