Flexible Leadership Investment Program

The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund believes that nonprofit organizations need tailored, flexible support that allows them to identify the leadership investments that will help them meet today’s challenges while strengthening their organizations for tomorrow.  This is the goal of our Flexible Leadership Investment (FLI) program, which provides current Haas, Jr. Fund grantees with a variety of supports, including:

• Flexible Leadership Awards. The Flexible Leadership Awards (FLA) program engages executive directors, senior staff and board members of selected nonprofits to think expansively about where their organizations want to go, what kind of leadership they need to get there, and how to make sure that staff and board leaders have the skills and the support that will help them succeed. 

  The Haas, Jr. Fund launched the Flexible Leadership Award pilot program in 2005. To date, the program has engaged 15 well established local and national nonprofits whose work has been crucial to achieving the Fund’s program goals on issues from marriage equality to immigrant rights. Each organization has received from $50,000 to $100,000 per year over three years to implement its leadership plans by coaches, strengthening their boards and senior leadership teams, and enlisting other forms of customized support. (The Haas, Jr. Fund currently is not accepting proposals for FLA program grants.)

• Leadership Capacity Grants. The Haas, Jr. Fund provides Leadership Capacity Grants to current grantees to help them develop their leadership and plan for the future.  The grants allow organizations to work with consultants to address key leadership and strategic issues, such as making tough strategic decisions about core work and staffing; developing boards and senior staff teams; and navigating in a rapidly changing environment. (Leadership Capacity Grants are awarded on an invitation-only basis to current Haas, Jr. Fund grantees.)

• Special Initiatives. Through the Flexible Leadership Investment program, the Haas, Jr. Fund is always looking for additional opportunities to support current grantees as they strive to develop the leadership capabilities of their staffs and boards. The 21st Century Fellows Program, for example, is a collaborative effort of the Haas, Jr. Fund and the Arcus and Gill Foundations to enroll people of color who are managers of LGBT organizations in a year-long program of leadership retreats, skills training and peer learning opportunities. Participants include current grantees of the three foundations. Grantees’ early impressions of the program’s value are captured in an Arcus Foundation report.