Communities of Color Capacity Building Program

Funded by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Communities of Color Capacity Building Program was a two-year program that ended in April 2010. Designed to build organizational capacity and leadership skills to better serve communities of color in the Portland area, participating organizations and their leaders completed a series of structured peer learning exchanges that allowed for information sharing and skill building. Participants in the program benefited from opportunities to hear from nonprofit experts and consultants, and to learn from each other as they shared their experiences and challenges in the field. The Nonprofit Association of Oregon continues to provide logistical support to this cohort of community leaders so they can continue to meet for mutual support and ongoing learning.

“The capacity builders program has been the best leadership development experience of my professional career. It is crucial to continue supporting people of color throughout their professional careers. I have never felt so welcomed or heard stories that I can relate to in any other training program. We grew to know each other in a very personal way and I appreciated all of this, and the technical training as well.” -Program participant