Organizational Development Grants
Organizational Development Grants
Our primary tool in building sustainable and resilient organizations is through multi-year general operating support grants, which are made through our core grantmaking.
However, we know that our grantee partners also seek and benefit from additional, targeted resources to help strengthen their organizations. For example, they may want to clarify their strategy, develop equity-centered human resource policies, sharpen their communications, or strengthen their financial management practices.
Meyer awards Organizational Development (OD) grants to support grantee partners in strengthening their internal operations, practices, and culture as well as to deepen their organization’s learning. We maintain flexibility in the types of projects these grants can support, including:
• Strategic planning
• Fundraising
• Communications
• Human resources
• Board development and governance
• Executive search and leadership transitions
• Tracking impact and analyzing data
• Mergers
• Digital security
• Coaching
• Leadership development
• Internal organizational culture issues
• Training
• Attending conferences (including out-of-town conferences)
Grantee partners typically use OD grants to work with a consultant, but the grants may also be used to support a project led by staff, board members, or other internal stakeholders.
Organizations that have received an operating or program grant from Meyer since January 1, 2022 are eligible to apply for an OD grant. For more information on how to apply for an OD grant, click here.
How to Apply for an Organizational Development Grant
Organizations that have received an operating or program grant from Meyer since January 1, 2022 are eligible to apply for an OD grant with no specific deadline. We accept and review OD grant applications throughout the year.
If you are considering applying for an OD grant, we recommend that you:
1. Discuss the proposed project with your Partnerships & Strategy Director during one of your regular conversations.
2. Then, schedule a call with the Senior Director of Capacity Building to talk about your proposed project. Following the call, we may invite you to submit an OD grant application through our online application portal. The application is short, requiring you to provide basic organizational information and to answer three brief questions about your proposed project.
3. Last, submit a scope of work for the project along with a project budget. A scope of work describes the work you plan to do, your goals for that work, the estimated timeline, and any deliverables that will be created. If you plan to work with a consultant, you may submit the scope of work the consultant creates for your organization. For internally led projects, you will need to create a scope of work detailing the project, goals, timeline and deliverables, if any.
If you are applying for an OD grant to attend a training or a conference, you may submit a copy of or link to the event brochure and a detailed budget covering expenses such as transportation, lodging, and meals.
If you have questions, please contact Karen FitzGerald.
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