Central Valley Community Foundation (CVCF), formerly the Fresno Regional Foundation, is launching an effort to support Central Valley Nonprofits/Community Benefit Organizations (CBOs) through the 2016 Financial Literacy Cohort.

CVCF will select 6-8 Organizations whose annual budget is $250,000 or less  to participate in the 2016 Financial Literacy Cohort. Selected organizations will work one-on-one with a CVCF Consultant to strengthen their ability to capture and use financial data to communicate outcomes and impact. There will also be opportunities for collaboration between organizations. There is a one-year commitment to participate in this cohort. The goals of this effort are:

1. Aid CBOs in streamlining their financial processes and platform
2. Train and support organizations in adopting GAAP accounting  financial systems, like Quickbooks
3.  Increase board member access to the Organization’s financial data to support evidence-informed decisions.
4. Increase the Organization’s ability to communicate success to multiple audiences and stakeholders via financial data

Who Can Apply

1. Organization’s that have an annual budget of $250,000 or less and meet CVCF’s grant eligibility   and service region criteria. Review the criteria here http://goo.gl/9qGypH
2. Selection will be based on the following:
   1. Preference will be given to the Foundation’s grantees and partner organizations within the last three years. This includes grantees from all competitive grant cycles and CVCF donor advised grants.
   2. Organizations with annual budgets of $250,000 or less
   3. The Organization’s commitment to this support for one-year through- a) commitment of staff and board participation and- b) contribution of $250 towards the full cost of this support (an $8,600 value).
   4. The results of the financial literacy assessment (see below) – preference will be given to organizations with the greatest need and potential to demonstrate significant advances.

For organizations interested in applying to be part of this cohort please complete the following two items before Friday, Feb.  26, 2016, at 5:00pm:

1. Update your Organization OrgCard – you can do so here: https://frf.fluxx.io/ for instructions on how to use our grantmaking system, see our help guide here - http://goo.gl/LYAHpO
2. Complete a financial literacy assessment for your organization here - https://goo.gl/BUpWlP The survey and does not allow you to save your process. A PDF version can be downloaded here for you to review prior to completing the assessment.

Deadlines

1. OrgCard and Financial Assessment Deadline - Friday, February 26, 2016, at 05:00 PM
2. Organizations selected for the 2016 Financial Literacy Cohort will be notified by Friday, March 04, 2016

Project Timeline

1. Organizations selected for the 2016 Financial Literacy Cohort will be notified by Friday, March 04, 2016
2. Kickoff Event - Cohort Group meeting with Consultant and CVCF Staff on March 24; Time TBD

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] or (559) 226-5600.