CCI Cultural Competency Resource Pages

To submit original content or share resources you have found, review concepts and definitions and e-mail: culturalcompetency@allianceonline.org

Concepts and Background

Beyond Diversity: Cultural Competency in Nonprofit Capacity Building
Presented by Brigette Rouson and Maria Gitin (2004)
(Cultural Competency; Capacity Building)

From the Alliance annual conference DC'04, session slides illustrate current conditions and disparities based on identity (race/ethnicity, gender, age, income level, disability), then cites three definitions of cultural competency, and finally notes key issues in capacity-building practice.

Cultural Awareness, Cultural Competence, and Multi-Culturalism
Presentation by Laurin Mayeno, Featherston & Associates for the Statewide Family Networks and the Technical Assistance Center (2003)

Cultural Competency Assessment Tools
Published by the Vancouver Ethnocultural Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Children and Families
(Structural Racism; Tools)

The Vancouver Ethnocultural Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Children and Families, in Canada's British Columbia, has created a set of definitions and tools intended to assist community-based agencies of all sizes in the Vancouver area in becoming more culturally competent.  The tool includes definitions and principles of cultural competence, approaches to developing program policies and procedures, and many other resources that may be relevant to a wide range of nonprofit organizations.

Cultural Competency: Concepts and Definitions
By the Alliance for Nonprofit Management (2005)
(Concepts & Definitions)

This information sheet compares three definitions relevant to capacity building in the nonprofit sector, including the definition generated by the Alliance People of Color Affinity Group.

Evaluation Tools for Racial Equity
Website produced by The Center for Assessment and Policy Development and MP Associates, Inc.

The Center for Assessment and Policy Development and MP Associates, Inc. recently launched a new website: www.evaluationtoolsforracialequity.org. This site is for people and groups interesting in evaluating their progress toward anti-racism and inclusion goals. Community groups, collaborations, coalitions, social justice groups and individuals will find it useful to track progress and document results of working to reduce the effects of historical and current racism and other forms of privilege and oppression. The website addresses every step of the evaluation process, offering Tools and Resources designed to help answer many common questions, including how to organize and carry out an evaluation, questions to ask and outcomes to measure, plus guidelines for thinking about and using results.  It also offers printable tipsheets for common evaluation tasks, and stories adapted from the experiences of various groups that give insights about common experiences and dilemmas.

Why Cultural Competency (and More!) Matters in Capacity Building
Presented by Paula Dressel, The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2004)
(Cultural Competency; Structural Racism)

This Alliance annual conference presentation, part of the DC'04 "Beyond Diversity" session, pinpoints facts of enduring structural racism and reasons for explicit work to eliminate it. The rationale includes greater accountability and results from an intentional approach to racial/ethnic equity. Dressel and her colleague Doretha Carter contrast an individual versus systems approach and outline the contents of a "Race Matters" toolkit.

 

Technical Assistance

Beyond Numbers and Compliance: Valuing Cultural Diversity in National Nonprofit Capacity-Building Organizations
By Catalina Vallejos Bartlett (2003)
(Current Needs; Philosophy and Method)

According to Bartlett's report for the 2003 inaugural Alliance member newsletter ENHANCE, even as most organizations avoid overt discrimination and claim to value diversity, a further look at flagship organizations in the nonprofit sector shows that they do more than minimally comply with employment laws and social pressures to be respectful of diversity. For the six representatives interviewed for this article, including four executive directors, issues of cultural diversity definitely transcend legal compliance in Washington, DC-based national nonprofit infrastructure organizations." This account documents "a blend of formal and informal policies and practices that help shape the organizational culture at staff, board and program levels," and the "values, as well as complex challenges, which have driven ongoing efforts to create and sustain a diverse workforce and inclusive organizational culture."

