A number of small Central New York nonprofit organizations are getting access to resources that will bolster the work of their organizations.
The Central New York Community Foundationchose 25 organizations led by marginalized or historically underserved groups to receive training and coaching through Resilia, an online platform that aims to help small nonprofit organizations work more effectively.
Community Foundation Program Officer Qiana Williams said the training and coaching will strengthen organizations with often limited resources.
“We want everyone to have an opportunity to rise to their fullest potential, and so this allows us to address that issue of decades-long inequity for these groups and gives them an opportunity to fulfill the goals they need to do in order to fulfill their missions and their visions,” Williams said.
Resilia offers technology and online tools, one-on-one coaching and strategic planning. There’s also an in-platform grant database that connects organizations to 60,000 grant opportunities.
All the resources provided support the creativity and effectiveness of these grassroots organizations. Williams said the assistance to these groups will provide long-term benefits to the community.
“One of the most important things about addressing equity and building more opportunities for equity in our community is that it has a long-term return in terms of higher educational levels, lower poverty rates, but more importantly, it’s just the right thing to do,” Williams said.
Marginalized communities have historically been left out of institutional funding and training opportunities. Williams said this has caused challenges for organizations addressing these communities' pressing needs.
“Bias and historic disinvestment in these communities has led to them struggling to make ends meet or keep the lights on or any other number of struggles in terms of equity really,” Williams said.
This year’s training will take place over an 11-month period. A full list of organizations in the training can be found here.
