Nonprofits need funding to make strategic investments in their organizations in addition to financial support for programs. These kinds of capacity and infrastructure investments can support a nonprofit’s organizational sustainability, or they might allow a nonprofit to shift or scale its work. Durham Literacy Center (DLC) and Student U are among the nonprofits that found in Fox Family Foundation a philanthropic partner who understands that nonprofits’ internal infrastructures, administrative systems, and staffing cannot be under-resourced and still realize high impact in the community.

The DLC came to Fox Family Foundation in 2018 requesting a $60,000 grant to be awarded over three years. Some of the grant funds would be used to support hiring a Development Director and also enable a creative, multi-dimensional approach to maintaining and expanding DLC’s existing funding streams and cultivating additional funding avenues. Lizzie Ellis-Furlong, DLC Executive Director, reported, “This partnership has been a game changer. The grant accelerated our sustainability efforts and even allowed us to exceed our ambitious goals to increase funding from a wider range of sources. Now, we can focus on increasing our impact in a realistic way.”

Student U was awarded a $75,000 grant in 2018 as well, more than half of which was geared towards technology upgrades and equipment. In 2020, that funding helped the organization to respond to the evolving needs of their students and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Student U was better-positioned to shift to virtual and remote delivery of tutoring, learning, and wellness programs. “Fox Family Foundation helped us do even more toward supporting our students and families holistically at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the systemic racism and structural barriers that Durham’s most vulnerable students experience,” Student U Executive Director, Alexandra Zagbayou, reflected. “If it weren’t for funders like the Foundation who are allocating funding and encouraging nonprofits to invest in their own capacity, we would not be able to meet the compelling needs of students and families in the Durham community.”

This strategic funding of organizational infrastructure and development is not just about keeping a nonprofit viable — it’s also about helping an organization realize its potential to be an even bigger community resource with an even bigger impact.