Building Capacity for Policy Change: The Racial Justice Lens
By Makani Themba-Nixon, The Praxis Project (2004)
(Philosophy and Method; Public Policy; Racial Equity/Justice)

As Themba-Nixon writes, "By engaging in capacity building with a racial justice lens, we develop a contextual analysis that allows us to construct the power landscape, challenged by an inability to see the communities' assets or understand the power dynamics at play.  Oftentimes, when we 'capacity builders' talk about communities of color, the conversation immediately focuses on needs and deficits." Her analysis points to a frequent emphasis on problems and needs when capacity builders focus on communities of color. This view leads to diminished funding and capacity building that starts from a deficit perspective, as compared to an understanding that communities of color "have led and nurtured national and international movements, catalyzed sweeping policy changes and created lasting institutions that continue to shape 'mainstream' practice." Though she offers cultural competency as a way to improve group dynamics and understand the history, the author also warns against over emphasis on cultural identity, versus a "landscape perspective."

Nonprofit Management Association Diversity Project
By Jan Masaoka (1996)
(Consulting Opportunity; Racial Equity/Justice; Capacity Building)

NMA did this study to design a program for increasing diversity among technical assistance providers, especially at management support organizations (MSOs). A diverse project team looked at career paths, obstacles to finding work with technical assistance organizations or maintaining a consulting practice, processes that nonprofits use to seek and secure technical assistance, and roles played by ethnic-specific MSOs as compared to generalized MSOs in the same geographic area. While recognizing diversity based on various identities that may be subject to discrimination (ability, gender, race, sexual orientation, status), the project team agreed to focus on racial/ethnic diversity. Research included five focus groups of consultants of color, an MSO leaders focus group, and 25 interviews across the field. Major conclusions: (1) Efforts to increase diversity must address "supply side" and "demand side"—informal networks for referrals, consultant rosters for nonprofits seeking assistance, and financial resources for growing a practice. (2) MSOs, though not well positioned at the time to offer diversity of consultants through staff, could act as change agents in nonprofit communities through referrals, technical assistance, and connecting with funders.  Ultimately, intent, awareness, and access must come together. The report suggests a program design, identifies funders with compatible interests, and shares anonymous quotes from consultants, MSO executives, and funders.

The Utilization of Nonprofit Consultants of Color in the Greater Milwaukee Area
Published by the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Center for Economic Opportunity (2004)
(Consulting Opportunity; Racial Equity/Justice)

Through the Lens of Culture: Building Capacity for Social Change and Sustainable Communities
Published by National Community Development Institute (2003)
(Historical Background; Capacity Building; Social Change)

Communities of color experience both a tremendous need for and a lack of access to quality technical assistance and capacity building services. Ultimately, as communities develop their skills for self-determination, the long-term value of these kinds of interventions is significant. This report explains the background and methodology of a culturally-based approach, which helps communities in moving toward self-determination. The emphasis is on building organizational and institutional capacity in communities of color and other communities who have traditionally lacked such access. As the paper explains, different skills are needed to be culturally-based than the skills identified with being proficient in technical aspects of capacity building work. Culturally based technical assistance ensures that community residents lead their own change processes; that consultants come from or have extensive, well-received experience in the communities they serve; and that communities are left with the tools and resources to continue their own transformation and growth process after the intervention is completed.

Collaboration

Principles for Intergroup Projects: A First Look
Published by the Association for the Study and Development of Community for the Community Foundations/Intergroup Relations Program (2001)
(Practices; Collaboration)

This document describes ten principles for effective efforts to strengthen intergroup relations, using a review of social science research (including reports on practitioner experience), an evaluation of a local initiative.  Support came from The Meyer Foundation.

Through the Lens of Culture: Building Capacity for Social Change and Sustainable Communities
Published by National Community Development Institute (2003)
(Working Principles)

Communities of color experience both a tremendous need for and a lack of access to quality technical assistance and capacity building services. Ultimately, as communities develop their skills for self-determination, the long-term value of these kinds of interventions is significant. This report explains the background and methodology of a culturally-based approach, which helps communities in moving toward self-determination. The emphasis is on building organizational and institutional capacity in communities of color and other communities who have traditionally lacked such access. As the paper explains, different skills are needed to be culturally-based than the skills identified with being proficient in technical aspects of capacity building work. Culturally based technical assistance ensures that community residents lead their own change processes; that consultants come from or have extensive, well-received experience in the communities they serve; and that communities are left with the tools and resources to continue their own transformation and growth process after the intervention is completed.

