The Barr Foundation’s Sector Effectiveness team believes that a thriving and robust nonprofit sector depends in part upon a strong ecosystem of capacity building supports and services. These supports enable nonprofits to expand their knowledge and skills, sharpen their strategies, and navigate constant change – making capacity builders essential partners in our work to strengthen Greater Boston’s social sector.

Yet, while capacity building has the potential to catalyze nonprofit impact, efforts to do so don’t always live up to their potential. Since 2023, Barr’s Sector Effectiveness team has been engaged in research, listening, and convening to better understand and act upon the barriers to more responsive and equity-aligned capacity building in Greater Boston.

In the first part of our two-pronged approach, Barr convened a table of nonprofits, capacity builders, and funders to uplift promising ideas that will strengthen capacity building in our region. This group has met regularly for the past year, coming together three times in 2025 to share ideas and explore innovative solutions.

Building on what we’ve learned, in July 2025 we launched part two of our work with a Request for Ideas (RFI) for planning and pilot projects designed to spark innovation and drive systemic change across the region’s capacity-building ecosystem.

We are now thrilled to announce the Reimagining Capacity Building Pilot Projects Cohort – eight organizations whose bold, creative, and collaborative ideas will help shape the future of nonprofit capacity building in Greater Boston. Together, these projects represent nearly $1 million in investment to bolster the region’s nonprofit infrastructure and inspire new, local models that support our nonprofits.

The projects and organizations include:

• The Design Center for Public Good: Co-Location as Capacity Building – Boston Society of Architects
• Building the Capacity of the Boston Youth Arts Impact Network – EdVestors
• Worcester County Capacity Building Network Pilot – Greater Worcester Community Foundation
• Fiscal Sponsorship Hub Network Strategy – Movement Sustainability Commons
• Shared Infrastructure, Expanded Impact: A New Model for CDC Capacity Building –Opportunity Communities
• Mapping the Capacity Building Provider Ecosystem – SOAR Management Consulting, Social Innovation Forum, and the YW Boston

These initiatives embody fresh thinking and experimentation—testing new models, partnerships, and ways of working that hold promise to help ensure that more nonprofits have the resources they need to thrive. Over the next six months to two years, each organization will plan, pilot, and refine innovative strategies to strengthen supports for local nonprofits.

With facilitation support from our partner Systems Design Lab, this cohort will:

• Participate in convenings designed to build trust and create a cohesive network of changemakers in the Greater Boston capacity building ecosystem
• Receive customized support and coaching as they implement their pilot projects
• Capture and share lessons learned to inform the field and inspire broader change

We are energized by the creativity and ambition of these projects and look forward to learning alongside this inaugural cohort. Together, we are reimagining what’s possible for capacity building in Greater Boston.