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Cultural Competency Resource Pages

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.

Race Matters Toolkit
Published by The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2006)

The Race Matter Toolkit offers a range of resources to support organizational decision makers, community advocates, and nonprofit support providers in being systematic to achieve racial equity. Persistent barriers to opportunity and results can be made visible, understandable, and subject to change. Tools include a conversation starter - how to talk about "race," plus guides organizational assessment and community-building strategies.

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.

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