Issue Areas

Approaches to Tribal Grant Writing and Project Planning
Published in CharityChannel's e-newsletter, by Alisha Drabek and Carrie Rothburd (2005)

Beyond Diversity: Cultural Competency in Nonprofit Capacity Building
Presented by Brigette Rouson and Maria Gitin (2004)
(Practices; Capacity Building)

From the Alliance annual conference DC'04, session slides illustrate current conditions and disparities based on identity (race/ethnicity, gender, age, income level, disability), then cites three definitions of cultural competency, and finally notes key issues in capacity-building practice.

Beyond Numbers and Compliance: Valuing Cultural Diversity in National Nonprofit Capacity-Building Organizations
By Catalina Vallejos Bartlett (2003)
(Infrastructure Organizations)

According to Bartlett's report for the 2003 inaugural Alliance member newsletter ENHANCE, even as most organizations avoid overt discrimination and claim to value diversity, a further look at flagship organizations in the nonprofit sector shows that they do more than minimally comply with employment laws and social pressures to be respectful of diversity. For the six representatives interviewed for this article, including four executive directors, issues of cultural diversity definitely transcend legal compliance in Washington, DC-based national nonprofit infrastructure organizations. This account documents "a blend of formal and informal policies and practices that help shape the organizational culture at staff, board and program levels," and the "values, as well as complex challenges, which have driven ongoing efforts to create and sustain a diverse workforce and inclusive organizational culture."

Bridging the Leadership Gap: Solutions for Community Development Corporations
Published by Milano MiX Human Capital Series (2002)
(Nonprofit Leadership)

The report documents the low representation of people of color in community development corporations and offers solutions.

Building Capacity for Policy Change: The Racial Justice Lens
By Makani Themba-Nixon, The Praxis Project (2004)
(Advocacy/Activism)

As Themba-Nixon writes, "By engaging in capacity building with a racial justice lens, we develop a contextual analysis that allows us to construct the power landscape, challenged by an inability to see the communities' assets or understand the power dynamics at play.  Oftentimes, when we 'capacity builders' talk about communities of color, the conversation immediately focuses on needs and deficits." Her analysis points to a frequent emphasis on problems and needs when capacity builders focus on communities of color. This view leads to diminished funding and capacitybuilding that starts from a deficit perspective, as compared to an understanding that communities of color "have led and nurtured national and international movements, catalyzed sweeping policy changes and created lasting institutions that continue to shape 'mainstream' practice." Though she offers cultural competency as a way to improve group dynamics and understand the history, the author also warns against over emphasis on cultural identity, versus a "landscape perspective."

Cultural Competency Assessment Tools
Published by the Vancouver Ethnocultural Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Children and Families
(Youth Development; Racial Justice/Equity)

The Vancouver Ethnocultural Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Children and Families, in Canada's British Columbia, has created a set of definitions and tools intended to assist community-based agencies of all sizes in the Vancouver area in becoming more culturally competent.  The tool includes definitions and principles of cultural competence, approaches to developing program policies and procedures, and many other resources that may be relevant to a wide range of nonprofit organizations.

Diversifying Boards
Published in the 2002 Alliance Regional Meeting Report; by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management (2002)
(Advocacy/Activism) (Funding Trends)

Barbara Chieves provides 10 tips for creating a more diverse board in this report of a regional meeting, supported by Citibank.

Inclusiveness at Work: How to Build Inclusive Nonprofit Organizations
Published by The Denver Foundation, written by Katherine Pease (2005)

Nonprofit Effectiveness: Inclusiveness Matters
Published by Third Sector New England’s Diversity Initiative (2003)
(Immigration; Evaluation)

The accomplishments of Third Sector New England's Diversity Initiative are reviewed in the report, "Nonprofit Effectiveness:  Inclusiveness Matters," written by Deborah Linnell and Erline Belton.  It is an evaluation of the 13-year-old program to support diversity in Greater Boston's nonprofit community.  The report includes a comparison of the 1996 evaluation of this initiative, and highlights lessons learned as well as case studies from the grantees of the program.

Nonprofit Management Association Diversity Project
By Jan Masaoka (1996)
(Racial Justice/Equity; Consulting)

NMA did this study to design a program for increasing diversity among technical assistance providers, especially at management support organizations (MSOs). A diverse project team looked at career paths, obstacles to finding work with technical assistance organizations or maintaining a consulting practice, processes that nonprofits use to seek and secure technical assistance, and roles played by ethnic-specific MSOs as compared to generalized MSOs in the same geographic area. While recognizing diversity based on various identities that may be subject to discrimination (ability, gender, race, sexual orientation, status), the project team agreed to focus on racial/ethnic diversity. Research included five focus groups of consultants of color, an MSO leaders focus group, and 25 interviews across the field. Major conclusions: (1) Efforts to increase diversity must address "supply side" and "demand side"—informal networks for referrals, consultant rosters for nonprofits seeking assistance, and financial resources for growing a practice. (2) MSOs, though not well positioned at the time to offer diversity of consultants through staff, could act as change agents in nonprofit communities through referrals, technical assistance, and connecting with funders.  Ultimately, intent, awareness, and access must come together. The report suggests a program design, identifies funders with compatible interests, and shares anonymous quotes from consultants, MSO executives, and funders.

Ready? Set. Grow! A Starter's Guide for Becoming Culturally Competent
Published by Chicago Jobs Council's Cultural Competency & Employment Initiative (2004)
(Racial Justice/Equity; Workforce Development)

Produced by the Chicago Jobs Council's Cultural Competency & Employment Initiative with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, "Ready? Set. Grow! A Starter's Guide for Becoming Culturally Competent," is designed to help organizations understand that cultural competency does not only concern people of color and women.  The importance of an organization's cultural competence in strengthening workplace productivity is increasing as the U.S. becomes more diverse and the economy becomes more global.  This guide helps groups-especially nonprofits focusing on workforce development-identify what cultural competency is and is not, and how they can strengthen organizational capacity and the effectiveness of diverse staff, better advancing program goals.

Solving the Dilemma: A Leader's Guide to Managing Diversity
Published in Center for Creative Leadership’s Leadership in Action (2005)

Structural Racism and Community Building
Published by The Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change (2004)
(Community Building)

Taking the Initiative on Jobs and Race
Published by The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2001)
(Workforce Development)

The Meaning and Impact of Board and Staff Diversity in the Philanthropic Field
Published by the Joint Affinity Groups (2002)
(Institutional Trends)

The Joint Affinity Groups, a coalition of grantmaker associations, studied diversity in the U.S. foundation world.  Among the findings: (1) significant barriers persist to the post-September 11 period, and economic downturn made it a more challenging climate to advocate diversity in philanthropy, and (2) staff diversity increases when a board becomes more inclusive than staff, or a grantmaking program begins to focus on "communities, issues or populations of marginalized people."

The Utilization of Nonprofit Consultants of Color in the Greater Milwaukee Area
Published by the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management at University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Center for Economic Opportunity (2004)
(Consulting)

Why Cultural Competency (and More!) Matters in Capacity Building
Presented by Paula Dressel, The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2004)
(Public Administration)

This Alliance annual conference presentation, part of the DC'04 "Beyond Diversity" session, pinpoints facts of enduring structural racism and reasons for explicit work to eliminate it. The rationale includes greater accountability and results from an intentional approach to racial/ethnic equity. Dressel and her colleague Doretha Carter contrast an individual versus systems approach and outline the contents of a "Race Matters" toolkit.

Additional Resources

Changing the Rules of the Game: Youth Development & Structural Racism
Published by the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (2004)

This report describes the various approaches of recognizing, questioning, and challenging practices that sustain racism as a powerful and enduring social force. The Youth and Racial Equity Project, combining the forces of Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity and mosaic consulting, highlights 16 organizations with youth development programs that demonstrate some focus on racism as a structural phenomenon. It is relevant for program as well as organization development, and concludes with recommendations for funders and other supporters of this emerging approach to further increase the relevancy and effectiveness of community organizations' work with young people. The report was produced with funding from the Ford Foundation (and related support from C.S. Mott Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation).

Community Philanthropy and Racial Equity: What Progress Looks Like
Published by Effective Communities Project for the Ford Foundation (2005)

Community-based funding for racial equity is an emerging story. This report asks and answers the question: "What are we learning?" In their February 2005 report, authors Steven E. Mayer, Betty Emarita, and Vanessa McKendall-Stephens capture current paths and lessons from community philanthropy, such as reclaiming African cultural concepts, and key signs of progress.  The Effective Communities Project's report, with Ford Foundation support, highlights the experiences of nine organizations with a mainly African-American focus: a giving circle, faith-based organizations, a rural funders collaborative, and foundations with local, regional or national scope.

Cultivating Interdependence: A Guide for Race Relations and Racial
Justice Organizations
Published by Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (2004)

The publication advances and advocates a process that groups with different approaches to race relations and racial justice can use to understand each other's work. It presents ways groups can leverage their different approaches and promote accountability, so that, collectively, groups can work toward bridging racial and ethnic divisions and dismantling structural racism. The process encourages organizations to hold their own work up to a mirror, to reflect on their reactions to the different approaches, and to understand and address systemic and internal barriers that prevent organizations from working together to address racism. When organizations find ways to work interdependently, despite different approaches, the way is cleared for a movement that is greater and more powerful than its component parts. The book, funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, gives community groups and activists the components for working interdependently to address racism, tips for replication, and ideas for moving forward. Lori Villarosa of the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity contributed a chapter on the role of foundations in addressing racial equity.

Cultural Competence Gets Results
Published in TACS Newsletter, by Technical Assistance For Community Services (2003)

Cultural Competency Awareness Questions
By Monika Moss, MKM Management Consulting (2004)

These self-inquiries give capacity builders an opportunity to reflect on their cultural identity and stance.  Moss calls attention to whether the capacity builder co-creates a process that honors culture, and does inner work. The questions were generated for the Alliance Midwest regional meeting in 2004.

Good Intentions Are Not Enough!: Latino Health Disparities & Barriers to Health Care Access
Published by the Latino Commission on AIDS, written by Community Impact Consulting (2001)

Highlights from PILA's Movement-Building Electoral Work
Published by the Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action (2005)

This report describes one of Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action's core capacity-building programs, Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV).  MIV supports Bay Area organizations based in and/or serving immigrant communities in using electoral work to strengthen their organizations and build the leadership of their constituents.  The report outlines the MIV strategy and approach, and shares examples of the work of participating organizations and their lessons learned.

Keys to Cultural Competency: A Literature Review for Evaluators of
Recent Immigrant and Refugee Service Programs in Colorado
Published by The Colorado Trust (2002)

A multitude of programs have started in response to the growing needs of the immigrant and refugee population in the United States today--a population that numbers almost 30 million, or one in 10 individuals residing in the US.  The programs offer services such as language and life skills training, physical and mental health care, counseling, legal and tax assistance. This guide by REFT Institute, Inc., informs evaluators where and how to locate, understand, and use resources to evaluate immigrant and refugee programs. The focus is on the feasibility of quantifiable outcome assessments of services for immigrants and refugees.

Las Olvidadas: Latinas and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Published by the Hispanic Federation, Inc., written by Community Impact Consulting (2005)

Leadership for Policy Change: Strengthening Communities of Color Through Leadership Development
Published by PolicyLink (2003)

PolicyLink assesses the status of leaders of color involved in policy change. The report finds a critical need, identifies barriers, and suggests strategies for increasing the presence and influence of such leaders to better address community concerns. PolicyLink notes that "The absence of people of color from the policy arena excludes points of view that bring new perspectives to policy discussions that affect the entire nation, such as housing, health care, employment, transportation."  The paper recommends leadership development connected to policy goals. The study was supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and uses a program scan developed by the National Community Development Institute.

Lessons Learned: Reflections on Six Years of Anti-Racism Work
Published by Western States Center (2005)

Western States Center reflects on successes and challenges from its Dismantling Racism Project, created following two years of collaborative work with the Peace Development Fund. The Project is changing to offer public access to training, tools and resources, as well as integrating these resources into the Center's fieldwork.

PILA's Leadership Development Training Series, March 2003-2004:  Celebrating Collective Impact and Sharing Lessons Learned
Published by the Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action (2005)

The Leadership Development Training Series (LDTS) is a primary program strategy of Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action (PILA).  LDTS is a year-long program involving 15 organizations based in and/or serving immigrant communities in the Bay Area.  Through a train-the-trainer approach, technical assistance, coaching and opportunities for peer-learning, LDTS supports these organizations in incorporating constituency leadership development into their core programs.  The report describes the most recent LDTS program, including its values and components, and provides examples of the individual, organizational and community impact of the program and its participants' efforts.  It also shares some of the lessons learned by program participants regarding implementing and sustaining their organizations' leadership develpment efforts.

Race, Class, Power in Philanthropy: Promising Practices
Published by Marga, Inc. for the Annie E. Casey Foundation (2005)

Foundations are adopting innovative practices to reshape race, class, culture and power dynamics. A March 2005 report by Marga, Inc. for the Annie E. Casey Foundation identifies approaches for eroding structural barriers to equity, on the principle that inclusion improves outcomes.  The research finds that grantmaking is only part of the picture.  Equally vital are internal practices such as organizational priorities, board composition, staffing, vendor selection, consulting relationships, and other power relations. Working internally and externally, as Woods Fund President Ricardo Millett suggests in the report, replaces "charity" that maintains systems of inequality with "strategic philanthropy" that supports systemic change. (Marga, Inc. is led by David Maurrasse, immediate past chair, Alliance board of directors.)

Refugee & Immigrant Collaborations: Best Practices Research Summary
Published by Nonprofit Assistance Center (Seattle) (2003)

This report provides a summary of qualities and factors for successful collaboration that is grounded in community knowledge, including cultural values and behaviors. It was prepared by the Nonprofit Assistance Center as part of the Refugee and Immigrant Pilot Collaborative, funded by Northwest Area Foundation.  The document was originally intended for use by the Foundation and local partners in creating plans to effect positive change in the region, including reducing poverty for refugee and immigrant populations.

Shortchanged: Foundation Giving and Communities of Color
Published by Applied Research Center (2004)

Short Changed finds diminished support for racial justice organizing. The Applied Research Center's report, Short Changed: Foundation Giving and Communities of Color, analyzes the available data on foundation giving to communities of color, civil rights and social justice organizations. It assesses the impact of these giving trends on organizations that conduct racial justice work, and makes recommendations to funders and donors for supporting efforts that promote racial equity.

Technical Assistance and Progressive Organizations for Social Change in Communities of Color
Published by the Funding Exchange, Saguaro Fund Grantmaking Board (1998)

This report by Luz Guerra captures activist organizations' unique needs for technical assistance that reflects their progressive orientation and cultural base in communities of color. It questions the value of technical assistance that applies a mindset and structures designed to uphold the current system.  It suggests a central consideration of whether technical assistance serves for movement building. The report also indicates that the intensity of activism poses an extra challenge to putting energy into organizational systems, management practice, fundraising, and similar processes.

Tobacco Policy: Capacity Building that Honors Culture
By Patricia St. Onge (Haudenosaune) (2005)

St.Onge's account illustrates results from the capacity builder's use of a "culturally based" approach in supporting advocates for tobacco reduction, rather than resorting to a "just say no" campaign.

 

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